All of us who live in multi-family buildings often wonder about the people who reside behind those closed doors. While mycoop brings us together, here we also share the stories of those neighbors who make apartment living extra special. Meet Tracy!
Name: Tracy Elizabeth
Where do you live: A two-story condo in Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Profession: Telecommunication
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I’m a mom of three girls. Almost three years ago, I got separated and divorced, so I moved into a condo.I volunteer quite a bit in the community as I have a therapy dog. Right now, I’m trying to explore other career options. I’m looking to be a travel agent.
What are some issues or difficulties you’ve encountered since moving into your building?
I’m new to living in a condo situation as I’ve always lived in a house. I am find there’s an enormous lack of communication from property management through to the board. I have good communication with the neighbors that are down the hall from me or beside me, but I don’t really know anyone else within my condo community.
I find that there are so many rules that I didn’t think about because I’ve never lived in a condo. I also feel that my condo fees are exorbitant. I’m actually looking at whether this would continue to be a feasible option for me because now I don’t have anyone living at home. One of my daughters is already on her own while my other two children are at school and have no intention of moving back home.
Currently we are trying to do an HVAC project to upgrade the 42 year-old heating and cooling units in each apartment. There was a big push in the fall to ensure that we had the ability to get the money needed to upgrade these units. Upgrades were supposed to start in February. It is now May and there’s been zero communication after that push.
“Communication is huge. Even if certain things were delayed, just tell us about it. Give me a way that I can be in touch with you, so that I can understand what’s going on.”
How do you communicate with other people in the building?
Just running into them. I’ve gone to a couple of community things that they’ve put on. I went to bingo, movie night and joined the book club. My other neighbor happens to be a very good friend of mine and she moved in a few months after I did. The other people beside me have a family. I say “hi” to them, but I don’t even know their names.
How did you learn about these community events?
They got posted near the elevators or in the hallway. There’s supposed to be a website for this condo. I think I’ve been on it once, and I don’t know if it ever gets updated or not. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even know where my board members live, and they don’t offer up their email addresses.
What are some areas where you wish your property manager would improve?
Communication. Communication is huge. Even if certain things were delayed, just tell us about it. Give me a way that I can be in touch with you, so that I can understand what’s going on. I wish I could just have better communication from the board and property management. I’d like the property management to understand that sometimes the way you speak to people isn’t conducive to how you should be speaking to someone that you actually work for. As long as you’re keeping me informed, I’m a happy person. As long as you follow through with the commitment of that communication, I’m a happy person.
