> Actually, I wouldn't have the foggiest idea.
> I would like to know something though...

> What is a condominium?
You asked for it. Here's the long version.:-)
Michael, I had to refer to my dictionary to give you a good definition of a condominium. Many of us simply refer to our place of residence as a condo.

Its real estate, such as a unit (1,2,3 bedroom) in an apartment (or townhouse) complex that combines fee simple title to the unit and joint ownership in the common elements shared with other unit owners.

A Board of Directors is elected by the residents or unit owners to manage the running of the building. Condos are very popular in Canada and I imagine the US as well, especially in the large urban areas where many of the younger single and working couples don't have the time to maintain a home, cut the grass, shovel the snow, etc. They are often more expensive than owning a home, especially if you want to live right in the heart of a big city like Toronto or New York.

The cost of maintaining the building is taken care of by the building's property manager, who hires a superintendent, cleaning staff, etc. to oversee the day-to-day maintenance of the building or in some cases, you could have a group of homes, also called townhouses over here. Basically, the unit owners, are not allowed to change anything relating to the exterior of the building. So, if we wanted to change the windows or paint our balcony a different colour, we would need to get approval from the Board to do it. In most cases, the bylaws of the condominium act, do not allow for this as you could easily get 20 residents deciding to paint their balconies 10 different colours, or completely change the look of the exterior of the building.

If a unit owner wanted to change the interior, break down walls, install a sauna, or whatever, depending on the extent of the renovations, they could do it, as long as it would not impact the unit above or below that homeowner's unit. Again, each condo. has it's own bylaws on what is and isn't allowed.

One of the 'interesting' things about living in a condo. and becoming familiar with the building bylaws as well as the Condo. Act, is, many Boards of Directors are very pooly managed. Often, we have found, because the job (voluntary) is not an easy one and you're basically giving a few hours per week or month, of your time to attend to various matters, it's often very difficult to find individuals with good business backgrounds to be on the board. It's a very thankless kind of job, but very important, as if you've got a lazy and passive board and a not-too-intelligent property manager, the financial affairs of the building could get very messy. Then you get into the reserve fund, which is a whole different and complicated matter. Basically, before a buyer commits to purchase a unit, it's important that he/she is buying into a building with a very healthy reserve fund. If the fund does not have a large enough cash reserve, this reflects poorly on the Board and on the building. One of the reasons a building strives to build a healthy reserve fund is to have the cash available when major repairs are needed. If there isn't enough cash in the reserve to e.g. fix some major plumbing or construction problems, or repairs to the parking garage, the Corporation will have little choice but to go to the owners and ask for an increase in their monthly maintenance fees. This is not something most Boards enjoy doing. It may also be very difficult for unit owners who would like to sell their units to attract good buyers. So it's very important that the building's finances be in good shape to attract buyers.

One of the big problems we've observed from talking to various other Board members is, many seek nomination to be elected on the board for all the wrong reasons - many of which are to help promote their own independent businesses. Many bring no solid business background to the position, but they get elected and once elected, it's very difficult to get them out. Often there is a lot of infighting between board members and unit owners. So, there's a real need for more education and cooperation among both groups. In summary, the Board are elected by the residents to work for the residents. But in most cases, the Board see themselves as above the residents and it's often a we verus them mentality that prevails.

> Is that the same as an apartment?

I think you've probably gotten your answer from the above.

> Why the difference?

A condo may look like an apt. building, but in an apt. the residents rent the unit. They don't own the unit, like in a condo.

Also, in an apt. depending on where you live, because you rent, you are basically at the mercy of your landlord in terms of how much your rent will increase. And often as renters, and again depending on where you live, you have little or no say in how your building is run.

In a condo. the owners can call special meetings if they are in disagreement with any decision that the board has made that they don't agree with. So, the owners, if they are united, can have a lot of clout in the way their building is run.

> And finally... what is a half a bathroom?

A full bathroom is one with toilet, bathtub or shower, and sink. A half bathroom has all the above, with no bathtub or shower.

> Please forgive my lack of knowledge on these
> matters. I'm from Australia where we have
> flats (small one to three bedroom things in
> a single or multi level complex) and all our
> bathrooms are whole.

Yes, I was in the UK some years ago and my friends lived in a flat. There are actually some areas in Toronto, where the residents refer to their units as flats and they do indeed resemble the flats in London.

Hope this helps.

Eliz.