Most condominium rules get written once, near the time the building registers, and then sit untouched for years. Boards renew insurance every year and review reserve funds every three. Rules often get reviewed only when something goes wrong. That gap is starting to show, because the risks condo boards need to manage have shifted faster than most rule sets have.
Here are five areas worth a fresh look.
E-bikes and lithium-ion batteries
Five years ago, almost no rule set said anything about e-bikes or e-scooters. Now they’re common, and so are fires linked to damaged or poorly charged lithium-ion batteries. Fire services across Ontario have issued specific guidance on certification, charging practices and storage. If your rules are silent on this, they’re silent on one of the more serious fire risks in the building today.
Water damage
Water damage is consistently the largest category of condominium insurance claims in Ontario, and most of it comes from something preventable inside a unit, a hose that fails, a washing machine left running unattended, a unit left vacant for a week with the water still on. A rule requiring steel braided hoses and a water shutoff for extended absences costs owners nothing to comply with and can meaningfully reduce claims across the corporation.
Short-term rentals
Airbnb-style listings weren’t a real issue for most boards a decade ago. Now they raise security questions, insurance questions and quiet enjoyment questions all at once. Many insurance policies exclude or limit coverage where short-term rental use is happening in a unit, whether or not the board approved it. A minimum lease term and a clear prohibition on listing platforms are two of the more common tools boards are adding.
Sound and flooring disputes
Older rules often say soundproofing “must be approved” without saying what that means. That sounds reasonable until an owner installs flooring, a neighbour complains, and there’s no objective standard to point to. A measurable benchmark, such as a minimum Impact Insulation Class rating tested to a recognized method, gives everyone the same number to work from before installation, not after.
Harassment and odour complaints
The Condominium Authority Tribunal has made nuisance and harassment disputes between residents far more visible than they used to be, and odour transmission, particularly cannabis smoke and vapour, is now one of the most common complaints boards field. Rules written before the Tribunal existed often don’t address either topic directly, which leaves boards without a clear framework when a dispute reaches that stage.
None of this means every corporation needs a full rewrite. Many boards can address these gaps with a handful of targeted amendments rather than replacing the whole document. But it’s worth asking your property manager or legal counsel a direct question: when were the rules last reviewed against what’s actually causing claims, complaints and Tribunal applications today, rather than five or ten years ago? If the answer is “not recently,” that’s the starting point.
