Canada’s for Apartment Owners, Managers and Association Executives Canada’s #1,Voice most read publication forManagers Apartment Owners, Managers and Association Executives Canada’s Voice for widely Apartment Owners, and Association Executives
Vol.7 No.5 November 2014 rentallhousingbusiness.ca
RENTAL HOUSING HOUSING BUSINESS BUSINESS RENTAL
RENTAL HOUSING BUSINESS
FIRSTSERVICE R E N T A L
M A N A G E M E N T
Filling a need in the rental housing industry
FRPO “Living GREEN Together” standards
Don’t hold your breath waiting for an apology
2014 Building Systems Report
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s reported in the September issue, CFAA is taking a new tack in our government relations work. See the article with that title in National Outlook, following page 38. As well as educating decision makers about the problems in Canada’s rental housing markets, CFAA will advocate for limited cost tax reforms which will be of use to some landlords, and will be attractive to government by addressing one or more government policy concerns. CFAA continues to offer several member services, including the Rental Housing Employee Compensation Survey for 17 cities or areas across Canada, which includes both building-based and head office positions. The survey for 2015-16 will report compensation at February 2015. Data will be collected in February and March so that the report can be issued in June. Landlords who provide their compensation data receive substantial discounts off the report price. The CFAA Rental Housing Conference 2015 is scheduled for Toronto with the building innovation bus tour on Wednesday, June 10, and the two education days on June 11 and 12. As in 2014, the 2015 conference will address both rental investment and rental operations topics on both days. There will be four key note speakers, two per day, to add new ideas to the conference. Benjamin Tal will be back on June 11, 2015, with his alwaysentertaining economic update. Other keynote speakers will be announced over the next few months.
landlords of all sizes on both days, including managing employees, rental marketing, tenant relations and building operations. The Conference will include the building innovations tour (during the afternoon of June 10), an evening social event on June 11 atop the CN Tower, and lots of networking opportunities. National Outlook includes an article about income splitting and the beneficial effects on landlords of the increase in the Universal Child Care Benefit. Elsewhere in RHB Magazine you will find a profile of FirstService Rental Management, a building mechanical guide and an article explaining the FRPO CRB Living Green Program. For details about the compensation survey, the CFAA Conference or to become a direct landlord member of CFAA, visit www.cfaafcapi.org or telephone 613-235-0101 (between 9:00 and 5:00 Eastern time). We look forward to hearing from you!!
John Dickie John Dickie, CFAA President
Besides the keynote speakers, CFAA will present 50 experienced landlords, consultants and suppliers, in a total of over 25 education sessions. Speakers will address topics of relevance to
CFAA Member Associations Eastern Ontario Landlord Organization (EOLO) www.eolo.ca P: 613-235-9792
London Property Management Association (LPMA) www.lpma.ca P: 519-672-6999
Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) www.frpo.org P: 416-385-1100, 1-877-688-1960
Manufactured Home Park Owners Alliance of British Columbia (MHPOA) www.mhpo.com P: 1-877-222-4560
Greater Toronto Apartment Association (GTAA) www.gtaaonline.com P: 416-385-3435
New Brunswick Apartment Owners Association (NBAOA) www.nbaoa.myidealhome.com P: 506-640-1460
Hamilton & District Apartment Association (HDAA) www.hamiltonapartmentassociation.ca P: 289-440-3185
Professional Property Managers’ Association (of Manitoba) (PPMA) www.ppmamanitoba.com P: 204-957-1224
Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia (IPOANS) www.ipoans.ns.ca P: 902-425-3572
Landlord BC www.landlordbc.ca P: 1-888-330-6707
Kingston Rental Property Owners Association (KRPOA) www.kingstonrentals.com P: 613-572-7276
Vancouver Office (formerly BCAOMA) www.bcaoma.com P: 604.733.9440, 1-877-700-9440
Victoria Office (formerly ROMS BC) www.romsbc.com P: 250-382-6324, 1-888-330-6707 Saskatchewan Rental Housing Industry Association (SRHIA) www.srhia.ca P: 306-653-7149 Waterloo Regional Apartment Management Association (WRAMA) www.wrama.com P: 519-748-0703 The Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations represents the owners and managers of close to one million residential rental suites in Canada, through 13 apartment associations and direct landlord memberships across Canada. CFAA is the sole national organization representing the interests of Canada’s $480 billion rental housing industry. For more information about CFAA itself, see www.cfaa-fcapi.org or telephone 613-235-0101
TABLE OF CONTENTS
From Left to Right: Bruno Sperduti, Executive Vice President; Tasso Eracles, Chairman; Todd Cooper, President
10
23
FIRSTSERVICE
RENTAL MANAGEMENT FirstService Rental Management, the newest division of FirstService Residential, provides full-service rental management services to Canadian and foreign property owners who do not have the experience, time or knowledge to lease or manage their residential investment condominium units and properties.
In November 2013, FRPO launched its new “Living GREEN Together” standards, which are part of the Certified Rental Building (CRB) Program. The goal is to promote sustainability by requiring property managers to follow a series of environmental standards to reduce their buildings’ carbon footprint.
32
NOVEMBER 2014
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
RHB EDITION
*
Income-splitting reforms benefit families and landlords
Inside This Issue CMHC Launches Information Portal, . . . . . . . . p . 4 CFAA’s New Tack on Lobbying, . . . . . . . . . . . . . p . 6
Despite what some news outlets will have you believe, the post-1991 rent control exemption has had a positive impact on Ontario’s rental housing industry - for both tenants and landlords.
The RHB 2014 Building Systems Report informs Canadian apartment building owners and managers on how to maintain, renovate and upgrade their buildings’ mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems.
The total effect of the recent moves to allow a federal tax credit to provide income splitting, and the other reforms announced at the same time, is good for families and also for landlords. While income-splitting itself would be more beneficial to high income families, the new income-splitting tax credit includes elements that focus most of the benefits on moderate income families. Such families are more likely to rent their homes than high-income families.
For example, compare two families both with one child of age four and one age 10, but with incomes from one earner of
DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH WAITING FOR AN APOLOGY
RHB 2014 BUILDING SYSTEMS REPORT
By John Dickie, CFAA President
The other reforms are also of more benefit to low-income and moderate-income families than high-income families. Those other reforms include an increase to the universal child care benefit (UCCB) for children under six, and an expansion of that benefit to include children between ages six and 17. Those cash payments are subject to income tax, so that low-income and moderate-income families keep more of the benefit than high-income families.
FRPO’s “Living GREEN Together” Standards
$30,000 and $90,000 respectively. Both will receive an extra $120 per month ($60 for each child), amounting to $1,440 over the year. However, in Ontario, the low-income family will pay tax on that benefit at the rate of 20%, or $288, leaving them $1,152 better off. The higher-income family will pay tax on that benefit at the rate close to 31%, or $448, leaving them $992 better off. continued on page 3
CFAA Rental Housing Conference 2015 The CFAA Rental Housing Conference 2015 will offer many things to different people in the rental housing industry, with keynote speakers, and three or four choices of topics in more than 30 sessions over two days. For many at the conference, networking is a high priority.
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
For rental housing executives, we present Benjamin Tal on the economy, and other experts about major rental housing sales, interest rates and revenue management. For mid-size apartment investors, we offer succession planning information and ideas, and rental demand indicators and projections.
National Outlook, the newsletter of the Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations (CFAA), provides political news, policy updates, association news and other information to keep rental housing providers up to date and ready for future opportunities and risks.
continued on page 3
National Outlook - RHB Edition 1
SAVE THE DATE!
artment Owners, Managers and Association Executives
H Business
NG
CFAA RENTAL HOUSING CONFERENCE 2015
artment Owners, Managers and Association Executives
H business June 10 - 12, 2015 Westin Prince, Toronto
Don’t miss Benjamin Tal’s Economic Update
NG
Everyone interested in our great industry should attend this event!
artment Owners, Managers and Association Executives
H
NG
Building Innovations Bus Tour - June 10 Education Sessions (day 1) - June 11 Evening Social Event - June 11 Education Sessions (day 2) - June 12 For more information on the conference visit www.cfaa-fcapi.org or call 613.235.0101
Organized by CFAA with the support of the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario and the Greater Toronto Apartment Association.
artment Owners, Managers and Association Executives
Editor’s Note
P
ardon me for starting off on a sombre note, but I’d like to take a moment to remember departed family and friends. A cousin passed away this month, much too soon for his daughter and wife, as well as the rest of his family. We’ve all lost people close to us, so let us take a brief moment in our day, perhaps right now, to remember those we’ve lost, as well as the memories of the times we were fortunate enough to share with them. Thank you for that brief moment.
This issue of RHB Magazine profiles FirstService Rental Management, which is part of FirstService Residential, one of the largest property management firms in North America. This newest division fills an underserved niche: providing fullservice rental management services to owners of residential investment condo units and properties. The company essentially fills the role of landlord for property owners and investors who do not have the time, experience or knowledge to find tenants or properly manage their units. We also have a feature on FRPO’s “Living GREEN Together” standards, which have been added to its Certified Rental Building (CRB) Program. These ten new standards require members to follow a series of environmental standards to promote sustainability as part of their membership requirements. The article covers the standards as well as several FRPO members’ best practices in reducing their properties’ carbon footprint. This issue includes the RHB 2014 Building Services Report, which provides strategies, tips and advice on maintaining, renovating and upgrading rental properties’ mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. Each section includes a number of issues and best practices about what to look for and how to maintain different mechanical systems. The report includes insights from people who provide these services to the rental housing industry, as well as property owners and managers. Reading it will save you time and money, and help with extending your building’s mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems, so make sure to give it a good read. Don’t forget to sign up for RHB Newsreel, which features industry headlines, market updates and the latest trends. Also, make sure to read the article on Ontario’s post-1991 rent control exemption, as it tells the real story about this policy. Of course, you should also check out the rest of the magazine, including CFAA’s newsletter, National Outlook.
Vol. 7 No. 5 CO-FOUNDER, DIRECTOR
Juan Malvestitti juan@rentalhousingbusiness.ca
CO-FOUNDER, PUBLISHER
Marc L. Côté marc@rentalhousingbusiness.ca
EDITORIAL
David Gargaro david@rentalhousingbusiness.ca
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
John Dickie, President CFAA jdickie@rentalhousingbusiness.ca
DESIGN
Thomas Calvert
PHOTOGRAPHY Mark Bezek
OFFICE MANAGER Kayla Clark
SUBSCRIPTIONS Canada: One year $27.00 Elsewhere: $39.00 Single copy sales: Canada $9.00 Elsewhere: $12.00 Opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the CFAA Board or management. CFAA and RHB Inc. accept no liability for information contained herein. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
P.O. Box 696 Maple, ON, L6A 1S7 416.236.7473 www.rentalhousingbusiness.ca
Enjoy the issue!
David Gargaro
To view the online edition of RHB, please go to www.rentalhousingbusiness.ca
All contents copyright © RHB Inc.
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Industry Trivia Brought to you by:
New is our Industry Trivia, a fun way to test your rental housing knowledge. Topics range from politics to marketing and everything fun in-between! Have a go and let’s see who has what it takes; you may just win a free pair of tickets to a major industry event!
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Top scoring sub missions will be entered into a draw to win t wo o
day passes t ne
o CFAA’s Rental H ousing Conference 20 15.
1. 2. 3. 4.
RENTAL HOUSING
5. 6.
LEGAL
7.
In what year was CFAA founded? Does CFAA accept landlords as direct members?
POLITICS Does Canada have a Presidential or a Parliamentary system of government? What is the proper name of the riding, and which party came second to the current MP in the most recent general election or by-election?
In your province, can a landlord lawfully demand a security deposit for damages? In your province, is a landlord effectively able to enforce a non-smoking clause (without needing evidence of the negative impact of smoking on specific other tenants)?
MARKETING/SOCIAL MEDIA How many million Canadians watch online videos monthly?
Submit your answers now to www.rentalhousingbusiness.ca/IndustryTrivia
From Left to Right: Todd Cooper, President; Tasso Eracles, Chairman; Bruno Sperduti, Executive Vice President
FIRSTSERVICE R E N T A L
M A N A G E M E N T
Filling a need in the rental housing industry
B
ecoming one of North America’s largest managers of residential communities is no small feat. Being selected to manage thousands of residential and commercial associations across Canada and the US is also quite impressive. Using its combined experience and resources to blaze a trail in an exclusive niche in a related but separate field‌ that is something else.
