Maintenance
Air ventilation in multi-residential buildings
Achieving a healthy indoor environment begins with proper air ventilation, especially as buildings become more airtight. Kevin Smith explains the various systems available today.
The keys to reopening multi-res operations
As Ontario prepares to reopen the economy, what will the upcoming months look like for multi-res operations? Legal expert Joe Hoffer shares important tips to help landlords manage the risks as they navigate their way into "new normal".
AI-driven energy management platforms
The apartment rental landscape is changing. Utility costs are rising, creating the need for improved energy management.
Don’t flush money down the toilet
It is estimated that 20 to 25 per cent of all toilets in North America are experiencing leaks at any given time, making toilet leaks the number one cause of water loss in multi-unit residential buildings.
In deep water
Extreme weather events are directly impacting the cost of residential property insurance, but there are ways to keep rising costs at bay.
A new dawn for Toronto Community Housing
Toronto’s crumbling community housing stock is receiving some much-needed financial support to the tune of 1.3 billion, making it the largest federal housing investment in the city's history.
Renovating your apartment: Is it worth it?
Renovations or retrofits to an investment property that increase rents and/or decrease operating costs may also increase a property’s value. Cost and value, however, are not synonymous, and not all renovations are as profitable as one might expect.
Higher winter maintenance costs anticipated
Private property owners in Ontario, including condo corporations, could find themselves paying a premium to keep their walkways safe this winter.
What technology can’t replace in communities
What is being left behind as technology becomes more a part of day-to-day living in a community? Should some things be done the “old-fashioned” way?
Moving toward a zero carbon economy
In a changing world where “zero carbon” is the ultimate goal in building design, can retrofits alone make Canada’s aging apartment stock sustainable?
Lighting the way to happier tenants
Good exterior lighting will beautify a property while also enhancing security. Here are some low-cost tips from rental property managers looking to 'light the way' to happier tenants:
Required upgrades to single-speed elevators lifted
The TSSA recently lifted the requirement to undertake certain upgrades to the controls of single-speed elevators, but it doesn’t mean building owners should abandon modernization.
Ontario leaves live-in superintendents exposed
For now, market demand and the goodwill of employers are still the prime determinants of superintendents' working conditions.
London fatal fire sparks high-rise safety concerns
The fatal fire that ripped through a 24-storey apartment tower in London, England, on Wednesday, June 14th, has left the city traumatized. Deemed one of the deadliest of its kind in the recent history, the blaze in the 120-unit Grenfell Tower council housing block has resulted in 30 confirmed deaths and dozens of lives still unaccounted for.
Sniffing out culprits for odour complaints
Scents associated with cigarette smoke, cooking and the garbage chute are among the most common odours complaints received by building managers.
Reliable Elevators Act passes second reading
If it becomes law, the Reliable Elevators Act would require maintenance contractors to restore out-of-service elevators within 14 days in most buildings.
Toronto Community Housing in crisis
It has been another tumultuous month for Toronto Community Housing, Canada’s largest social housing provider. The city-run entity with a $9-billion portfolio is once again facing criticism for failing in the upkeep of its 58,000 units.