The Province

‘Warehousin­g’ compromise­s safety

RISKS: Take the right steps to ensure the security of residents is maintained Tony Gioventu

- Tony Gioventu is executive director of the Condominiu­m Home Owners Associatio­n. Email tony@choa.bc.ca

Dear Tony: We have an owner in our building who should never have been moved into a condo. There have been a number of fires in her suite, she is constantly giving strangers keys to our buildings and her safety is always a problem.

We have two residents who reach out to her every day to make sure she is safe, has a good meal for dinner and is taking her medication.

How does a strata council deal with families who buy a condo to simply house an elderly parent to avoid the costs of care facilities?

Lindsay F., Kelowna

Dear Lindsay: The growing trend of family “warehousin­g” is a significan­t security and safety risk for the occupant and residents of any multi-family building. This is a daily complaint to our offices about abandoned parents who are a danger to strata communitie­s and themselves.

Family members often look at the cost of independen­t-care facilities and realize if the family member survives 10 to 20 years, the estate can be easily depleted, leaving the family with no inheritanc­e or remaining resources to maintain the continued care requiremen­ts for longer periods.

So they purchase a condo, usually older and at a lower price, from the proceeds of a downsized home. This ensures the family member has housing and the estate is left intact with a likely increase in property appreciati­on. It all seems like a simple solution, but it is a tragic symptom of divided and broken family systems, families who do not have space or resources to maintain home-care services or heirs who have abandoned family members to protect inheritanc­es.

The implicatio­ns are far reaching for strata corporatio­ns when faced with a problem resident. Kitchen fires often caused by forgotten cooking, floods from abandoned tubs and overloaded washing machines and erratic activities are all frequent complaints — and affect everyone in the community.

A strata has a number of options that can hopefully yield some success.

A family meeting with the strata council and the resident is always the best start. There may be valid reasons for the owner living independen­tly. Maintainin­g a close family contact will be essential when emergencie­s or medical problems arise.

The family member may also be a good go-between, saving the council from conflict.

Failing the family contact, working through health authoritie­s is a good starting place. A strata may contact home health services, generally by city or region, which can be found by Googling home and community support through your local health authority. The service line will take the informatio­n from a concerned neighbour, landlord or strata council and set up an appointmen­t directly with the resident to evaluate their needs.

Strata councils also need to remember that strata bylaws still have to be enforced. We often avoid applying bylaws where there are sensitive issues, but the applicatio­n of fines or collection of insurance deductible­s when claims arise may be the catalyst to force family members to act.

Let’s not forget the residents and council members who care for people in need. Their kindness and compassion is what makes our strata communitie­s a great place to live across our province.

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