Our Services >> Condominium Law >> Updating Condominium By-Laws >> The Flat Fee General By-Law Package

The General By-Law

We are surprised at how often we find condominiums with an outdated general by-law. There are some corporations who still have a general by-law passed under the Condominium Act, 1967. Directors often find that many of the basic terms in those old by-laws are in dire need of an update. They simply will not account for practices like e-mail, video or teleconferencing and electronic record-keeping. They also miss many new by-law powers found in the current Condominium Act.

If this sums up the situation in your condominium, call GMA. We have developed a specialized comprehensive Model General By-Law for Ontario condominium corporations. Designed by GMA senior partner J. Robert Gardiner, a preeminent condolawyer, our Model General By-Law is a comprehensive condominium governance tool. It is intended to account for the full range of powers that a corporation may possess under the Condominium Act, and it includes many terms not typically found in most general by-laws such as:

• Modern Record-Access Provisions;
• Owner’s Code of Ethics and Director’s Code of Ethics;
• Additional Director Qualifications (including the requirements that excludes individuals who have been convicted of a criminal offence);
• Authority for the board to lease and/or license parts of the common elements (useful for contracts with cable TV providers);
• Insurance Deductible Charge-Back Authority (where an owner causes damage to a neighbours’ unit and the Corporation must make an insurance claim, this provision requires the owner causing the damage to pay the Corporation’s insurance deductible);
• Tax Assessments Appeal Powers;
• Occupancy Standards; and
• A Mediation/Arbitration Procedure (which can significantly decrease legal costs when following the Condominium Act’s mandatory mediation/arbitration requirements).

These are just some of the many provisions in our Model General By-Law that can assist you in governing your condominium. And, we are pleased to offer it as part of a flat fee package.

Questions:

I want a better idea of what is included in the General By-Law. What does the Table of Contents look like? Click Here

This By-Law is very comprehensive. Is anything not included?

Can we customize the general by-law to suit special circumstances in a particular condominium corporation?

How long does it take to prepare this by-law?

Other than the by-law, does the package include anything else?

Prices and Ordering a By-Law