- Contents
- Buying a Condo?
- Condos' Financial Structure
- Owners' Money Facts
- Owners’ Meetings and Voting
- Boards of Directors
- Owners' Rights and Responsibilities
- Managers and Management Companies
- Common Problems of Condo Living
- Condo Act, Declaration, Rules, and By-Laws
- What Should Be Done to Improve Condo Governance and Help Owners?
- FAQs About Your Building & Your Unit
- Condo Auditors & Lawyers
- Condos & Insurance
- Tenants & Landlords
- Are Condos Family Friendly?
- Links and Bibliography
Resident Parking And Guest Parking
Most condos have one parking space per unit. The space is either included in the sale price or the owner has to buy one at additional cost. Some condos have fewer spaces than suites and include a space only for larger units; other spaces are sold individually on a first-come, first-served basis. Parking spaces are generally exclusive-use common elements.
However, in some condos, parking spots may be sold separately and are individually owned and registered accordingly: They are not common elements. As such, their maintenance and repairs may be the responsibility of the owner.
Other condos have additional parking spaces which are rented to residents, as can be the case for lockers that a corporation builds in areas that serve no function.
Visitors’ parking is reserved for guests. Residents are never allowed to park in this area unless there is an exceptional circumstance.
For instance, a new arrival to Canada rented a suite and was told by the owner that a parking space was available. But he soon discovered that the owner had already leased it to another resident. The manager kindly put him in the guest parking until he could lease a space from another resident.
The general procedure is for visitors to be allowed in by their resident hosts and obtain a parking permit. At that point, they are allowed in the area of the garage reserved for visitors.
Overnight permits are also granted. These may be limited to 9 or so nights per month to avoid the situation where a “guest” is actually a resident who has not been registered.
Townhouses may have an outside parking area reserved for visitors. But these areas are difficult to control because anyone can park, especially near a bus route or subway station. As well, residents often use these areas for their second car, which is against rules.
In one townhouse complex, the management distributes 5 to 10 permits yearly to residents. Their guests have to place the permit on the dashboard. All other cars are ticketed by the parking authorities. Cars that remain for a week are towed away after notices are placed on their windshield.