Frustration with delinquent owners is all too common among condominium boards and their managers. It seems like common sense that residents can't park where they please, or hang pictures at midnight, or tie up the only elevator in a condominium building for an entire day when they move into the building.
On the other side of the equation, some owners are completely unaware of a condominium's rules and regulations. If this is their first experience as a condominium owner or resident, what may seem like common sense can just be a lack of understanding. To a first-time condominium owner, it's quite reasonable to assume that they can renovate the interior of their condominium as they please. After all, the interior is their property.
So the question that might be better asked is: How does your condominium prepare new owners and residents for the experience of living in your community? Welcome packages are a great tool that can help new residents get oriented and avoid a negative experience while settling into their new homes.
Welcome packages can be simple or elaborate. They can cover the basics of living in a particular condominium, such as where garbage and recycling facilities are located and what the rules are regarding visitor parking, or go further and include information on the neighbourhood and local services and facilities. In fact, including some tidbits about the neighbourhood may entice more new residents into reading the 'do's and don'ts' that are also contained in the welcome package.
Effective communication is becoming more and more challenging as we all download newsletters and marketing materials from so many sources that we would need several lifetimes to keep up with them all. Add to that the stack of paperwork an owner receives when purchasing a condominium, and it should be no surprise that ill-informed owners are moving into condominium properties.
It's too bad that welcoming new neighbours into a community has fallen by the wayside. But it might not be a bad idea for board members to act as a welcoming committee and personally deliver a welcome package to new residents. You might just head some problems off before they happen, and you never know, a new neighbour might be a candidate for the board so that you can take a well-earned retirement!
