Drip Drip - My Condo is Leaking!

Your heart leaps into your throat when you see a menacing wet spot on the carpet in the corner of your bedroom. "Oh no," you think, "it's the beginning of the end."

Although the problem of leaking condominiums is fairly limited in regions, those regions that are affected are experiencing a crisis that is comparable to the floods in Manitoba and the ice storm in Quebec. So far, in British Columbia the total bill for leaky condo repairs has reached several million dollars. Almost all of this money has been supplied by condominium owners, strata councils and banks (through loans and foreclosures). What is even more disturbing is that the new construction has not been modified to put an end to this problem. New buildings are just as likely to leak as those constructed one to 10 years ago. This offers no comfort to the consumer and so faith in the condominium market wanes.

New Home Warranty of B.C. president David Verge states that his company has responded to this crisis by increasing home warranties from five to 10 years, Coverage for water leakage will rise from one year to three years. New Home Warranty is working with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to look at methods of providing consumers with third party protection for all housing.

Bryce Rostich, president of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia, reports that his organization has initiated a number of solutions to the leaky condo issue. AIBC offers a course, open to anyone, on becoming a certified building envelope specialist. Like New Home Warranty, AIBC suggests a mandatory warranty program for ALL buildings and implementing standards for builders. The Institute points out that there must be proper education of property owners and managers, as well.

It appears that everyone is aware of the problem but nothing tangible is being done to rectify the problem for those who are currently affected. It is ridiculous to assume that it is the buyer's problem if he or she selects a leaky condo when over 40 per cent are inclined to leak in varying degrees due to faulty construction and inadequate building codes. Case law is inconclusive and so strat councils hesitate on costly litigation that may inhibit unit sales and prove ineffectual.

This problem hurts everyone. Potential home buyers hesitate because they have no confidence in the housing market; people with leaky condos are in gross debt or must forclose; banks are stuck with foreclosed, leaky units; people are unable to afford bigger and better and remain in their damaged condos; purchasing power for those affected is reduced and developers can't sell their developments. There is little information available to the consumer but there are some web sites you can visit for some added information.

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