Rental Housing Business 11
[ FirstService Rental Management ]
From Left to Right: Bruno Sperduti, Executive Vice President; Tasso Eracles, Chairman; Todd Cooper, President
FirstService Residential is a property management firm that manages more than 1.5 million residential units throughout North America, including British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. The company is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a global leader in the real estate services sector. In May 2014, the organization launched the newest addition to its brand: FirstService Rental Management. This new division provides full-service rental management services to property owners who want to lease their residential investment condominium units and properties. Its goal is to serve as landlords on behalf of Canadian and foreign owners and investors who do not have the experience, time or knowledge to effectively manage their rental units. Background In 1998, Tasso Eracles founded Simerra Property Management, which provided residential property management in the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario. The company helped condominium developers get to market and then managed the properties on their behalf. Over time, Simerra built a client portfolio of approximately 280 communities with more than 30,000 units. In July 2011, Simerra partnered with FirstService Residential to create one of the largest residential property management firms in Canada. In June 2013, Simerra Property Management rebranded as FirstService Residential Ontario. Around this time, the company determined that there was an opportunity to manage individual units owned by investors in its
12 november 2014
managed condominiums. Ownership knew that more than half of the investors lived outside Canada, and they did not have the time, knowledge or desire to find ideal tenants for their units or manage tenants’ issues. The company discovered that many investors were reducing rents to compete with each other for tenants. This served to lower unit values throughout FirstService Residential Ontario’s managed buildings and negatively affected all investors’ returns. The company also found that tenants who were unfamiliar with condominium by-laws and rules often created issues in the buildings in which they resided, which also affected the residents who lived there. “We launched FirstService Rental Management to seize the opportunity to help investors manage their rental properties in our clients’ buildings, providing full-service rental management services to maintain investment value and preserve equity,” said Tasso Eracles, Chairman, FirstService Residential Ontario. “Our goal is to leverage our deep property management experience to effectively assume all landlord responsibilities and deal with all issues typically handled by a rental property manager.” Management services for investors Unlike other property management companies that work only with tenants or manage properties on behalf of building owners, FirstService Rental Management works with both investors and tenants to ensure that both parties get the most out of the landlord-tenant relationship. Its parent company, FirstService Residential, is involved with its
Congratulations to FirstService Residential with best wishes for continued success.
Lawyers 77 King Street West Suite 3000, PO Box 95 TD Centre North Tower Toronto, ON M5K 1G8 Tel: 416.864.9700 Fax: 416.941.8852 foglers.com
[ FirstService Rental Management ]
condominium properties through the entire life cycle, from preconstruction of new developments through occupancy, registration and turnover. The rental management division provides unit pre-delivery inspection (PDI), conducts regular property inspections, and offers 24/7/365 emergency response and informational services for owners and residents of rental properties.
Management. “This comprehensive screening process not only protects investors from tenants who don’t pay rent or could cause other problems, but it also preserves equity by ensuring that investors obtain market rate rents for their units.”
FirstService Rental Management also provides comprehensive management services to its rental property unit owners and investors, such as financial management and control, collecting and depositing rents and receivables, paying condo fees and taxes, and providing statements of profit and losses for tax purposes. Investors can also receive discounts on insurance policies required to protect their units and preserve their investments.
Once a tenant is approved, they fall under the responsibility of FirstService Rental Management. The company provides each new tenant with a comprehensive package that details the rules and requirements for living in that building. As some tenants have never lived in a condo before, they might break rules inadvertently because they are unaware they exist. The information package educates tenants on condo by-laws and rules that extend beyond the Tenant Protection Act, as well as the particulars of the community in which they have chosen to live.
Tenant services
“We also conduct personal interviews of all prospective tenants to ensure that they meet our quality standards. This comprehensive screening process not only protects investors from tenants who don’t pay rent or could cause other problems, but it also preserves equity by ensuring that investors obtain market rate rent for their units.”
“As an additional service, FirstService Rental Management provides special services for non-resident owners, such as withholding tax filing and HST rebate assistance on new condominium purchases,” said Tasso. “As a result, we can successfully provide our clients with hands-free, worry-free experiences.” The ability to attract and screen tenants is one of FirstService Rental Management’s most valuable benefits for investors. This function provides clients with an extra layer of security, greater control over their rental units and the ability to deal with issues before they escalate. The company uses reputable external screening services to conduct background checks, determine rent history, verify references and evaluate prospects’ suitability as tenants in its clients’ units. “We also conduct personal interviews of all prospective tenants to ensure that they meet our quality standards,” said Bruno Sperduti, Executive Vice President, Rental Management, FirstService Rental
14 november 2014
“I am excited at the prospect of a more integrated, hands-on process for screening and managing tenants in investor-owned condo units,” said John Dickie, President, CFAA. “When non-resident investors rent out individual condo units, unruly tenants can create problems for the other condo owners or tenants. Better education and supervision of tenants should reduce the incidence and severity of those problems. That will be a good thing for all the condo owners, whether owneroccupiers or investors.” FirstService Rental Management is dedicated to improving its tenants’ living experience throughout the process. For example, during the application stage, the company helps tenants find the best property and unit for them, and will even make recommendations for other properties if an ideal fit does not exist in its managed portfolio. It also inspects each unit prior to move-ins so that it can deal with PDI deficiencies, and handles damages and issues on move-out.
Congratulations
FIRSTSERVICE RESIDENTIAL WE WISH YOU CONTINUED GROWTH AND FUTURE SUCCESS.
www.blaney.com
Rental Housing Business 15
[ FirstService Rental Management ]
Property managers are responsible for building issues, not in-suite issues, although they can direct tenants and provide assistance where required. When tenants need assistance or have an emergency, they can contact FirstService Rental Management’s Customer Care Centre any time, day or night, to speak with a rental coordinator, who is responsible for handling the tenants’ needs. Residents can contact the Customer Care Centre to receive information or answers, make repair requests or report emergencies. “Rental coordinators can create a work order for the tenant, hire contractors and determine who is responsible for the cost of the work,” said Bruno. “Tenants can also access a dedicated website to get forms and information about their particular building, schedule maintenance requests and determine work order status.” Commitment to service In addition to its management services, FirstService Rental Management offers a range of value-added services to enhance quality, improve service and lower costs for its clients. One such service is FSRConnect™, a community management software platform and communications tool for residents, Board members and management staff. Qualified users can use this proprietary technology, which is available via computer, tablet or smartphone, to access resident and financial records, create work orders, send alerts to all or selected residents, log parcels and more. Tenants can also book amenities, reserve elevators for move-ins and move-outs, access a community newsletter and manage additional lifestyle activities. Since FirstService Rental Management is part of a very large organization, it can take advantage of combined buying programs to reduce costs for community services. For example, the company can purchase gas and electricity at bulk discount rates for its condominiums, enabling condo unit owners and tenants to benefit from fixed rates for hydro. Board members can also lock in discounted rates for their building’s common areas and gas feeding. Promoting energy efficiency is another of FirstService Residential’s mandates to improve the quality of its tenants’ lives while reducing their environmental footprint. The company uses energy monitoring systems to track energy usage in its managed buildings, which enables it to make more efficient use of boilers and other equipment. It also provides building owners with regular reports so that they can monitor energy usage across different buildings over different periods of time. “We’re also working with a supplier to retrofit all of our buildings with LED lighting,” said Todd Cooper, President, FirstService Residential Ontario. “There is no capital cost involved to the buildings, as payments are made through energy savings over three to four years. The long-term energy savings of LED lighting will be quite significant.” As part of its mission to deliver exceptional service, FirstService Rental Management continuously monitors and enhances its service delivery by
Tasso Eracles, Chairman 16 november 2014
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[ FirstService Rental Management ]
using the Net Promoter SystemSM (NPS). Companies in a wide range of industries use this proven management tool to create and deliver surveys that measure service delivery, customer loyalty and satisfaction. Through NPS and eNPS, a survey program for its associates, FirstService Rental Management receives direct feedback on how well it is doing in several key areas from internal and external audiences. “We continuously strive to enhance our service delivery and we employ a number of initiatives to improve our standards, such as in-house training programs, lunch-and-learn sessions, seminars and more,” said Todd. “We also launched two property management training and support programs to develop our own managers and ensure that they provide outstanding customer service and communication to our clients.” When Simerra rebranded as FirstService Residential, it embraced the organization’s mission to deliver exceptional service and solutions that enhance its residents’ lifestyle and values, as well as the communities it serves. It also adopted FirstService Residential’s six core values—be genuinely helpful, aim high, do what’s right, own it, improve it and build great relationships—to forge a foundation for how it conducts business and focus on making a difference, every day, for every client it serves. Going forward, the company’s primary 2015 objective is to be recognized as one of the top 100 employers in Canada “We know we offer a great place to work and have established a strong reputation for providing career and personal growth opportunities for our associates,” said Todd. “We want to be known as the employer of choice in our industry and we are well on the way, attracting the most knowledgeable and experienced professionals from other property management firms and high-end hotel chains and hospitality leaders.” Growth strategies FirstService Residential manages condominium properties in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, as well as 21 US states, and has longstanding relationships with many established developers in the industry. A number of large condominium developers offer rental guarantee programs to investors, and have approached the company to administer and manage these programs on their behalf. FirstService Residential helps them to sell units, and guarantees investors that it will provide a certain level of rent with a guaranteed rate of return for two years. “Because we partner with condominium developers during the planning stages, we have access to unit purchasers before move-in,” said Tasso. “The developers provide us with the contact information so that we can market to these investors and find tenants for their units. We also have exclusivity in certain buildings, so investors who want to rent their units are able to work with the industry leader.” Investors have traditionally relied on sales agents and brokers to find tenants and oversee their properties until they were ready to sell. FirstService Rental Management works with brokers whose clients are
18 november 2014
Todd Cooper, President
C
ongratulations FirstService Residential from your friends at HARRIS, SHEAFFER LLP!
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Rental Housing Business 19
[ FirstService Rental Management ]
interested in buying condo units to rent them out. The company manages the units for the brokers’ clients, and deals with tax, financial and other matters, enabling the brokers to handle their other responsibilities. The brokers get involved when the clients are ready to sell their units, with no worry about competing with FirstService Rental Management for business. Challenges and lessons learned Tasso: “I’ve learned that we must be empathetic to people’s needs because we are dealing with their homes – they can become passionate about problems in their units because it’s personal. So we focus on building relationships and delivering caring and responsive service that adds value and enhances the lifestyles of every client in our care.” Todd: “It’s important to keep growing and improving, particularly in the area of team leadership. Communications and training are key elements of developing our leadership and team skills, and the ability to quantify and measure our development is essential to achieving our goals.” Bruno: “We continue to tailor and refine our services in order to complement, rather than overlap with, those provided by brokers and sales agents. Our goal is to educate these professionals on what we do
and how we can help them, in order to build trust and work together to offer clients the highest level of service.” Future plans As one of the largest and most reputable condominium management firms in North America, FirstService Residential continues to expand its footprint across Canada and the US, grow its portfolio, enhance its services and establish its brand for the clients and communities it serves. The organization is committed to growing FirstService Rental Management as well, as it implements strategies to continue adding clients and tenants across British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario, as well as developing its brand and service standards. It also plans to provide them with full-service rental management and value-added services to enhance their lifestyles, as well as their investments. “When people walk into one of our managed buildings, we want them to know that this is a FirstService Residential property, no matter where they are in the world,” said Tasso. “As part of the industry leader, FirstService Rental Management is well on the way to being recognized by homeowners, tenants and Board members as the preferred provider of quality rental management services in Canada.” RHB
Bruno Sperduti, Executive Vice President 20 november 2014
CONGRATULATIONS
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Rental Housing Business 21
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“Living GREEN Together” Standards
Park Property Management Inc. became the first property manager in Mississauga enrolled in the Certified Rental Building Program to recertify with FRPO’s new Environmental Standards and to receive official status within the Program. Unveiling FRPO’s “Living GREEN Together” logo at Park Property’s 2797 Battleford Rd. building in the Meadowvale area of Mississauga were (right to left) FRPO’s President & CEO Scott Andison; Park Property’s Vice President, Residential Property Management, Margaret Herd; Mississauga Ward 9 Councillor Pat Saito; and FRPO’s Board Chair Bill Zigomanis.
