Frequently Asked Questions

In the event if a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1, immediately.

During business hours, please call your Property Manager. After hours, call our 24-hour, seven days a week, emergency number 905-673-7338. The emergency operator will notify your property manager, who will then deal with the emergency.

The concierge or security at condominiums with these services should be contacted first.

Examples of a Residential Emergency:

• Elevator not operating
• Parking gate or garage door not operating
• Unit door lock not locking
• Flooding and leaks
• Broken window/balcony

In the event of fire or medical emergency or other similarly urgent matter, please call 9-1-1 before contacting our office.

The Condominium Act, 1998 clearly states that the affairs of the condominium corporation are to be managed by a duly elected Board of Directors. Under the act, a majority of the Directors must be present for the Board to conduct business. Board meetings are generally held on a monthly basis and are pre-scheduled one year in advance. Every condominium corporation must appoint a President and Secretary, and the remaining Board of Directors are chosen internally. The Board must ensure that the condominium corporation’s funds are managed and properly invested. The must also keep all registered documents on file available for inspection. The Board is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Condominium Act, the declaration, the by-laws and the rules. The Board is empowered to hiring a property management company to help manage the daily affairs of a corporation without consulting other owners.

The Property Manager works on behalf of the condominium corporation. They manage the day to day operations of the property under the direction of the Board of Directors. The Property Manager collects common element fees (CEF), which are also known as maintenance fees, and administers chargebacks (as required). All collected fees and chargebacks must be held in a trust account used to maintain and repair the property, pay insurance premiums, and much more. The Property Manager is also is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Condominium Act, and as the declaration, the by-laws and the rules.

When monthly common element fee payments are not made more than three months, the condominium corporation can place a lien before the end of the third month against the property. In addition to outstanding amounts interest penalties and legal costs are applied. The non-payment of common expenses constitutes default under the terms of a mortgage. If neither the unit owner nor the mortgage lender pays the arrears, the condominium corporation goes through a legal process and ultimately the unit with payments in arrears can be sold through power of sale.

No. You are legally bound to pay the monthly common element fees whether or not you approve of management and/or the Board of Directors. Common expense fees are applied to the cost of insurance of the common elements, accounting fees, utilities, and cost of maintenance of the property. Without the payment of common element fees the condominium corporation would no longer be property maintained and would become subject to liens from various concerned parties, for example, the municipal government that has not received property taxes.

• Duka Property Managers are well-versed in the condominium corporation’s declaration, by-laws and rules which is vital for effective management.
• Property Managers and Site Administrators must attend training programs conducted by our Regional Managers and as a result, are well-informed.
• By assigning fewer buildings to our Regional Managers, we ensure that Property Managers are well supported by head office.
• We maintain policies and procedures in accordance with standards set by the Association of Condominium Managers (ACMO). We also provide access to the members of Duka Consulting Inc., and they provide technical information that help Property Managers manage more effectively.   
• Finally, we maintain an employee portal on our website that provides employees access to thousands of templates, forms, documents, notices, and legal documents. Use of these documents ensures consistent service that exceeds the expectations of our clients.

We will gladly provide you more information about our services at Duka. Just click on attached “Request for Proposal” icon, complete and send the form. We guarantee that a member of Duka Property Management will get in touch with you within 24 hours of submission of form.

You can also call 905.673.7338 and tell us you would like to speak to someone about our services.

Duka Property Management Inc. receives common element fee payments by either post-dated cheque or through Pre-Authorized Payment.

Post-Dated Cheques:

Unit owners supply 12 post-dated cheques payable to the condominium corporation on the 1^st of each month of the fiscal year.

Pre-Authorized Payment Plan:

Under our Pre-Authorized Payment Plan, common element fees are automatically deducted from the owner’s bank account on the 1^st of every month. In order to sign up for the Pre-Authorized Payment Plan, Duka provides a form for completion that must be returned to the management office along with a void cheque.

Yes, at Duka ensure that our Property Managers can expertly handle all these issues through proper training and courses. In fact, the declarant (the original owner/developer) of the building will consult the property management office for warranty information. Our Property Managers assist with legal issues with the help of a hired solicitor (approved by the Board of Directors) for the condominium corporation. Duka always recommends consulting with a solicitor to ensure liability issues and legal compliance of the condominium corporation is addressed.

Duka also frequently advises and implements cost-saving projects that ensure better building maintenance for the condominium corporation, such as light retrofitting and installation of parking garage sensors as well as VFDs (Variable Frequency Drive Motors) as applicable throughout the building for hydro savings, replacement of boilers for gas-savings and replacement of toilets for water cost reduction. Our team at sister company Duka Consulting Inc. has been a great source of information and analysis in these areas. We are proud to report that Duka has been involved with implementing some of the most modern technologies consisting of energy saving devices for condo corporations such as solar panels and geothermal systems.