Strata Fees and what they cover.

[Queen K]

Having lived in a strata I understand the frustration of feeling like the monthly fee the Strata extracts from the owners monthly doesn't go anywhere.

Someone recently said they never figured out where their $177/month went.

Here's some ideas as to where it went.

Common area maintenance, including snow removal, sanding and salt in the Winter.

Landscaping. Unless the owners are very coordinated someone has to do leaf raking, lawn mowing, pruning etc.
Liability. What if a tree on strata land snaps a branch and hits someones Porche out in the street? Or just hits someone.
Repairs. I had to call about siding falling off during a wind storm.

Utilities. Do you really think those lights on at night are run on free electriciy donated by the city of Kelowna?

Strata Management company fees: because people who are elected to Strata may have knee jerk gut reactions that have no basis in legal procedures. For example one tall building downtown had a manager who posted a sign that read like this in the elevator: "The residents in Condo 205 are drug dealers. Please don't let their friends in."

Graffiti removal: whenever someone's darling spray paints, "I wuz here" on the side of strata property, strata funds have to into repainting it.

Those are just a few things in my memory of having been in a strata 9 years ago. Does anyone have anything to add to the list?

[SmokeOnTheWater]

Pool, exercise room, roof replacement, common area maintenance like you mentioned ... carpet cleaning, daily vacuuming and sweeping, resident manager and maintenance worker's salaries.

[Captain Awesome]

Contingency fund

[Queen K]

Yes, yes and yes.

I knew I was leaving out quite a bit.

For when someone wheels their bikes through long hallways full of carpet, after the bike has been outside in the mud/slush and gravel, someone gets to pay for the rug cleaning.

And the "just in case" the pavement needs completely replaced, or mould is discovered in attics.

[LANDM]

The great thing about a strata is that every year there are financial statements explaining where everything was spent and a budget outlining where everything in the upcoming year is anticipated to be spent. No guesswork. Just look at the documents.

[rutland1]

In my strata they cover, water, sewage, garbage removal,fire insurance ( not contents), snow removal, garden maintainance,electricity to light complex, and all for under $150 a month. I think its a great deal.

[Queen K]

Yes, garbage removal, I knew I forgot an important one. And recycling removal too. And in case the Strata gets a fine because some bozo living there refuses to separate out recycling from garbage.

In my former strata we had huge problems with outsiders filling our garbage bins. Just a year after I sold and moved, the strata there contracted someone to build a huge double sided chain link fence around the bins. One gate from one side so as the residents can dump their stuff, and another gate on the other side for the garbage truck people to open and remove the materials.

I have no idea as to what all that cost, but it solved a huge problem for them.

They also replaced a friendly 4 foot chain link fence with an unfriendly 10 foot chain link fence all around the complex. Too many strangers were cutting through the property and jumping the four foot chain link, wrecking it.