In November 2013, the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) launched its new “Living GREEN Together” standards as an extension of the Certified Rental Building (CRB) Program. The goal of these new standards is to promote sustainability by requiring property managers to follow a series of environmental standards to achieve certification and maintain CRB Program membership. In 2011, FRPO met with key members of the CRB Program to initiate development of the “Living GREEN Together” standards. After getting feedback from industry leaders who had established sustainability practices and operated LEED-certified buildings, the association formed a committee to develop ten new “green” standards. Its goal was to help members make their buildings more environmentally friendly, reduce energy consumption, and actively engage employees and residents in the sustainability process. “This new set of standards is built on grassroots fundamentals rather than a capital expenditures model,” said Ted Whitehead, Director of Certification, FRPO. “We are focused on building a culture of sustainability across the industry, educating employees on effective sustainable
measures they can implement at their buildings, engaging residents to be an active part of greening their apartment community, and promoting the need to lower consumption and a reduced building environmental footprint.” The “Living GREEN Together” standards first launched to CRB Program members in Ottawa, with cooperation from Ontario’s Minister of Energy, and have since expanded to Kingston, Mississauga and Toronto, with more communities on the way. The program currently includes 990 buildings, with over 100,000 suites and 250,000 tenants. All CRB Program members are expected to comply with the “Living GREEN Together” standards by the end of June 2015 to maintain certification and membership in the CRB program. FRPO found that it was less of a challenge than expected to get its members to comply with the ten “Living GREEN Together” standards. Many companies have been blazing the environmentally friendly trail for years, engaging in recycling programs, reducing their utilities usage, pursuing green standards, operating LEED-certified buildings and reducing their overall carbon footprint. Getting them on board with the “Living GREEN Together” standards and convincing Rental Housing Business 23
”Living GREEN Together” Standards
other members to participate seemed to be a natural extension of the CRB Program standards. Members also stated that the environmental standards provide them with a more systematic and professional approach to achieving their environmental management goals. “When we learned that FRPO was developing new environmental standards, we wanted to be a part of that, because it fits with our approach to creating better places for people to live, work and play,” said Alison Minato, Vice President Sustainability, The Minto Group. “For over a decade, Minto has maintained a steady focus on improving the energy and water efficiency of our residential rental buildings, primarily through retrofits and mechanical system audits. We believe that to maintain the benefits of our past efforts and be in a position to continue to identify new opportunities, we need to take a systematic approach to managing the environmental aspects of our business – the Certified Rental Building Program’s new environmental standards of practice do just that.” This feature article describes the ten “Living GREEN Together” standards. We’ve gathered best practices and examples from FRPO members who are currently participating (or planning to participate) in the program, including Ferguslea Properties, The Minto Group, Osgoode Properties, O’Shanter Development Company Ltd., Park Property Management Inc., Tandem Group, Williams & McDaniel Property Management and WJ Properties. Environmental policy Members must have a documented environmental policy. They should demonstrate that the policy is openly available
for everyone to read or communicated to employees, residents, the public and suppliers. FRPO has published a comprehensive list of environmental policies and standards that small companies can emulate or borrow for their own purposes. The association will also review the standards with each member to make sure that they understand what they mean and how they work, and teach them how to create an environmental policy. FRPO will also review members’ existing policies to make sure that they are compatible with the “Living GREEN Together” standards. Communicating the environmental policy to all stakeholders is also a required part of the standard; how they communicate the policy depends on the size of the building and company. To inform tenants about the property manager’s environmental policy, members can use newsletters, post information in buildings and include a copy in the new tenant information package. FRPO will also install a “Living GREEN Together” plaque in each certified building. “Members should also make their environmental standards part of the RFP process so that suppliers know what to expect,” said Ted. “They should state what they stand for to suppliers, and let them know that they should stand for the same thing if they want the business.” Environmentally preferable purchasing policy Members should demonstrate commitment to purchasing environmentally preferable products and services when possible, such as cleaning and janitorial products and services. This includes ensuring that their organization includes expectations for use of environmentally preferable products and services in RFPs, tenders or contracts with suppliers.
The first FRPO CRB Program property management company in Toronto to recertify with the Association’s new Environmental Standards is WJ Properties. Celebrants (l-r) at their 7 St. Dennis Drive building (corner of Don Mills Rd.) are WJ Properties Vice President Carol Weinbaum; President (and former FRPO Board Chair) Allan Weinbaum; Toronto Ward 26 Don Valley West Councillor John Parker; Toronto Tower Renewal Project Director Eleanor McAteer; FRPO President Scott Andison; WJ Properties CFO Perry Fryers; Senior Vice President Neil Greenspan; and FPRO Board Chair Bill Zigomanis. (Photo: Nicola Betts)
24 november 2014
“Living GREEN Together” Standards
Osgoode Properties in Kingston, ON is the second FRPO CRB Program property manager to launch “Living GREEN Together.” (R-L) Osgoode Properties’ Residential Portfolio Manager Geoff Younghusband; Building Manager Joyce Martin; Kingston Councillor Liz Schell (Portsmouth); FRPO Chair Bill Zigomanis; Kingston Councillor Sandy Berg (Kingscourt-Strathcona); and FRPO – CRBP Committee Chair Randy Daiter.
Companies should guide and train their staff in identifying and selecting environmentally preferable products and services, as well as how to proceed when these they are not available or practicable to purchase or use in their buildings. For example, Park Property Management switched to using carpet tiles in its buildings’ corridors. When removed, carpet tile is almost entirely recyclable, whereas rolled broadloom is not. The initial installation requires the services of a qualified installer, but building staff can complete minor replacements. When an area of carpet is damaged, the superintendent only needs to replace the damaged tile. Wear and tear commonly occurs in the walking path, so only this area would need to be changed rather than the entire carpet. “The cost for dumping fees and the volume of discarded broadloom in garbage dumps wore on our conscience, so we knew we had to make a change,” said Margaret Herd, Vice President Residential Property Management, Park Property Management Inc. “Although the cost for carpet tile is higher, we recognized that the long-term savings in maintenance costs and the fact that carpet tiles can be recycled convinced us to make the switch.” Environmental performance monitoring Members are required to record environmental data, monthly or by billing period, that includes electricity, gas and water consumption and costs. This involves regularly analyzing the recorded data to identify abnormalities and reduce excessive usage. Companies should also document processes to identify actions for their staff to take when abnormal usage has been identified.
A number of FRPO’s members installed submeters in their rental units so that they could charge hydro separately from rent. They found that it motivates residents to be more responsible in their hydro usage, and has led to a significant reduction in overall hydro consumption. Reducing the building’s total hydro consumption and expense also reduces pressure on the property manager to raise rents, which makes it more competitive. “We charge separately for hydro whenever an apartment turns over, so every year a larger percentage of our portfolio pays separately for hydro,” said Allan Weinbaum, Owner, WJ Properties. “Given the large number of residents in the province, this will eventually have a huge impact on energy usage in Ontario.” Note: Submetering is allowed in all buildings where applicable regulations are followed. In Ontario, electrically heated buildings that were not submetered prior to January 1, 2011 (when the Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010 was enacted) are not allowed to submeter the heat/cool portion but can charge for electrical power consumption of appliances, lighting and other items in accordance with the rules and regulations. If a building owner had submetered prior to January 1, 2011, they can submeter the heat/cool portion of the electricity. Electrical consumption Reducing electrical consumption in their buildings is a requirement for this particular standard. This includes replacing all fixtures and bulbs in common areas and suites with energy efficient alternatives, installing LED Exit signs, and replacing appliances with Energy Star qualified Rental Housing Business 25
”Living GREEN Together” Standards
Mississauga Ward 9 Councillor Pat Saito (far right) congratulated Park Property Management’s leadership for their strong commitment to FRPO’s new Environmental Standards under the banner “Living Green Together” at 2797 Battleford Rd. Park Property Management was the first property manager in Mississauga to achieve Certified Rental Building Program status. Helping pull the cord (l-r) FRPO’s Board Chair Bill Zigomanis; Park Property’s 2797 Battleford Rd. Building Superintendent Thomasina Debi; Property Manager Alpesh Modi; Vice President Residential Property Management Margaret Herd; and FPRO’s President & CEO Scott Andison.
Flanking FRPO’s ‘Living Green Together’ unveiled logo is WJ Properties’ President (and former FRPO Board Chair) Allan Weinbaum (3rd from right) and Vice President Carol Weinbaum (4th from left). WJ Properties is the first property manager in the City of Toronto enrolled in the CRB Program to recertify with FRPO’s new Environmental Standards and to receive official status within the Program. Participating in the launch festivities (l-r) Eleanor McAteer, City of Toronto’s Tower Renewal Project Director; FRPO President & CEO Scott Andison; Toronto Ward 26 Councillor John Parker; FRPO Chair Bill Zigomanis; and WJ Properties’ CFO Perry Fryers. (Photo: Nicola Betts)
appliances (or their equivalent) when appropriate. Members should educate and inform tenants on energy reduction and electricity conservation, as well as the proper disposal of CFLs and fluorescent lighting.
Company discovered that it could retrofit existing motors using a variable speed drive kit. This option is much more affordable than replacing the entire motor or unit, and provides sufficient savings in electricity to payback within two to three years.
Companies found different ways to reduce energy usage in their building. For example, Tandem Group plans to replace its booster pumps because a supplier presented technology that offered significant cost savings and payback. Their buildings currently have two 25-horsepower booster pumps. The company will be installing three replacement pumps with variable speed drives that operate at 7.5 horsepower each with variable speed drives. Thanks to the efficiency of the new equipment and an Ontario Hydro incentive, payback will take about two years. “The cost savings are about $10,000 to $15,000 per year per building,” said Leonard Visconti, Property Manager, Tandem Group. “The pumps have a five-year warranty with 100 per cent coverage; once the warranty ends, we will enter into a maintenance agreement to ensure that the pumps are maintained properly. The Ontario Hydro incentive will cover up to 50 per cent of the total cost.” Companies have discovered that electrical equipment that includes variable speed drives, particularly boilers, chillers and fans, offer significant potential for energy savings. Variable speed drives allow motors to operate more slowly during off-peak periods instead of always on, and then ramp up to meet higher volumes when necessary. O’Shanter Development 26 november 2014
Gas consumption Boilers and heating systems are required to regular and ongoing preventative maintenance to ensure that equipment operates at maximum efficiency. Regular monitoring and tracking efficiency will enable companies to respond to changes in performance. They are also encouraged to take advantage of new technologies, such as installing boilers with variable speed drives, which can reduce gas consumption by up to 25%. Companies in the existing program have been maintaining and upgrading their boilers and heating systems for years. Ferguslea Properties took their efforts to reduce gas consumption a step further by installing a ground source heatpump system at one of its high rise properties. This cutting edge heating and cooling solution is one of the most efficient ways to heat and cool a building, even though the cost of installing the system makes the payback longer than other technologies. The company believes that the cost is justified because of the environmental benefit of reducing its carbon footprint. “We’ve realized energy savings of 25 per cent over the first six months of 2014 compared to historical energy consumption during the same period,” said Steve Ryan, Vice President Asset Management, Ferguslea Properties. “This
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Rental Housing Business 27
”Living GREEN Together” Standards
achieved a 45 per cent decrease in natural gas consumption, and gas boilers are now only required for domestic hot water and as a back-up supplement for severe cold weather.” Water consumption There are a number of ways to reduce water consumption as described by this standard. Existing toilets, showerheads and faucets must meet minimum standards with respect to flush volume or flow rate, and replacement toilets, showerheads and faucets must meet higher standards to help reduce water usage. For example, existing toilets must have a maximum flush volume of 6 litres (1.6 gallons) per flush, while replacement toilets must have a maximum flush volume of 4.8 litres (1.28 gallons) per flush. Common area laundry facilities should also be equipped with Energy Star or equivalent rated machines. Members should employ a program to encourage residents to report leaking fixtures; once notified, repairs of waterrelated leaks must be completed within two business days, which is a current CRB Program standard. Members should also conduct annual in-suite inspections of water-related fixtures to determine if they are leaking or malfunctioning. Building owners are well aware that the cost of water in Toronto (and Ontario) has been increasing by about 10% per year for the last decade. While water costs were once relatively immaterial, today’s water bill is on the same order of magnitude (not the same amount) as the heating bill. Some building owners use utility meter monitoring systems to measure water consumption in real time, and can produce reports to view trends over time to identify excessive water usage. They can use the system to calculate a leak ratio by comparing water usage during a two-hour period in the early morning (when people are usually sleeping) to water consumption over a 24-hour period. If the leak ratio increases, then there is a problem that must be identified. “We are investigating the feasibility of harvesting rainwater at our largest complex to offset the cost of municipally supplied water used in grounds irrigation and a water feature,” said Adam Krehm, Principal, O’Shanter Development Company Ltd.” The property currently consumes about $12,000 per year in municipally supplied water to maintain the grounds, so it is worth looking into innovative ways to reduce our water consumption.” Waste management This standard directs members to ensure that their buildings have documented policies, operational practices
28 november 2014
and procedures that outline the proper disposal, recycling or redirection of waste. Documentation should inform residents, staff and contractors about the building’s policies and practices for managing different types of waste. Companies should track their garbage, recycling and waste disposal activities to determine waste diversion rates and set waste diversion targets. It is also important to establish a communication plan that promotes resident awareness and encourages their participation in the building’s waste reduction and recycling efforts. FRPO and its members have borrowed a number of waste diversion strategies and practices from the City of Toronto, as the city has a very good waste diversion program. Every municipality has different waste diversion and recycling practices, so companies in different cities tend to adopt different methods that work for them. The association has found that its members have put forwardthinking practices in place to reduce their waste output, and have actually surpassed the municipalities in which their buildings are located. “O’Shanter Development Company has achieved a waste diversion rate near 70 per cent, while the City of Toronto average is around 23 to 27 per cent,” said Ted. “Among other things, they engage frontline staff and residents in their waste programs, produce a waste toolkit that includes instructions on where waste disposal locations are found, put recycling receptacles throughout the building, and actively communicate with residents on how well they are doing.” Indoor air quality Equipment maintenance is an important component of maintaining indoor air quality standards. Members should ensure that kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans are working properly during annual in-suite inspections. They should also employ qualified HVAC service providers to regularly inspect, maintain and repair HVAC and air handling equipment so that they perform in accordance to regulations. Efforts to maintain and improve indoor air quality should go beyond traditional methods. Where available and practicable, members should purchase materials and products that have no or low chemical emissions and that are scent free, including paints, carpeting, flooring and cleaning products that contain or produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Contractors working on their properties should use materials and products that follow these standards, and undertake measures to reduce dust, dirt
“Living GREEN Together” Standards
and other contaminants while working. Companies should also educate and inform residents on how in-suite activities can affect building air quality, which includes smoking regulations and municipal by-laws.
to strong chemical smells let us know they also appreciate the fact that we have eliminated the use of traditional cleaners, some of which left an unpleasant odour.”
