condominium
owners
Timely ideas, insight, inspiration and information of particular interest to condominium owners
James O’Hara CEO of JGO Solutions Inc.
Part 1 of a 2 Part Series
The Fundamentals of Condo Living This is the First of a Two-Part Series on Condominium Living Where I’ll Answer Some of the Key Questions and Must-Know Points for Owners and Residents of this Style of Living This first article begins with what a condominium is, what a board is, what it is responsible for, the importance of its role, key points, and considerations for owners in choosing the best candidate(s) during elections.
The term “condominium” is based on two words in originating from modern Latin; con (together with) and dominium (right of ownership) and can be paraphrased as “joint dominion” or “co-ownership” with the latter term being the one we are most familiar with, co-ownership. What this essentially means for us as condominium owners is having the com-
bined ownership of an individual unit plus a shared interest in the common elements. Common elements are generally described as those being outside our own unit and are shared by all in the community. Some examples of which are the infrastructure to support and supply power and water, fire protection and safety mechanisms, corridors, garages, land, gardens, tennis courts, pools, recreation facilities, common areas, etc. These common elements are owned by a condomin-
ium corporation in which we (as condo owners) own an interest in. What is a condominium board of directors? The body with the ultimate responsibility for the management of this corporation is the condominium board of directors. They have an incredibly important role to play in the successful management of your condominium corporation and they are elected by you, the owner. CONDOVOICE SPRING 2022
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ILLUSTRATION BY JAMIE BENNET
What exactly is a condominium anyway? Let’s begin by understanding what the word “condominium” or “condo” really means. It’s often used in our society today to simply describe the type of home we live in and to differentiate from a detached home in a conversation. However, there is more to it than name alone and it does require a different level of understanding, a higher sense of community, awareness of regulations, and potentially more involvement for you as a condominium owner as compared to a detached homeowner. I will attempt to outline some of these all-important points in this article to understand how it can affect you and the place in which you live.
