Calgary Condo Guide to Bylaws: Read Them!
- April 12, 2018
- By Cody Battershill
Read the Condo Bylaws Before Making a Decision!
Unlike single-family homes, there’s several rules and regulations you’ll have to abide by when living in a condo. These are also known as bylaws.
If you’re thinking about making a move into a condominium, I can’t stress enough that reading the building’s bylaws is one of the first things you’ll want to do before making any solid decisions.
Do this while you’re still in the conditional sale / prospective buyer stage to make sure that your lifestyle will conform to these rules and regulations well before a firm sale!
Why Read Your Calgary Condominium Bylaws?
To put it simply, this document governs everything that happens in your condominium. That includes important details such as:
- Age Restrictions: the age allowance of inhabitants (some buildings are adults only)
- Pet Restrictions: if you can have a pet (some buildings are pet free)
- Renovations: how you can perform renovations (if at all)
- Parking Restrictions: visitor parking, residence parking, what types of vehicles can be parked and where
- Penalties: what to expect if the bylaws are not followed
These five points above are by no means an exhaustive list of what a condominium's bylaws go over. There are many more pertinent and important items that will affect your lifestyle and potentially the resale value of your condominium in the future.
Details Matter
Believe it or not, some buildings don’t allow pets of any kind while others will but only certain types, such as dogs, for example. Then there’s also sometimes a sub-set of rules and regulations such as how big / heavy that pet can be.
In other buildings, no one under the age of 18 is allowed to sleep inside at any time. If you have young children living with you, let’s just say that this might present a huge problem for you!
Bylaws also explain aesthetic restrictions such as if you’re allowed to have coloured window coverings and planter boxes on your balcony.
Review the CAD Sheet
The condo corporation of any building is regulated and must act in accordance with its bylaws. These rules and regulations are registered at land titles and can be found on the Condominium Additional Plan Sheet, otherwise known as the CAD.
Ask your real estate agent to get a copy of the CAD sheet for you so that you can take a long, hard look at everything on the document before making any hard decisions. They should take a look at it for you also and bring up anything you might be concerned about.
Violating a Bylaw
Remember… violating a bylaw can result in a hefty fine or even a lawsuit and court hearings in the event of an extreme situation.
Why not avoid these all together and read your bylaws before making any decisions?!
Condos in Calgary
Questions about Calgary Condominiums?
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Call anytime at 403-370-4180 or message me below for a quick, if not immediate response. I am looking forward to helping you accomplish your real estate plans!