Many of FRPO’s members have implemented different methods of improving the air quality in their buildings. For example, Osgoode Properties’ environmental committee decided to eliminate the use of containers of pre-mixed cleaning products in its buildings. They installed a mixing station in a room, which combines water with an environmentally friendly concentrate to produce different types of cleaning products. There is no need to store or recycle product containers, and the concentrate bags last longer, so orders do not have to be replenished as quickly.
Employee engagement
“After some initial reluctance, our staff found that these cleaning products work just as well if not better than the products they were using before,” said Geoff Younghusband, Residential Portfolio Manager, Osgoode Properties. “They appreciate that the products they now use are not harmful to the environment. We have had some residents who are sensitive
Members with 20 or more employees are required to establish a joint environmental operations committee that meets at least three times per year. However, it makes sense for companies of all sizes to follow suit to ensure employees are engaged and involved in environmental efforts. One person is designated to coordinate building-specific environmental initiatives and apply environmental policies at their building. One person should be certified in a CRB Program-approved awareness and leadership training program, and at least one person should attend all CRB Program “Champions Training” modules. Companies should ensure that current and new staff receive training on environmental standards, competency training on conservation and environmentally responsible operating practices, and training in environmental policy, practices, and procedures. This includes providing updates
Rental Housing Business 29
”Living GREEN Together” Standards
Kingston City Councillors Sandy Berg and Liz Schell (5th & 6th from left), FRPO Chair Bill Zigomanis (7th from left), CRB ProgramCommittee Chair Randy Daiter (front right) and the Osgoode Properties team unveiled their new “Living Green Together” banner at Westview Place, 52 Bayswater Place.
when procedures are changed or new processes, materials, equipment or supplies are introduced. A number of FRPO’s members, including The Minto Group, have established multi-disciplinary environmental committees to take advantage of the experience across their organization when planning, implementing and improving programs and practices. This allows the company to identify and evaluate issues and proposed changes from different perspectives. Committing to environmental monitoring and reporting allows the member to track how it is doing and guides the evolution of its conservation programs. “The renewed level of engagement across our residential rental team has been a particularly positive outcome,” said Alison.“Through our Environmental Operations Committee, we’ve mined opportunities for improvement that have been enthusiastically addressed and in a way that ensures real integration with how we operate on a day-to-day basis. I’m confident that the influence of the new environmental standards on our environmental program will benefit our residents, our operations and the environment.” Resident engagement A documented and active resident education and awareness program is an essential part of this standard. The program should inform existing and new residents about the organization’s environmental policy, including updates or changes to the policy. It should provide annual updates and information on building-specific activities, strategies or targets that the staff has implemented to enhance environmentally responsible building operations. Companies in the program should describe their expectations and procedures for residents on waste management, recycling and other environmental measures for the building. They should also encourage residents to change their behaviours and adopt conservation habits that positively impact the environment. Some companies have found that the best way to motivate residents to buy into the environmental program is to lead 30 november 2014
by example. In addition to communicating its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, they offer free annual pickup of unwanted items so that they are properly disposed of according to its environmental policy. The landlord conducts annual suite inspections, which includes cleaning heating radiators to create better heat quality, checking for plumbing leaks and cleaning air vents to ensure better air quality. It also installs high efficiency laundry equipment in its buildings to reduce tenants’ use of laundry detergent. “Our residents appreciate that we reinvest any savings generated from these initiatives back into our buildings,” said Zeljka Budjinski, Director of Operations, Williams & McDaniel Property Management. “They recognize their benefit in participating in this program and enjoy living at a well-maintained building.” Conclusion The CRB Program has helped to improve operations, profitability, professionalism and living standards in rental properties. The “Living GREEN Together” standards can be expected to improve environmental standards and sustainability efforts in rental properties, and make them better places to live. It is a worthy goal to increase energy efficiency and waste diversion, as well as making landlords and residents more environmentally responsible. Every effort to reduce our carbon footprint and make properties healthier places to live is laudable, and should be supported by everyone in our industry. “As a company, we want to be a strong corporate citizen and a conscientious manager of our residents’ homes,” said Geoff. “We have the ability to take a leadership role in bringing prominence to the issue of reducing our environmental footprint. We believe our staff and our residents appreciate it, and not only can they see how we operate in an environmentally responsible fashion, we can help them learn new ways in which they, as individuals, can help to do the same, both in our buildings and beyond in the community.” RHB
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Rental Housing Business 31
[ Legislation ]
Don’t hold your breath waiting for an apology By David Gargaro
Even when you follow both the letter and spirit of the law, there will always be people who oppose what you’re doing… especially when it comes to rental properties in Ontario. And while this topic involves rental property owners in Ontario, the real issue is how the media portrays all landlords across Canada. Recently, several news outlets published very one-sided stories on the “loophole” created by Ontario’s post-1991 rent control exemption. To be frank, they completely missed the boat on what is really happening in rental housing. Instead of explaining the exemption and that landlords are following the law, the news outlets chose to misinform and misdirect the public --- presumably as part of their goal to boost ratings rather than tell the entire truth. Let’s set the record straight: the post-1991 rent control exemption was deliberately written into legislation. It is an intentional policy decision, NOT a loophole. A loophole is a gap in legislation that accidently provides a means of escaping or evading the law. For example, in Ontario, the law allows tenants one opportunity during their tenancy to “pay and stay” even after an eviction order for non-payment has become enforceable and has been filed with the Sheriff. That is deliberate policy, not a loophole. However, the process requires the tenant to file a motion. If they decide to pay rather than file a motion, the Landlord and Tenant Board expects the landlord to cancel the eviction. Here comes the loophole: if the tenant exercises the right to pay and stay once without making the motion, they could save their tenancy a second time by making the motion. The post-1991 rent control exemption did not drop out of thin air. Since 1975, Ontario’s landlord-tenant legislation has provided newly
32 november 2014
[ Economy ]
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[ Legislation ]
“The post-1991 rent control exemption has had a significant impact on construction of purpose-built rental properties, as well as on the economy in general. From 2007 to 2012, more than 56,000 new rental units have been constructed in Ontario. This has led to the creation of more than 42,000 full-time rental housing and repair jobs.”
constructed rental homes with an exemption from rent control. The current legislative provision that exempts post-1991 rental units from price regulation was put into effect in 1998. It was intentionally included in the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 after more than two years of public consultation and legislative debate. The exemption is not new by any stretch of the imagination. Why did the provincial government create the exemption? Because they understood that there was a real need to encourage the construction of new purpose-built rental housing. Most of Ontario’s rental properties were constructed prior to 1975, which was when the government introduced stricter rental controls. As a result, most renters live in buildings that are at least 40 years old. It’s just common sense that older buildings have higher maintenance and repair costs than newer buildings. The post-1991 rent control exemption created a clear dividing line in the rate at which new rental properties have been built in Ontario. According to PostMedia News, before 1991, there were approximately 45 new rental buildings being constructed each year, with an average of 82 units per building. Since 1991, there have been about 62 new apartment buildings constructed per year, with an average of 115 units per building. The result is a 38 per cent increase in the average number of new buildings, and an 85 per cent increase in the average number of units built each year. Over a decade, that amounts to 34,400 new rental units, which is huge for rental housing supply. The post-1991 rent control exemption has had a significant impact on construction of purpose-built rental properties, as well
34 november 2014
as on the economy in general. From 2007 to 2012, more than 56,000 new rental units have been constructed in Ontario (counting those induced by the exemption and those that may well have been built anyway). This has led to the creation of more than 42,000 full-time rental housing construction and repair jobs. In 2014, the rental housing industry is spending $4.5 billion on infrastructure, which includes $1.8 billion per year for new rental homes and rental housing construction. So why do people still oppose the post-1991 rent control exemption? The common rallying cry is that it allows landlords to increase rents far above the cost of inflation, as well as above and beyond what the typical renter can afford. Some landlords raise rents more than others, but they are the exception rather than the rule. In fact, the post-1991 rent control exemption has not led to drastic increases in rents for newer rental properties. In fact, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), rental units in older buildings have higher rent increases than rental units in newer properties. In the Greater Toronto Area, pre-1990 buildings had average annual rent increases of 3.6 per cent between 2011 and 2013, whereas post1990 apartment buildings had an average annual rental decrease of 2.5 per cent. Across major cities in Ontario, the average rent increase was 2.6 per cent in pre-1990 buildings and 1.7 per cent in post-1990 buildings. The rent control exemption for post-1990 rental units did not result in undue increases in rents for newer properties. In fact, post1990 buildings were moderating the average rent increase.
[ Legislation ]
Of course, journalists will publish stories of retired couples and lower income families being forced to find new accommodations due to rent increases. Does this happen? Of course it does. But what these people will not tell the public – or perhaps they just don’t know – is that property owners have to deal with the increasing costs of operating their buildings, such as property taxes, employee training, building repair and maintenance, tenant and building safety, and more. Consider the impact of rising energy costs on rental properties. According to the Ontario Energy Board, from 2011 to 2014, electricity and natural gas prices increased by 27 and 67 per cent, respectively. These cost increases have to be passed onto tenants, or landlords will end up losing money year after year.
Loopholes that unfairly favour one group over another should be closed. For example, the Landlord and Tenant Board could begin refusing motions for last-minute pay and stay relief where that relief has been previously obtained, whether or not the tenant went through the motion process to get it. But
don’t hold your breath expecting that to happen. And don’t hold your breath expecting the media to correct the impression left by misidentifying the post-1991 exemption as a loophole when it is nothing of the kind. RHB
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The rental housing market is like most other markets, in that the law of supply and demand determines pricing. When there is too much rental stock or rental demand decreases, rents tend to decline. Conversely, when rental stock declines or rental demand increases, rents tend to rise. However, this does not account for the fact that landlords want to keep their rental units consistently filled with quality tenants, who pay their rent on time and treat their rental properties like home. It costs significantly less to keep current tenants than it does to consistently search for new tenants who will pay higher rents. Landlords and property managers can do themselves and tenants a favour by following the rules that apply to exempt rental properties. For example, landlords can only increase the rent after at least 12 months have passed since the tenant moved in, or since the last rent increase. Landlords also need to give at least 90 days written notice of any rent increase, and use the approved Landlord and Tenant Board notice (for exempt units) to implement rent increases. Ideally, they should notify new tenants that the unit is exempt from rent control. Making sure tenants are informed helps to protect everyone involved, and it just makes good business sense.
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Rental Housing Business 35
IN THE KNOW 2015 RENT INCREASE GUIDELINES
Nova Scotia: Land lease communities (only) 1.6 per cent
Quebec The Quebec guideline increase should be announced in late January 2015 to cover the period from April 2, 2015 to April 1, 2016. There are usually different guideline amounts for dwellings heated by different fuels, or rented to tenants who pay for the fuel.
Each year, the provincial governments which impose rent control set a guideline rent increase for landlords for the upcoming year. The guideline is the maximum amount by which most landlords can increase a tenant’s rent during the year without making an application to the Landlord and Tenant Board or Rental Board (the name of which varies from province to province).
Other Provinces The provinces not listed above do not limit the amount of a rent increase, although they do usually control the timing of a rent increase relative to the last rent increase or the commencement of the lease. Currently free of control on the amount of rent increase are rental units in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Nova Scotia (except for land lease lot rentals in Nova Scotia). Bank of Canada forecasts
In most cases, the rent for a unit can be increased if at least 12 months have passed since the tenant first moved in, or since his or her last rent increase. Depending on the province, the tenant must generally be given proper written notice of the rental increase at least two months to six months before the rent increase takes effect. Ontario: 1.6 per cent
Manitoba: 2.4 per cent
British Columbia: 2.5 per cent plus a calculated percentage in a manufactured home park PEI:
Heated premises: 1.75 per cent
Mobile home site only in a mobile home park: 1.0 per cent
Unheated premises: 1.0 per cent
On November 3, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz said the Bank of Canada’s current monetary policy is appropriate to stimulate economic growth and return Canada’s inflation rate to the Bank’s 2 per cent target.
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Continued on page 37
2014 BUILDING SYSTEMS
REPORT
1 MAINTAINING YOUR CORE SYSTEMS
2 MECHANICAL
3 PLUMBING
4 ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
RHB
2014 Building Systems Report
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) conducted a survey of high-rise rental stock to determine the state of repair of older buildings and the costs required to extend their longevity. According to the survey, the average cost/unit over a 10-year period equaled approximately one month’s rent per year. The electrical power supply and distribution, elevators and windows required the largest investment. These systems, as well as mechanical systems in general, tended to constitute the highest expenses for buildings constructed prior to the 1970s. Mechanical and electrical systems had the highest priority costs in the three- to ten-year periods for urgency. The RHB 2014 Building Systems Report serves to inform Canadian apartment building owners and managers on how to maintain, renovate and upgrade their buildings’ mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. These systems are vital to a building’s health and the tenants’ well-being. This guide provides strategies, direction and tips on what to do, what to look for and what to avoid, as well as the importance of maintenance and capital work. The RHB 2014 Building Systems Report is divided into four sections: • Section
one covers the importance of creating a maintenance, repair and upgrade strategy to protect owners’ assets, particularly the building’s mechanical, plumbing and electrical components. It discusses building condition assessments, energy audits and maintenance service contracts.
