Requesting Condo Documents (As Owner)

[atb]

Does anyone know if condo owners have the right to request free copies of their condo's bylaws, minutes, etc?

I'm looking to get copies of my building's documents, but the property manager is referring me to condopapers.com, which charges $15.00 for a copy of a single month's minutes. The total cost to get everything will be over $200.

Seems a bit silly that as an owner I can't request free copies of the building's documents.

[bizaro86]

Does anyone know if condo owners have the right to request free copies of their condo's bylaws, minutes, etc?

I'm looking to get copies of my building's documents, but the property manager is referring me to condopapers.com, which charges $15.00 for a copy of a single month's minutes. The total cost to get everything will be over $200.

Seems a bit silly that as an owner I can't request free copies of the building's documents.

Short answer is you have the right to have the documents, but they have the right to charge you.

[atb]

Short answer is you have the right to have the documents, but they have the right to charge you.

Thanks, it seems absurd they can set whatever price they want for the documents. If there was an admin charge of $10 for processing the request, that's something I could understand. $15 for each month's minutes (in a PDF nonetheless) is ridiculous.

[jtfrogger]

Those prices are in line what what my condo charges. You might be able to get a copy of the minutes from a board member if they were willing to share with you. If I needed them for some reason, that is what I would do.

Another option, if you are going to pay for it anyway, is to go through one of the condo assessment services such as Condo Check. When we bought about 6 years ago, they pulled everything together for about $300. I would assume that they get a deal and/or keep copies of previous requests so that they only have to get the new documents. It would be a bit more, but you get a full assessment on the state of your condo.

[Travis Munroe]

They should be mailing most of the stuff out.
As for charging, yes it is standard. Hold onto whatever you get in the mail as it adds up quick when you go to sell and need all sorts documents.
Also, being able to go online to get them is quite handy. Some property mgmt companies make you come in person to their office and pay.
I typically arrange all the condo documents for clientele and when I have to go in person and pay in cash only it can be a PITA. Being able to get them online in minutes (excluding the 24 hour documents) is awesome.

[bizaro86]

Another idea, you could always go to the AGM and make a motion to have certain documents sent to all the owners. I've done this in the past when I wasn't getting things, or wanted more documents. This doesn't help you if you need them right now, but might be valuable for those who are considering selling in a year or two.

[bizaro86]

They should be mailing most of the stuff out.
As for charging, yes it is standard. Hold onto whatever you get in the mail as it adds up quick when you go to sell and need all sorts documents.
Also, being able to go online to get them is quite handy. Some property mgmt companies make you come in person to their office and pay.
I typically arrange all the condo documents for clientele and when I have to go in person and pay in cash only it can be a PITA. Being able to get them online in minutes (excluding the 24 hour documents) is awesome.

The last set of condo documents I bought was cash only at their office. You could wait 5 days for them to print it off, or pay 50% extra for rush, which was still 3 days, and you had to come back again to pick them up, they wouldn't send it.

[Kananaskis04]

Has anyone ever run into a problem where the documents are not kept current? We are currently selling and The Board has not approved the upcoming budget (2014/15) which is a document my buyer needs for his financing.
The management company has blamed The Board and does not seem to willing to help get this pushed through.
I understand The Board has to approve it themselves, but is there not an onus on the Property Managers as they are a paid consultant to ensure that important procedures are followed and something such as a budget document is kept current?

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Has anyone ever run into a problem where the documents are not kept current? We are currently selling and The Board has not approved the upcoming budget (2014/15) which is a document my buyer needs for his financing.
The management company has blamed The Board and does not seem to willing to help get this pushed through.
I understand The Board has to approve it themselves, but is there not an onus on the Property Managers as they are a paid consultant to ensure that important procedures are followed and something such as a budget document is kept current?

Read the bylaws, some give specific guidance on dates budgets must be set.

What's the fiscal year end? Boards sometimes don't convene for a while and budgets may not be finalized for a period of time.

Overall, a strong Property Manager can make up for a weak Board and vs versa. I'd scub the Minutes down and see what both are like. I'd also put the onus on the seller and his agent to pound the Board/PM.