New Residents Are Not Sufficiently Informed

In condos that experience a high turnover of residents, especially when there is a large short-term tenant population, people move in with very little knowledge about the building and even less about rules. They may not know what to do about garbage, where the green bins are, how or when to use facilities, what to expect from the concierge, or what to do about guest parking. Other new residents do not understand how the various card readers or fobs operate or how to open doors. (Click here for What’s a Fob? A Card Reader?)

New tenants generally do not know that problems in their suites should be brought to the attention of their landlord—not to the manager’s office.

This lack of information can create a hectic pace in a condo with people running around not knowing where they are and what to do. They end up throwing garbage anywhere, parking in someone else’s spot, treating the janitor as a personal servant, and even asking the concierge to keep an eye out for their dog.

New residents should receive information, face to face, either from the concierge, the superintendent, or the manager: a personal orientation session. They will remember details far better than if they just receive a package of rules—that will be promptly lost!

In some condos, a welcome committee is trained specifically for the purpose of helping new residents learn about their environment. Each new arrival is presented to a “mentor” of the same language, when possible, and a meeting has to take place within the first three days upon arrival.