Chiller
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• Section
two covers the building’s mechanical systems. It discusses issues and technology that pertain to boilers, chillers, make-up air units and related equipment.
• Section
three covers the building’s plumbing network. It discusses managing plumbing-related issues, different ways of dealing with pinhole leaks and installing backflow preventers.
• Section
four covers the building’s electrical systems and lighting. It discusses how to manage common electrical issues, building automation systems, LED lighting retrofits, motion sensors, emergency generators, and fire alarms and life safety systems.
To ensure that the RHB 2014 Building Systems Report contains the most current and pertinent information, RHB Magazine collaborated with Ed Porasz, P.Eng., of M & E Engineering Ltd. We asked a number of property owners and managers to share their experiences on maintaining their buildings’ mechanical systems, including Dennis Kalish of H&R Property Management Ltd., Sally Tenenbaum of Tenen Group and Mark Aber of Northwest Properties. We also received valuable insights, tips and advice from companies that provide valuable services to the rental housing industry, including Forrest Jones of inTact Lighting Group Inc., Joe Longarini of Brady & Seidner Associates Ltd., Avram Musafija of Rikos Engineering Ltd., and Kevin Mitchell and Andy Fahmi of Service Experts Commercial HVAC.
Diesel system RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT | 3
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MAINTAINING YOUR CORE SYSTEMS
Being proactive in maintaining your building’s mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems is one of the best ways to extend the life of your most valuable asset. It can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings over the life span of your building. Performing regular examinations of different building components and engaging in preventative maintenance can reduce the need to spend a large percentage of your budget on major capital repairs. “Just because equipment has been replaced and is new, it still requires regular maintenance and service along with periodic checking of the equipment and set points,” said Ed Porasz, President, M & E Engineering Ltd. “If regular maintenance is not maintained, the efficiency of the equipment could be compromised.” Before engaging in repairing, replacing or upgrading a building’s mechanical components, building owners and managers should work with a qualified consultant to review all components of the building’s mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems. It is important to note that, while proper maintenance is essential for extending the life of older equipment, it is still necessary to engage in regular maintenance of new equipment. “We are big believers in professionalism, so we will put together a dream team of mechanical engineers, landscape architects, electrical engineers and other experts to achieve our goals,” said Sally Tenenbaum, Partner, Tenen Group. “We work with the best people in their fields to do layouts, analyze situations and make propositions to ensure that we get the most out of our investment.” Building condition assessment If an owner is buying or selling a multi-unit residential building, then having a detailed building condition assessment (BCA), as well as a specialist’s report on the building’s mechanical and electrical systems, will provide a more thorough understanding of what is actually being purchased, including the potential costs, concerns and life
4 | RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT
expectancies. A non-specialist review will only provide a broad overview of the building’s situation with no details, especially on the mechanical and electrical systems. A BCA involves an inspection and evaluation of the condition of a multi-unit rental property. Its purpose is to identify major defects and deficiencies, areas requiring maintenance or that have been inadequately maintained, and building code violations and life expectancy. An engineer first performs a visual review of mechanical and electrical systems, such as boilers, chillers, air handlers, pumps, switch gears, panels and disconnects, as well as visible plumbing and wiring. “We will also interview the superintendents and other personnel to better understand any current or outstanding issues,” said Ed. “For example, we will ask about any problems or repairs related to heating and cooling, power, breakers, hot water pressure and availability, which they deal with on a regular basis.” Once the visual inspection and interviews have been completed, the engineer will prepare a schedule of estimated budget costs to repair any of the identified issues. They will then create a written report that describes the building’s overall condition, its physical components or systems, physical deficiencies and issues that can affect the systems’ and components’ life span. The engineer will also create a budget that outlines timelines for repairing and replacing equipment over a given time period. A BCA shows good faith and clarity to potential buyers. But it is also a very good tool for owners who plan to keep their buildings and use the BCA as a capital planning and inventory tool. The specialist’s report on the building’s mechanical and electrical systems will allow an owner to plan and prepare for upcoming expenses and understand the timing and potential costs of the work. Energy audits Energy audits can be combined with a BCA to provide building owners with a comprehensive overview of their
property. Audits involve inspections of the building’s major equipment and systems, such as boilers and chillers, water-usage devices, toilets, aerators, lighting and more. They will also examine other areas, such as the building façade for air leakage, and equipment controls for energy usage. Engineers will then evaluate the building’s energy usage by examining and comparing energy bills for the last year. This enables them to analyze changes in energy usage over time and season, and determine whether there is any unusual usage. They will also compare the building’s energy usage to similar buildings to show how it is using electricity in different ways. The audit includes a list of energy conservation measures (ECMs) according to category, such as lighting retrofits and controls, heating and cooling equipment and controls, hot water equipment, and more. The audit will show costs of upgrading or replacing equipment along with the calculated energy savings. Dividing the costs by the savings will provide the estimated time to pay back the investment based on the energy savings.
“Some lighting and water retrofits can pay back the investment in two to three years, while boilers could take five to eight years,” said Ed. “Six years is the ideal payback period to determine if the investment is financially sound.” Companies that perform energy audits will often provide an executive summary of all potential ECMs, with weighted recommendations on which measures should be applied within given timeframes. Once an ECM is approved, an engineer will design items that should be replaced and create an investment-grade energy audit report, which outlines the real-world costs of the recommended changes. The report will illustrate the overall building performance based on the upgrades and how much will be saved. “Select your representative wisely, ask about other jobs they’ve done, call for references and check out their samples,” said Forrest Jones, President, inTact Lighting Group Inc. “Ask to see demonstrations up front. As a landlord, the choices you make up front could save you a lot of troubles later.”
Ed Porasz, P.Eng., President
While energy audits can be fairly priced, building owners can take advantage of government incentives to reduce these costs. For example, OPA incents 50% of the cost of an ASHRAE Level II energy audit. This makes it much more cost effective for an owner to get a handle on whether and when to replace equipment. The audit also details the benefits they would see, what options there are for energy savings and the potential costs. Maintenance and service contracts Before signing a maintenance and service contract, building owners should clarify what is and is not included in the contract. Owners often focus on the list equipment being serviced, and could overlook the cost of labour involved in doing setup or additional work. The contract should clearly state who is responsible for what, and what happens when something breaks or malfunctions, particularly who should pay for it. It should outline the details of the actual work being undertaken, and the timelines involved. For example, a contract should state that technicians will be on site every three months to check specific equipment, as opposed to a general number of times per year to do general maintenance. Building owners should clarify what is meant by “all-inclusive,” as the costs of doing any work that falls outside this definition could escalate greatly. For example, some contracts excluding non-moving parts, such as a boiler’s casing, insulation and refractory. This is often excluded in contracts where it is not specified.
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Therefore, make sure that the contract explicitly clarifies what is included by the maintenance and service. “For maintenance, the owner could ask an engineer to prepare maintenance specifications as the coverage is far better when a maintenance company follows specifications,” said Ed. “Otherwise, the owner should be careful in reading the maintenance contract as they can include many exclusions. This work becomes billable, so the owner has to be comfortable with what will be charged and at what rate.” Every maintenance and service contract should include a 60-day cancellation clause, which allows the building owner to cancel the contract for any reason. Regardless of the length of the contract, building owners can cancel with notice at any time. The contract should also require service personnel to leave documentation with the property manager or superintendent that describes what work was performed on that date, what changed, what they saw, who worked there and so on. This will ensure that the service provider is following the contract’s service schedule and requirements. “We have monthly maintenance contracts in place, and have improved on-site training to conduct weekly inspections and assist in minor maintenance issues,” said Mark Aber, Northwest Properties. “The regular maintenance schedules have improved efficiency and created a proactive approach to addressing issues before equipment failures occur.”
MECHANICAL
It’s important for building owners to keep their mechanical systems and equipment regularly maintained. This will ensure that it operates as efficiently and environmentally friendly as possible to provide comfort to tenants 12 months a year. Following regular systems review procedures will help to keep the system operating and ensure that the equipment stays up to standard with changing regulations. It also allows the owner to stay
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on top of possible equipment upgrades and plan future budgets based on the equipment’s life expectancy. “Life expectancy for most mechanical equipment, such as make-up air units, boilers and chillers, is 15 to 30 years,” said Kevin Mitchell, General Manager, Service Experts Commercial HVAC. “Building owners need to be concerned with efficiency and environmental
issues. Regulation changes can prompt replacement of equipment before normal life expectancy, which occurred with the elimination of R12. Use $1 per square foot per year to budget for maintenance.” Some owners only consider the short-term costs of maintaining their mechanical systems. They either fail to understand or ignore the fact that there are significant costs in operating a system that is not reliable, in need of constant repairs and not energy efficient. Some poorly maintained mechanical systems might require so many repairs that these costs and energy savings would pay for the new equipment in a relatively short period of time. “When mechanical systems are poorly or irregularly maintained, they become in constant need of repair,” said Andy Fahmi, Project Manager, Service Experts Commercial HVAC. “Ultimately, the equipment will have to be brought back up to manufacturer’s standards. Lack of maintenance can also lead to replacement of equipment sooner than normal life expectancy.” Make-up air units The make-up air unit (MUA) is a key component of a building’s mechanical system, as it provides treated outside air to the building. They are designed to improve the efficiency of the building’s heating and cooling system. MUAs also save money by reducing the amount of drafts, dust and dirt that enter a building. Since they also replace exhaust air that comes through kitchen and
bathroom fans, they supply outside treated air to the building to reduce building odours and odour transfer. When the MUA is improperly or irregularly maintained, the filters can become plugged with dust after only a few months of use, which will negatively affect air flow, indoor air quality and energy use. Improper setting of the MUA’s set-point temperature can increase energy usage as it can affect in-suite heating. The MUA can also experience cooling problems, which can increase humidity throughout the building. This can lead to mould growth, peeling wallpaper and paint, and damaged carpets. Regular maintenance and monitoring can prevent most issues that are a result of improperly functioning MUAs. High humidity can be corrected by retrofitting the MUA unit to allow it to de-humidify and reheat the air. Energy efficiency can also be improved by installing a newer unit at the end of the existing MUA’s life, particularly those that use hydronic heating (hot water coils) with condensing boilers that supply the heated water. Installing variable frequency drives (VFDs) will also provide greater energy efficiency over the long run and by-pass on cooling coils to provide low cost de-humidification. Heating and cooling Lack of regular maintenance is one of the primary causes of problems with a building’s mechanical equipment, especially boilers and chillers. Failing to maintain
Boilers
equipment can lead to premature failure, even when it is new, as well as becoming unreliable over time and inefficient very quickly. Boilers and chillers offer significant opportunities for energy savings in buildings. Installing high efficiency boilers and chillers can drastically reduce gas and electrical consumption in multi-unit residential buildings. New technologies, such as magnetic bearing-less / oil-less and VFD-equipped chillers, can reduce energy consumption by 30-50%. Building owners can also take advantage of energy incentives from their gas and electricity suppliers to cover some of the cost of installing high-efficiency equipment. “When reviewing a boiler plant, even if the boilers are not that old, the installation of one lead high efficiency (condensing) boiler can dramatically reduce gas consumption as this boiler can heat the building during the shoulder seasons (spring and fall) and operate throughout the wintertime,” said Ed. “For an older boiler plant, it may be very beneficial to replace
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all of the boilers sooner to start realizing the energy savings.” It is important to note that replacing older boilers and chillers with newer, more efficient models will not automatically produce energy savings, or match the savings promised by the supplier. Proper system setup and design are required to get the most out of installing new equipment. New boilers need to be matched with the right piping, venting and controls. Working with an engineer to design and install the system will help to save energy, reduce maintenance costs and prevent equipment breakdowns over the long run. “Working with engineers is beneficial, particularly when it comes to retrofitting or replacing mechanical components,” said Dennis Kalish, General Manager, H&R Property Management Ltd. “They helped us to accurately size replacement components, and we have seen savings in the building’s gas consumption.”
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PLUMBING
Many plumbing-related problems are the result of not keeping up with regular maintenance and testing of equipment. For example, shut-off and recirculating values will seize if they are not exercised at least once a year. Building owners often fail to regularly test their buildings’ plumbing components, which will end up costing more to repair over the long run. They should create a table of all the plumbing components in their building with dates for testing to ensure that they stay on top of maintenance issues.
A cut pipe
Piping
“It’s important to note that the water needs of today are not the same as the water needs of 30 or 40 years ago, as almost everyone has a dishwasher today,” said Sally. “We replaced all of our building’s one-inch pipe with two-inch pipe to meet current demands. We want to ensure that our tenants have uninterrupted access to hot water, and using higher quality copper piping means less maintenance and better water quality.” Pinhole leaks Most domestic piping in apartment buildings consists of either Type M or Type L copper piping. Type M is the thinnest copper piping available that also meets current codes. Since it is thinner, Type M piping can begin failing in as little as three to five years, but it can last as long as 20 years. Type L piping is thicker, and can last from 35 to 50 years. 10 | RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT
Sooner or later, hot water pipes in apartment buildings will develop pinhole leaks. Because units require immediate access to hot water at all times, pumps constantly circulate water into and out of the building’s central hot water tank(s) through a network of horizontal and vertical pipes. These copper pipes always have running hot water, which results in internal corrosion and erosion, hence the pinhole problem. Since cold water does not need to circulate, these pipes do not face the same problem and cold water is less corrosive.
