Written by Marie-Cécile Bodéüs
Access to private portions
Does the syndicate have the right to access my residential unit as it wishes?
This question is frequently asked, and it is far from surprising: our residence is inviolable, and no one can access it without our consent.
Although this statement is correct, certain precisions must be made in matters of divided co-ownership.
Obligations resulting from the purchase
First of all, you must know that when you purchase your private unit, you agree to comply with the various rules governing the portion of the co-ownership that you have just acquired.
In most declarations of co-ownership, there are specific provisions regarding access to the private portions by the syndicate of co-ownership.
By purchasing your private unit, you therefore consent in advance to certain accesses by the syndicate in your residence.
Keys and alarm system code
Similarly, most declarations of co-ownership provide that a co-owner must leave their keys with the Board of Directors or the person mandated to keep the keys at all times. This type of provision has caused a lot of ink to flow, and many co-owners are opposed to leaving the key or worse, the code of their alarm system in certain cases in order to comply with the by-laws of the building.
In some cases, recourse to the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms has even been attempted to avoid fulfilling this obligation and having to hand over the key to the private unit to the syndicate of co-ownership. However, these attempts failed.
It must be remembered that the obligation of the syndicate is to ensure the preservation of the common welfare of the building and the investment of all the co-owners.
Among its obligations, the syndicate must carry out the required and necessary work. Thus, it must be able to have access in certain cases to the private unit to carry out certain work or inspections.
Subjecting this access to the whims of a co-owner or facing the refusal of the latter will only result in additional costs to the community of co-owners. The handing over of the keys must, however, be accompanied by certain precisions.
Indeed, any syndicate of co-ownership should have specific rules for the conservation of keys. They should not simply be left in the apartment of one of the directors without any precautions regarding their conservation.
A key box, a specific location, established rules for the removal of keys should be adopted by any diligent syndicate.
The same is true if the syndicate is to hold the access codes for the alarm systems of private units.
Conditions of access
Most Declarations of Co-ownership also contain conditions governing access to the unit.
In no case should access be made, except in case of extreme emergency, without prior notice to the co-owner who may, at any time, attend or be present during such access.
Access is normally regulated by a time limit. The syndicate must advise you of this delay before being able to access your private portion. If your unit is rented, the same time frame should be given to the tenant occupying your unit.
It is also discouraged that access be done by only one person mandated by the Board of Directors, to ensure that access is done without damage.
What happens if I prevent access to my unit?
I will then be responsible for any damages that this could incur, in particular, if an inspector or a visit has to be made or if work is postponed, I will be responsible for all costs that this refusal could incur. The reasons for access are also stated in the Declaration of Co-ownership.
The latter will detail the reasons or causes justifying access to a private portion and, in addition to urgent work, the need for maintenance work, conservation work of the immovable and inspections are generally causes justifying access by the syndicate of co-ownership.