Condominium Ownership

Effective and efficient housing management is important to support the implementation of key UN agreements, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New Urban Agenda and the Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing. Efficient housing management results in economic benefits and decent housing conditions for inhabitants of condominiums. Housing management, through housing refurbishment programmes, protects the environment and contributes to decrease in greenhouse gas emissions, which supports the efforts of governments and stakeholders to address climate change.

This guide was developed to assist buyers in choosing a condominium which meets their personal and financial needs. The guide provides buyers with an overview of the operation of different condominiums and important questions to address when choosing a condominium to meet the lifestyle and financial needs of the buyer. In addition, the guide provides instructions on evaluating the financial and physical status of an existing condominium. Information on evaluating the physical condition of the individual unit, the condominium building and grounds, and the financial status of the condominium is also covered. Contact information for acquiring additional information and assistance is included.

This book examines condominium, property, governance, and law in international and conceptual perspective and reveals this urban realm as complex and mutating. Condominiums are proliferating the world over and transforming the socio-spatial organization of cities and residential life. The collection assembles arguably the most prominent scholars in the world currently working in this broad area and situated in multiple disciplines, including legal and socio-legal studies, political science, public administration, and sociology. Their analyses span condominium governance and law on five continents and in nine countries: the United States (US), China, Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, South Africa, Israel, Denmark, and Spain. Neglected issues and emerging trends related to condominium governance and law in cities from Tel Aviv to Chicago to Melbourne are discerned and analysed. The book pursues fresh empirical inquiries and cogent conceptual engagements regarding how condominiums are governed through law and other means. It includes accounts of a wide range of governance difficulties including chronic anti-social owner behaviour, short-term rentals, and even the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they are being dealt with. By uncovering crucial cross-national commonalities, the book reveals the global urban context of condominium governance and law as empirically rich and conceptually fruitful. The book will appeal to researchers and students in socio-legal studies, law, sociology, political science, urban studies, and public administration as well as journalists, social activists, policymakers, and condo owners/board members.

The first comprehensive comparative treatment in English of condominium (apartment ownership, commonhold) law in the 21 most important European jurisdictions.

"A timely, admirable book. Barnabic recognizes the paradox inherent in the idea of shared private property. He provides would-be buyers with a checklist of things to look for when assessing the financial stability and long-term viability of a particular condominium corporation." -BENJAMIN GIANNI, Associate Professor, Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism, Carleton University "I particularly like the description of the 100-unit complex example. Barnabic's expertise is invaluable to those considering condominium ownership and to those who may find themselves on the board of a condominium association." -KIMBERLY WINSON-GEIDEMAN, Ph.D., prolific author on real estate and Professor of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and Law at the University of North Texas The Condo Bible for Canadians is a buyer beware and owner beware book that reveals the legal and practical realities of condo ownership, compares owning a condo with owning a house/renting an apartment, and advises consumers on the dangers of the condo real estate market, given ... The debilitating market crashes of the late 1990s and 2006 The effects of today's record low interest rates, in which: Developers are enticing consumers into condo ownership by allowing low or even no down payments Real estate prices are soaring out of the reach of those with average incomes The market is being flooded with condo units, creating an oversupply that could prove disastrous Barnabic writes that very few consumers are aware that: One defaulting unit owner can affect the well being of all unit owners A high percentage of units being rented out may be a sign that the complex may be converted into an apartment building A condo association's default on a common loan can cause the demise of the whole condo complex and its individual units The Condo Bible for Canadians also includes: The Ten Commandments of Condo Buying Recommendations and remedies for government and financial institutions, condo associations, and condo boards to make condo ownership safer Dan S. Barnabic is a noted consumer advocate and a keen observer of condo proliferation. He worked in real estate as an agent, broker, property manager, and condominium developer. His over three decades in the real estate industry began in the 1970s and intensified after he witnessed the major real estate crashes of the late 1980s and 2006.