Old piping
One detected pinhole leak can mean that it is the beginning of a problem with your pipes… or it could be the tip of the iceberg. When a building experiences pinhole leaks, more leaks are sure to occur. Pipes will not erode in one spot alone. Erosion occurs throughout the entire system, with the greatest damage occurring in areas with the most internal turbulence and water flow. Too much water pressure can also hasten pinhole leaks. Every pinhole leak is different, as the resulting damage will depend on where the leak occurs. A leak can take place in the boiler room, which is easy enough to detect and repair, and will often cause very little damage. However, a pinhole leak in the wrong area can cause thousands of dollars of property damage, including mould and structural damage to walls, ceilings and floors. Building owners should hire an engineer to do a pipe assessment to evaluate the situation and recommend a course of action.
“When investigating a water leak that has occurred, check the condition of the existing pipe and fittings for signs of wear,” said Joe Longarini, Owner and Vice President, Brady & Seidner Associates Ltd. “Also, in older buildings, samples of pipe can be cut out and examined for excessive wear.”
“The engineered solution gave us the most cost effective solution through a detailed design and tender process,” said Mark. “Leaks and the associated common area damage have been eliminated. Water consumption is on the decrease, and tenant satisfaction has improved.”
Building owners tend to rely on patchwork repairs to address pinhole leaks, such as using screw clamps or other similar methods. However, this is only effective for treating one leak at a time and will not last, and it will not address the issue with the overall erosion of the pipe. The development of a pinhole leak is often a systemic problem; reacting to symptoms will not address the root cause of the problem. There are two ways to resolve the overall issue of pinhole leaks: pipe replacement and pipe lining.
Backflow preventers
Pipe replacement involves cutting out sections of pipe with pinhole leaks and replacing them with higher quality Type L piping. Ideally, this pipe will be more capable of dealing with the water flow issues that led to the pinhole leaks. You can also install automatic flow control valves to adjust hot water recirculation rates to reduce the impact of erosion and increase the pipe sizing of the new pipes. Pipe lining involves applying a waterproof epoxy coating to the pipes’ inside surfaces. The lining fills the pockmarked areas that lead to pinhole leaks with more epoxy while coating the rest of the inside surface to create a smooth surface free of holes. There are pros and cons to both methods, and much debate can be had over which will provide the best solution for your situation. Some would argue that pipe replacement is more permanent, but others would state that it is more disruptive to tenants and more expensive than pipe lining. While pipe lining is slightly less expensive and disruptive to tenants, it is not as effective for repairing horizontal piping and there is some risk of epoxy damaging mechanical equipment. The best advice is to speak to several reputable plumbers and engineers about your particular building and come up with a plan that works best for your situation. It’s very important to address pinhole leaks and their cause before the damage becomes too severe. Reviewing the domestic water plumbing system for grade of copper pipe, size of recirculating pump and the addition of circuit balancing valves on the system will help to prevent premature pinhole leaks from occurring.
Backflow is the undesirable reversal of domestic water flow against the normal direction of water flow. It is the result of back pressure or back siphonage, which can occur when the water pressure in a building’s water system is greater than the pressure in a city’s water supply system. This can be due to frozen water pipes, watermain breaks or unexpected high demands on the water system. The result of backflow is the drawing of possible contaminates into water supply pipes, which can lead to pollution of the water supply. This is very serious, as drinking contaminated water can lead to sickness and death. Backflow preventers (BFPs) are valves that are designed to stop and protect city water mains against backflow into supply lines that enter buildings. Many municipalities and cities across Canada have by-laws that require most buildings, including apartment buildings, to install BFPs to protect against contamination of their water supply. By-laws also require the owners to conduct annual maintenance and update their backflow testing records on a regular basis. “A permit is required to install larger BFPs, which are typically found in multi-unit residential buildings,” said Ed. “Owners will be required to employ an engineer to prepare stamped drawings for submission.” Booster pumps Tenants often complain about poor water pressure in their unit. Some will say that it’s because they live on an upper floor and in an older building. However, it’s not necessarily true that older buildings have lower water pressure. Some people confuse water pressure with water volume. There are instances where showers and faucets will emit less water than usual, but it’s often a matter of blocked pipes restricting water flow rather than poor water pressure. Building owners will often install booster pumps to provide all units on all floors with sufficient water pressure. They receive the water from the city main RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT | 11
that enters the building and boost the pressure to reach the top floors of the building. The city typically supplies enough water pressure to reach about six floors, and booster pumps provide the added pressure to provide the remaining floors with 30 to 60 psi of water pressure. The three main types of booster pumps are vertical multi-stage pumps, in-line pumps and end suction pumps. In-line pumps are the most common type, but they are relatively inefficient compared to newer pumps. While these pumps are effective in boosting the pressure at the top of the building, their motors always run at 100% capacity. In-line pumps run at a higher RPM and produce more pressure than needed, so they use more power to run their motor. Since in-line pumps produce more pressure, they are often combined with pressure reducing valves (PRVs). Pumps typically come in pairs or trios and at least one pump runs at full capacity all day every day. “This is like a person pushing the gas pedal all the way down while they drive, and at the same time regulating their speed with their brakes,” said Avram Musafija, Project Consultant, Rikos Engineering Ltd. “As you can imagine, it is not a very efficient way to drive or run a pump system. The PRVs waste a lot of energy because
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they have to discard the extra pressure produced by the existing pump system.” Vertical multi-stage pumps are more popular today. These pumps accommodate for lower flows and maintain pressure levels. This type of system does not require a PRV, so there is no wasted energy. Vertical multi-stage pumps were designed to respond to a building’s water demand. When paired with a variable frequency drive (VFD), they save on energy and are less expensive to run. A VFD allows the booster pump’s motor to alter its output based on water demand. This ensures that the booster pump does not use more energy than required to meet the building’s needs. “If a pump is properly sized and designed for the system it is servicing, it can last 15 years or more with proper maintenance of the PRVs,” said Avram. “However, older pump sets are inefficient and end up costing the building more in energy consumption and have an annual PRV maintenance expense. New systems using vertical multi-stage pumps and VFDs can save buildings up to 40 per cent of the booster pump’s energy usage and are maintenance free.”
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
Older multi-unit residential buildings have older electrical equipment, which has a tendency to break down more often over time. Building owners should replace any remaining fuse panels with more modern breaker panels. Fuse panels are prone to regular breakdowns and failures, and can be difficult and expensive to maintain as parts are not available. They are also not up today’s code standards, and are more prone to tampering, so replacing them with breaker panels should be a priority. Building owners and managers should ensure that they service main switchgears every two years, as they are often ignored until they fail. Breakdowns in main switches can be quite serious, as they can cause significant damage (including fires) and incur
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unnecessary costs. Infrared scans should be conducted every two years to check the condition of the terminal, disconnects and fuses, particularly in the main switchgear and main disconnects. “We have found in the last couple of years some main disconnects are not functioning properly and infrared scans do not detect these problems and there are no visual clues,” said Ed. “Therefore, the only way to test for this is to have an electrician physically test each of the main disconnects by opening and closing them.” Building automation systems A building automation system (BAS), which is also known as a building control system (BCS) or building
automation and control (BAC) system, is a centralized and interconnected network of hardware and software that monitors and controls a building’s equipment and environment. This technology can be used to control the specific usage of boilers and chillers, monitor and change hallway temperatures, track hot water usage on a suite to suite basis, identify equipment failures and contact maintenance people when repairs are required.
is a guarantee on the energy savings, this is one way to help with measurement, verification and monitoring of the building and its systems. Compared with good standalone control systems, there is minimal increased savings, while compared to poor or relative no controls the savings are substantial.”
A BAS is useful in that it can make the equipment more energy efficient over time through regular monitoring, equipment control and energy reduction. However, they are usually not very cost effective for multi-unit residential buildings. While a BAS does provide better control and visibility, it might not provide sufficient savings over time to justify the cost. Proper individual controls on boilers, chillers, cooling towers, booster pumps and MUAs might be more effective in realizing savings.
Replacing CFL or less efficient light bulbs in the building with LED lighting is one of the easiest ways to produce significant energy savings. There have been great improvements in LED lighting, including better colour, more varieties for wider applications, better fixtures and more options for retrofit kits. The overall quality of light has also improved to the point where most current retrofit projects are using LED lighting.
“A BAS can be useful for an owner who has multiple buildings and wants to see what is happening in each building at anytime from anywhere,” said Ed. “If there
LED lighting
“When we first started replacing light fixtures five years ago, there was a real debate between CFL and LED, while today it’s quite obvious that LED is the popular choice,” said Sally. “Even though there were limited options for LED at the time, and it was much
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more expensive, we made the decision to install LED lighting in our garage. I have always believed that design and sustainability go hand in hand, and LED makes it possible to limit your carbon footprint.” The most common changes involve switching T12 and T8 fluorescent lighting to LED tube lighting. These new bulbs last significantly longer than fluorescent lighting – 50,000 hours or more compared to 14,000 hours for T8 fluorescent bulbs. LED lighting uses 50% or less of the energy, contains no mercury (which is great for the environment), reduces greenhouse gas emissions and eliminates maintenance needs for years. Pot lights are another growing area for LED lighting, as they offer great flexibility in design, lighting for different rooms and are easy to retrofit without replacing the pot light fixture. “Another common LED lighting retrofit involves replacing traditional parking lot lighting with LED fixtures,” said Forrest. “Switching to LED lighting changes everything, as it provides greater clarity along with improved energy savings. People are able to see better and feel safer in these areas.” Even though the price of LED lighting has decreased over time, they are still more expensive when compared to other forms of lighting. It does not always make shortterm financial sense to retrofit some lighting fixtures with LED lighting, and building owners cannot assume that converting to LED lighting will result in immediate financial payback. It should also be noted that not all LED lighting options are built to the same standards. Some products are not engineered to the same quality, and do not result in the projected life expectancy. For example, some LED lighting will fail after 10,000 to 20,000 hours instead of the projected 50,000 hours of use. “Building owners should be careful in knowing what system they are buying and who makes it, along with the warrantee, costs and savings,” said Ed. “LED lighting can be a very good looking and energy savings retrofit that is easy to do, with paybacks in less than three years.” Motion sensors Motion sensors are now allowed in retrofits in Ontario and many areas of Canada, and are mandatory in certain areas for new buildings. Owners should check with local codes if and where they are allowed. For retrofits, motion sensors can give owners substantial savings, especially when combined with an energy efficient lighting system, 14 | RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT
such as LED lighting. In essence, the lights remain off until something or someone triggers the motion sensor. Motion sensors can be installed in stairwells, corridors and garage areas. Most stairwells are unoccupied almost all of the time, and the lights remain on through all those unused periods. Occupancy and motion sensors installed in stairwells and other areas can contribute significant savings. Corridors are used more often than stairwells, but are often empty when people are at work or sleeping. Garage areas can produce substantial savings when controlled with motion sensors. It should be noted that motion sensors cannot be installed everywhere due to either code or by-law requirements. For example, motion sensors cannot be installed in lobbies or elevator lobbies, as lights must be on at all times. Also, all areas must maintain a minimum emergency light level at all times to ensure that code requirements and city by-laws are followed. “Owners should understand how motion sensors work and where they will be installed to ensure the proper security of their tenants,” said Ed. “Other areas to review are corridors and stairwells, but security and cost of installation may be deciding factors.” Emergency generators Emergency generators play a key role in life safety; they power emergency lighting and underground garages, and supply power to the fire alarm systems and fire pump(s). They also supply power to elevator(s), which maybe critical if you have tenants that need them during a nonemergency power outage. Emergency generators may also supply minimal heat, power to booster pumps to supply water to all floors, garage doors, emergency plug outlets for tenant use, etc. “Gas-fired generators are being installed for new installations and even some retrofits,” said Ed. “Natural gas is allowed in most parts of Canada, if certain rules are followed, but this means during a long power failure the owner does not have to worry about re-fueling the generator.” Code compliance can be a serious concern for emergency generators, particularly those that run on diesel fuel. Many existing installations are not code compliant, and some newly installed emergency generators may contain items that are not in line
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RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT | 15
with today’s code. Emergency generators, as well as ventilation, fuel delivery and storage, are life safety requirements, and must comply with Canadian Standards Association (CSA) requirements. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) enforces all CSA regulations in Ontario, and life safety equipment must meet all current standards. “There is no grandfather clause for emergency generators, so owners cannot argue that their generator was inspected or approved five to ten years ago,” said Ed. “If the installation does not meet current codes and/or does not have applicable variances approved, the system is not code compliant and therefore may be red tagged (not allowed to operate) or fuel may not be able to be delivered until the systems are brought up to code compliancy.” The TSSA mandates in Ontario that fuel delivery people must note non-compliant items on the emergency generator or other areas, which will prevent them from delivering fuel. If this happens, they will issue a form stating that fuel cannot be delivered as certain items are not up to code. The building owner should understand that this is not a TSSA order and the list is not complete. If an owner receives this notice, they should contact an engineer to review their emergency generator to prepare a complete list of non-compliant items, a list of variances that may be applied for to save money and a full design for tender. Once the building owner retains an engineer, fuel can be delivered to allow the building to keep life safety systems operational while upgrades are being designed and completed. Emergency generators should be operated every week and yearly with a full load test. Owners should consult their service contractors to help them set up these tests to be code compliant. As generators get older there is a possibility that they will not be able to pass the full load test. Generators have a life expectancy of 35 years but some may not make it that long in that they will fail the full load test. As this is a life safety issue and it is very costly to replace, the building owner should budget for this situation so that it does not come as a surprise when the generator does not pass the yearly full load test and requires replacement. Fire alarm and life safety systems Different building types will require different levels of life safety systems. However, all fire alarm systems, 16 | RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT
suppression systems and life safety equipment, including emergency generators and lighting, require annual testing and certification. Every component in the life safety system has a specific life expectancy; even when it is certified year to year, it is possible that it will fail the following year. Systems that contain electronic equipment tend to have a shorter life span, and some parts needed for older systems can become difficult or impossible to obtain. During yearly certification, contractors will let the building owner know if there are concerns with the systems or if they find something non-compliant. Each contractor that certifies life safety equipment needs to be certified. It is good practice to get a different company in every three to five years to certify the equipment, therefore verifying what the other company was doing. “When we retrofit fire alarms, we will often specify that the contractor should install an addressable system, although for smaller buildings, this would not be true,” said Ed. “This system is tied to each device and knows where each device is. The migration to this system has become more commonplace because of computer technologies becoming better and more affordable.” Carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring is an essential component of the garage’s ventilation system. It can only operate in two ways: ON for 24 hours, 7 days a week or controlled by a CO monitoring system. Some owners install timers on the exhaust system, which is against code and very unsafe. They have a very good payback if fans are left ON all the time. CO sensors should be installed to bring the garage into code compliance, if timers are used, for safety reasons and for energy savings. Note: The regulations under the Ontario Fire Code state that, effective October 15, 2015, CO alarms will be required in the service rooms for any fuel burning appliance, and near sleeping areas in adjacent multiresidential units. For buildings of six units or less, the requirement applies as of April 15, 2015. A fireplace or an attached garage also triggers the requirement. For a single family house (or other unit that contains a fuel burning appliance), an alarm is required adjacent to any sleeping area(s). CO alarms can be hardwired, batteryoperated or plugged into the wall outlet. They should also be checked annually, during tenant turnover, when the battery is replaced and when there are changes to the connecting circuits.
