Technical and property management

The syndicate of co-owner’s mission is to ensure the preservation of the immovable and the maintenance of the common portions; to ensure that the building is in good condition, the syndicate involves various service providers. Technical and property management aim to conserve the common portions; in addition, a well-maintained immovable necessarily involves carrying out the necessary work to avoid the deterioration of the common portions. Furthermore, to perform the tasks correctly, it is essential that the syndicate sets up a maintenance logbook, an asset management plan and a certificate of the state of the immovable.

Preservation of the immovable

Assuming the condo manager is qualified with a certain degree of knowledge and of experience, this allows him to play a leading role in the planning and in the supervising of the necessary work that needs to be completed; therefore, he should be able to ensure the immovable technical maintenance and the monitoring, two activities needing the manager to present at the immovable as well as to supervise the necessary work that needs to be carried out.

Regular maintenance of the immovable

Within the scope of his specific tasks related to the regular maintenance of the immovable, the manager could be called upon to:

• conduct summary and periodic inspections of the immovable and, if necessary, to retain the services of building professionals;
• ensure that the certificate of the state of the immovable, the maintenance logbook and the contingency fund study are kept and updated;
• prioritize the work as contemplated in the asset management plan;
• verify that the work undertaken complies with the forecast annual budget;
• analyze the co-owners' claims regarding the immovable;
• purchase the supplies necessary to the maintenance of the immovable.

Financial control

As part of its tasks related to the financial control, the manager could be called upon to:

• analyze the specifications prepared by building professionals;
• follow-up on suppliers’ calls for tenders;
• check if the contractor holds a license issued by the Quebec building Board (Régie du bâtiment du Québec) (RBQ);
• check if the contractor has liability insurance;
• check the solvency and the business reputation of the service providers including their credit rating;
• analyze bids and forward them to the members of the board of directors with the relevant recommendations;
• negotiate and manage suppliers and service providers’ contracts;
• implement operational efficiency strategies;
• regularly carry out follow ups and controls;
• analyze the invoices issued by suppliers or by service providers.

Quality control

As part of its tasks related to quality control, the manager may be required to:

• participate in the selection of the service providers and so, under the supervision of the board of directors;
• supervise the work being carried out;
• set up quality control programs;
• follow-up on the advancement of the work;
• follow up upon corrective measures;
• ensure that deadlines are respected.

 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW!​ Managers handling many or large accounts have a high volume of activity and are often able to negotiate lower rates with suppliers; so, they are able to lower the cost of products and of services needed to maintain the immovable.

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND: ​ Regarding work, the manager shall ensure the implementation of the decisions made by the board of directors; when he has the necessary experience to do a good job, he will be able to compare the different bids in order to counsel the directors about their respective benefits and disadvantages.

WARNING!​ The board of directors must supervise the manager’s work; thus, it must set up financial controls.

Back to the sub-factsheet: Functions of the manager