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RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT | 17
CONCLUSION A building’s mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems are akin to your body’s cardiopulmonary, respiratory, digestive and nervous systems. These important systems must be kept at optimum efficiency, or the body will suffer. However, because these systems are beneath the surface, problems often get overlooked or ignored. Failure to deal with issues when symptoms arise can have serious consequences. Use the following checklist to help you stay on top of your maintenance schedule. It pays to know what’s going on in your building, particularly when other professionals are doing the work. Being informed means that you are taking the necessary steps to maintain your building’s most important systems. Therefore, whenever you have a problem, issue or question related to your building’s mechanical, electrical or plumbing systems, you should first contact an engineer. It will save you time, money and aggravation over the long term, and it will ensure that you get the right answers the first time.
CHECKLIST FOR MAINTENANCE ITEMS Heating and cooling system Centrifugal chiller c Spring startup c Monthly service (during cooling season) c Fall inspection and winter turnover c Compressor c Compressor oil system c Motor starter c Control panel
Cabinet hot water radiators (lobby and corridor) c Annually (start of heating season) Electric unit heaters (common area and service rooms) c Annually (start of heating season) Gas-fired boilers c Fall startup c Monthly service (during operating season) Vertical in-line pumps (heating and cooling circulation pumps, condenser water pumps)
c Control system
c Monthly service (during operating season)
c Evaporator and condenser
c Annually
c Refrigerant system
Two-pipe fan coil units (lobby and common areas)
c Purge system
c Monthly
c Leak test
c Quarterly
c Unit
c Every six months
Cooling tower c Spring startup
Hydronic heating units (common areas, service rooms, plenum hot water fan heaters)
c Monthly service (during cooling season)
c Annually (start of heating season)
c Bi-monthly service (during cooling season)
c Bi-monthly (during heating season)
c Winter shutdown and inspection c General maintenance c Electrical and controls
18 | RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT
HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEM (CONTINUED)
DX fan coil / DX cooling units (elevator machine room, management office, library, kitchen, swimming pool, common area cooling units) c Monthly c Quarterly c Every six months Air-cooled condensing units for split DX systems (elevator machine room, management office, library, kitchen, swimming pool, common area cooling units) c Bi-monthly (operating season) c Annually Rooftop packaged gas heating and electrical cooling units (recreation area) c Monthly c Every three months (filters) c Quarterly (twice during cooling season)
Domestic hot water system Domestic hot water tank (storage tanks) c Monthly c Annually Electric hot water heater (domestic hot water recirculation booster heaters) c Monthly c Annually
Plumbing and drainage Pumps (domestic cold water booster pumps, domestic hot water boiler booster pumps, domestic hot water recirculation pumps, primary heating pump, pool circulation pumps, fountain circulation pumps, sump pumps) c Bi-monthly c Annually
c Annually Gas-fired boilers (domestic hot water boilers) c Monthly c Annually
Ventilation Hydronic heating and cooling air-handling units (makeup air units) c Monthly c Semi-annually Fans (garage, garbage room, common room, mechanical/electrical room ventilation fans, pressurization fans) c Quarterly Dampers and operators (make-up air units, ventilation fans) c Every six months
Water treatment Automatic chemical feed and bleed system (cooling tower loop) c Monthly (during operating season) Closed loop chemical bypass feeder (heating and cooling loop pumps, primary heating pumps, condenser water pump) c Monthly c Annually
General control systems Pneumatic and electronic or DDC control systems (dry sprinkler compressed air system, boiler plant, chiller plant, make-up air unit control systems and panels) c Monthly Valves (heating/cooling circulation loops, domestic cold and hot water main loops, water treatment system) c Annually
RHB 2014 Building Systems REPORT | 19
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Continued from page 36
He added that the recovery is slow because the global economy is facing three significant headwinds, namely efforts by households and financial institutions to reduce their debt, steps by governments to bring unwind the fiscal stimulus they provided through deficits, and lingering uncertainty about the future. “Probably the most important headwind is lingering uncertainty about the future, whether from geopolitical developments, market volatility, or just the trauma that companies have been through,” Mr. Poloz said. “We are confident that these headwinds will dissipate in time, but in the meantime interest rates will remain lower than in the past in order to work against those forces.”
As well, the changing demographics (and especially the retirement of the post-war baby-boomers) have probably brought potential economic growth down to 2 per cent in Canada and 3 to 3 1/2 per cent globally.
The Bank estimates that it will take two years for Canada to use up its excess productive capacity, at which point inflation will be sustainably at its target of 2 per cent. “A sustained expansion in Canada’s exports will not only represent new demand, it will ignite the rebuilding phase of our business cycle, which through increased investment will create new supply and new jobs. This virtuous cycle will continue until the excess capacity in the labour market is reabsorbed.”
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While some fear that keeping interest rates low will sow the seeds of the next financial crisis, Mr. Poloz observed that the alternative would be much worse. Keynote In other recent remarks, Mr. Poloz pointed out that when the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank begins to raise its inter-bank interest rate from 0 per cent, the Bank of Canada may not follow suit immediately since the Canadian rate is already at 1%. That suggests Canadians may see a concrete warning of a forthcoming interest rate increase, with U.S. rates rising before Canadian rates rise.
WEBCON’s trend of featuring high profile speakers will continue in 2015. Watch for our official keynote announcement in early December.
RH
RANDI
As always, this year’s event will feature 10+ sessions centered around apartment marketing with a specific focus on the use of technology.
ZUCKERBER
There will also be a number of exciting changes to further CEO of Zuckerberg Medi enhance attendees experience andFounder learning and opportunities. Editor-In-Chief Dot Complicated. Fo To learn more about Landlord WEBCON of 2015, please Marketing Director of Facebook visit www.landlordwebcon.ca. For sponsorship details, please call Jason at 905-397-5088 ext 25. Tickets go on sale in early January and can purchased on the website.
Thirteen amazing sessions
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A Day in the Life of the Modern Consumer: The impact of new or emerging platforms
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How to Transform Your Business via Marketing and Social Media
Attracting and Connecting with Renters in the Digital Age
REBECCA CORLISS - HUBSPOT
CHRIS ADAMKOWSKI - GOOGLE
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Rental Housing Business 37to our spon Thank you
One of the real joys of Christmas and the Holiday Season is the opportunity to say Thank You and to wish you the very best for the New Year!
NOVEMBER 2014
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
RHB EDITION
Income-splitting reforms benefit families and landlords By John Dickie, CFAA President
The total effect of the recent moves to allow a federal tax credit to provide income-splitting, and the other reforms announced at the same time, is good for families and also for landlords. While income-splitting itself would be more beneficial to highincome families, the new income-splitting tax credit includes elements that focus most of the benefits on moderate-income families. Such families are more likely to rent their homes than high-income families. The other reforms are also of more benefit to low-income and moderate-income families than high-income families. Those other reforms include an increase to the universal child care benefit (UCCB) for children under six, and an expansion of that benefit to include children between ages six and 17. Those cash payments are subject to income tax, so that low-income and moderate-income families keep more of the benefit than high-income families. For example, compare two families both with one child of age four and one age 10, but with incomes from one earner of
Inside This Issue CMHC Launches Information Portal . . . . . . . . . p. 4 CFAA’s New Tack on Lobbying . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 6
$30,000 and $90,000 respectively. Both will receive an extra $120 per month ($60 for each child), amounting to $1,440 over the year. However, in Ontario, the low-income family will pay tax on that benefit at the rate of 20%, or $288, leaving them $1,152 better off. The higher-income family will pay tax on that benefit at the rate close to 31%, or $448, leaving them $992 better off. continued on page 3
CFAA Rental Housing Conference 2015 The CFAA Rental Housing Conference 2015 will offer many things to different people in the rental housing industry, with keynote speakers, and three or four choices of topics in more than 30 sessions over two days. For many at the conference, networking is a high priority. For rental housing executives, we present Benjamin Tal on the economy, and other experts about major rental housing sales, interest rates and revenue management. For mid-size apartment investors, we offer succession planning information and ideas, and rental demand indicators and projections. continued on page 3
National Outlook - RHB Edition 1
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NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NOVEMBER 2014
continued from page 1
The table shows the comparative tax rates and money left after taxes for various provinces. Province
Low-income family
High-income family
Marginal tax rate
UCCB after-tax
Marginal tax rate
UCCB after-tax
BC
20%
$1152
29.7%
$1012
Alberta
25%
$1080
32%
$979
Saskatchewan
26%
$1066
23.3%
$1104
Manitoba
26%
$1066
39.4%
$873
Ontario
20%
$1152
31.1%
$992
Quebec
31%
$994
42%
$835
New Brunswick
24.8%
$1083
36.8%
$910
Nova Scotia
23.8%
$1097
38.7%
$883
Across Canada in 2011, 48.2% of households with an income of $20,000 to $39,999 rented their homes, whereas in the $80,000 to $99,999 income bracket only 17.1% did. Households with younger household heads (“household maintainers”) also tended to rent at a higher rate than households with older heads. For heads between 25 and 34 years old, when the presence of children is most likely, between 40% and 56% of households rent their homes, whereas among households with heads between 55 and 64 years of age, who have relatively few children under 18, only 23% rent. Having more after-tax income means households can afford better rental units, and will be better able to pay their rent
in full and on time. A very few households might switch to homeownership due to their higher after-tax incomes, but for the vast majority, the increase in income will result in higher spending for their children, including larger or better rental homes, or less financial stress, resulting in better rent payment records. We can be sure that in deciding on these tax relief measures the Harper government’s focus was not to help landlords, but by helping households with a high propensity to rent (such as low-income and moderate-income families) the effect will be an improved situation for them and for landlords. CFAA welcomes the federal tax credit to provide incomesplitting, and the increase in the universal child care benefit.
continued from page 1
For human resources specialists, we offer updates on human rights and employment caselaw, and high-level results of CFAA’s 2015-16 employee compensation survey. For building science specialists, we offer updates on new building and retrofit techniques, as well as a refresher and update on fire protection systems. Cutting edge ideas will also be presented for marketing heads and staff. For all three speciality management areas, the 2015 Conference will offer a discussion group for participants to identify their current and on-going concerns. Hands-on investors, regional managers and property managers will benefit from the investment topics, the highlevel specialist talks, and also from talks at a more general level on employee management, building operations, tenant relations and retention, leasing and marketing.
Whether you are a rental housing investor, executive, regional or property manager, or specialist staff person, plan to attend the CFAA Rental Housing Conference in 2015. The building tour will take place during the afternoon of Wednesday, June 10. Benjamin Tal will speak on Thursday, June 11. We expect the human resources and building science streams will also be presented on Thursday. Friday, June 12, will likely see the succession planning, revenue management, tenant relations and marketing topics. The social event on Thursday evening will be a reception, supper and after-party at the CN Tower. Speaking of the 2014 conference, delegates said: “This has been a very informative conference. I am very pleased and will encourage more colleagues and staff to attend next time.” Another delegate said, “Fantastic!”
National Outlook - RHB Edition 3
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NOVEMBER 2014
CMHC Launches Information Portal Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) launched its Housing Market Information Portal on June 16, 2014. To access the Portal, visit www.cmhc.ca/hmiportal. The Portal enables users to access CMHC’s housing market information through its website in one comprehensive section. Data ranges from national to local; and so, depending on users’ areas of interest, they can access figures at the
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4 National Outlook - RHB Edition
national, provincial, or municipal levels. Some information, such as vacancy rates and average rents, is available even at the neighbourhood level. Data can be viewed in four different ways: At-a-Glance, Compare, Tables and Publications. Using the map interface, users can simply click on the area in Canada in which data interests them, and a wealth of information will be displayed. Users can also specify the area they wish to view using the search function or the drop-down menu, which provides them with another two options depending on their viewing preferences. Users can also select statistics based on the time period(s) they are interested in, be it a particular month or year. If users wish to compare and contrast two or more geographic areas, they can do so by using the compare tool. Historical, current and comparative reports can be accessed in several formats, which include tables, charts, graphs and maps, depending on feasibility. These outputs can be exported in the form of PDFs, images or spreadsheets. All of the information that can be found on CMHC’s Housing Market Information Portal can be shared via email or social media outlets. If users want to save a table, chart, map or graph, they can create an account in the Portal where it will be saved under the heading, “My Library.” By subscribing to the Portal’s email list, they can also be notified via email about new data when it becomes available. In addition, all of CMHC’s publications are listed beneath each geographic region. Thus far, there are five main categories of data: • new housing construction • primary rental markets • seniors’ rental housing • core housing need; and • housing stock. For more information on CMHC’s Housing Market Information Portal, call its Contact Centre at 1-800-6682642 or email its Contact Centre at callcent@cmhc.ca.
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National Outlook - RHB Edition 5
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
NOVEMBER 2014
CFAA’s New Tack on lobbying By John Dickie, CFAA President
CFAA’s main lobbying goal is to obtain tax reform for rental housing. For the past several years we have sought reforms which would benefit a great number of rental housing providers. One such reform was a broad-based tax deferral when any owner sells one rental property and buys a replacement property. The advantages for the owner are obvious. The advantages for the broader community include facilitating urban redevelopment, and stimulating renovations and new rental housing development. However, the Finance officials see such a reform as costing too much revenue for too little result, despite the availability of some fiscal room now that the budget is essentially balanced. With the help of a leading government relations firm with special expertise in tax policy, the CFAA Board recently did a re-think of how we can best proceed to seek reduced taxes on rental housing. CFAA’s new approach is to advocate for limited cost ideas which will be of use to some landlords, and will be attractive to government by addressing one or more government policy concerns. For example, the federal government is engaged in measures to reduce homelessness through a Housing First approach. Under Housing First, homeless people are given social service supports or mental health supports, and a rental unit, without any pre-conditions such as addressing addictions before entering the housing. However, it is not housing only; the supports are provided by government in order to enable the recipients to respect their leases and stay housed. A major study by the Mental Health Commission of Canada found that Housing First is effective. See the June issue of National Outlook for an article on that study. However, a major concern is to locate private market rental units where the owner will provide units for Housing First clients. CFAA is now advocating for a tax deferral on sale and reinvestment conditional on the provision of units for Housing First, either in the building sold or the building bought. That
6 National Outlook - RHB Edition
reform should be more attractive to government officials than one without conditions, since it would address an existing federal program need. That condition would also reduce the take-up, and thus the cost of the program. CFAA has also advocated increased CCA rates. We now want to identify ways to focus such a reform on particular buildings where the increased CCA rate will provide an incentive to the owner to behave in a way important to fulfill a government objective. As with the Housing First condition, fencing in a CCA reform with a condition should make the reform more saleable to government. CFAA also proposes specific, constrained GST/HST reforms, such as lifting GST/HST from new buildings on unsevered land (or perhaps deferring it until the land and new building are severed), or enabling developers to use either Fair Market Value or cost plus as the valuation method for the GST/HST on self-supply. CFAA is open to considering other proposals for tax reforms, or for reforms to other federal policies, programs or laws, provided the reforms are limited in cost and address a government priority or issue in some way. Please feel free to provide your input to me at president@cfaa-fcapi.org.
FRPO’s Anticipated
AWARDS GALA Thursday, December 4th 2014 Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Hall F
Register Online www.frpo.org
Featuring The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney and 2014 Lifetime Achievement Recipient Mr. Abraham Bleeman of Medallion Corporation
COAST TO COAST LPMA – Christmas Party December 9 London – RiverBend Golf Club London Property Management Association (LPMA) will hold its annual Christmas Party at the RiverBend Golf Club, 200 Sandy Somerville Drive from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. Please bring an unwrapped toy for the Salvation Army’s Toy Drive. For more information, contact Brenda Davidson at 519-672-6999 or info@lpma.ca.
PPMA – Holiday Luncheon December 17 Winnipeg – The Fort Garry, Spa and Convention Centre Professional Property Managers Association (PPMA) will hold its holiday luncheon on December 17 at 12:00 pm at the Fort Garry Hotel, Spa and Convention Centre, 222 Broadway. Tickets are $25 for members. For more information, contact Dianne Casar at 204-957-1224 or info@ppmamanitoba.com.
FRPO – Dealing with Domestic Violence Webinar December 10 Online The Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) and Interval House will be hosting a free webinar for FRPO members on December 10 from 10:00 to 11:00 am. This webinar will help staff in the rental housing industry to identify abuse and provide information on available resources. Topics will include an introduction to Interval House, violence against women, how to identify the signs of abuse, and how you can help. For more details, contact Lynzi Michal at 416385-1100, ext. 22 or lmichal@frpo.org.
LPMA – Members’ Dinner and General Meeting January 13 London – Best Western Lamplighter Inn The London Property Management Association (LPMA)’s dinner and general meeting will take place on January 13 from 5:30 to 8:30 pm at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Road in London. The cost of dinner is $25 for members who register by January 2, and $45 for nonmembers. The evening’s speakers will be Scott Andison, the President and CEO of the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) and Laura McKeen, a lawyer from Cohen Highley LLP. Topics include provincial issues affecting Ontario landlords, and the new requirements for landlords regarding Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Sponsorships are also available. For more details, contact Brenda Davidson by calling 519-672-6999 or emailing info@lpma.ca.
SRHIA – Luncheon December 10 Regina – Best Western Seven Oaks Inn The Saskatchewan Rental Housing Industry Association (SRHIA) will be hosting a luncheon on December 10 at 12 noon at the Best Western Seven Oaks Inn, 777 Albert Street in Regina. The topic of this event is the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) legislation, which is intended to empower residents to take back their neighbourhoods by reporting problem residences or businesses that are habitually used for illegal activities. These activities could include drugs, prostitution, gang or criminal activities, child sexual abuse, or the unlawful sale or consumption of alcohol. For more details, contact Chanda Lockhart at 306653-7149 or srhia@sasktel.net.
40 november 2014
HDAA – Dinner Meeting January 14 Hamilton - The Water Front Center The Hamilton and District Apartment Association (HDAA) will be hosting a dinner meeting on January 14 beginning at 6:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Water Front Center, which is located at 555 Bay Street in Hamilton. For more information, contact Paul McAlister at 519-718-9030 or info@hamiltonapartmentassociation.ca.
WRAMA – General Membership Meeting WRAMA Dinner Seminar January 14 November 12 Kitchener – Golf Steak House Golf’s Steak House and Seafood, Kitchener The Waterloo Regional Apartment Management Association (WRAMA) For details see the October 8 WRAMA Dinner listed above. will hold a general membership meeting on January 15 at the Golf Steak Lancaster Street West in Kitchener. Maria Finoro will FRPO House, - MAC 598 Awards Dinner address “Condo December 4 renting - is it for you?” For more information, call 519748-0703, or email membership@wrama.com. Metro Convention Centre, Toronto The FRPO MAC Awards recognize the year’s best in the business. Join the PPMA – General Membership Meeting Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario to celebrate the winners January 21 in 15 categories including Marketing, Achievement and Construction. Winnipeg – Masonic Temple Register early; this event will sell out. Registration information will be The Professional Property Managers Association (PPMA) will hold a available in Fall 2014. - See more at: http://www.frpo.org/events#sthash. general membership meeting on January 21 at the Masonic Temple ACDMcYFL.dpuf. in Winnipeg. Michael Boileau from Manitoba Workplace Health and Safety be speaking this event. For2015 more information, contact CFAA -will Rental HousingatConference Dianne Casar at 204-957-1239 or info@ppmamanitoba.com June 10 – 12, 2015 Westin Prince Hotel, Toronto FRPO & GTAA – CMHC Rental Market Survey Breakfast The building tour will take place Wednesday afternoon, June 10, with the January 27 education sessions on June 11 and 12, and the social event in the evening Toronto – Old Mill Inn of June 11. Benjamin Tal will give his economic update on Thursday The Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) and the morning, June 11! For more information about the program, or to sponsor Greater Toronto Apartment Association (GTAA) will be hosting CMHC’s the conference, see www.cfaa-fcapi.org or telephone 613-235-0101. Rental Market Survey breakfast on January 27 from 8:00 to 10:30 am at the Old Mill Inn, 21 Old Mill Road. CMHC will be sharing key findings from the latest rental market report for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). For more information, contact Lynzi Michal of FRPO at 416-385-1100, ext. 22 or lmichal@frpo.org, or Lorraine Fisher of GTAA at 416-3853435, ext. 37 or lfisher@gtaaonline.com. GTAA – Annual Chair’s Lunch January 27 Toronto – David Duncan House The lunch is in support of the GTAA Charitable Foundation, which supports charities working on housing and homelessness issues. It will take place between 12 noon and 2:00 pm. For more details, contact Lorraine Fisher at 416-385-3435, ext. 37 or lfisher@gtaaonline.com.
WRAMA – General Membership Meeting February 11 Kitchener – Golf Steak House The Waterloo Regional Apartment Management Association (WRAMA) will hold a general membership meeting on February 11 at the Golf Steak House, 598 Lancaster Street West in Kitchener. For more information, call 519-748-0703, or email membership@wrama.com. PPMA – Annual General Meeting February 15 Winnipeg – Masonic Temple The Professional Property Managers Association (PPMA) is hosting ts annual general meeting on February 18 at the Masonic Temple in Winnipeg. For more information, please contact Dianne Casar at 204-957-1239 or info@ppmamanitoba.com. EOLO – 2015 Spring Networking Event March 25 Ottawa – Centurion Conference & Event Centre The Eastern Ontario Landlord Organization (EOLO) will host its annual Spring Networking Event on March 25 at the Centurion Conference & Event Centre, 170 Colonnade Road in Ottawa. The education session will take place from 2:00-4:30 pm, the political update will be from 4:30 to 5:00 pm and the networking portion of the evening will begin at 5:00 pm and end at 7:00 pm. For more details, contact Kathleen Guilbeault at 613-235-9792.
The Saskatchewan Rental Housing Industry Association (SRHIA) is pleased to announce that Chanda Lockhart has been appointed as SRHIA’s Executive Officer, an important, part-time position. Chanda is Operations Manager at Stewart Properties, and she will continue in that position as well. Chanda was the SRHIA Executive Officer from 2004 to 2008. SRHIA and CFAA wish Chanda every success.
Tra ns pa re nt bi l l i ng Cont rol r i s i ng ut i l i t y cos t s Cus tomi ze d s ol ut i ons 3 5 ye a rs of e xpe r i e nce
http://www.cfaa-fcapi.org/ Tel: (613) 235-0101 | Fax: (613) 238-0101 Email: admin@cfaa-fcapi.org Rental Housing Business 41
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Aird & Berlis LLP www.airdberlis.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Blaney McMurtry LLP www.blaney.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Brook Restoration www.brookrestoration.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OBC Carma Industries www.carmaindustries.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 + 41 CCI Group www.ccigroupinc.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 CFAA www.cfaa-fcapi.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Coinamatic www.coinamatic.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 + 42 + IBC Cushman & Wakefield www.cushwake.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Enbridge www.enbridgegas.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Fogler Rubinoff Lawyers www.flogers.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Gottarent www.gottarent.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 H&S Building supplies www.hsbuild.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Harris Sheaffer LLP www.harris-sheaffer.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Lumenix www.lumenix.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Metro Compactor www.metrocompactor.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 norstar windows www.norstarwindows.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Novitherm www.novitherm.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Property Boss www.propertyboss.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Rady-Pentek & Edward Surveying www.r-pe.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Rent Check Credit Bureau www.rentcheckcorp.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Rikos www.rikos.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Rogers Communications www.rogers.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 The Miller Group www.millergroup.ca . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Water Matrix www.watermatrix.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 WSP www.wspgroup.com/canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Yardi www.yardi.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC + 37 + 40 Bolded advertisers are members of CFAA’s Supplier Council
42 Profile