Condo living is a great option for many people. They don’t have all the hassles that property home owners have yet they have the majority of luxuries with perhaps the exemption of a back or front yard. What they do have in common is their security needs. The condo owner needs to think about their family and protection of their personal property too.
Condo living has changed over the last few years in Toronto. Now instead of them being just residential condos some of them have mixed uses. For example there is residential and commercial condo units in the same building, and could even include live/work units. This is an interesting mix as they each have their own security needs.
In many cases its up to the Property management to implement proper security measures but these can vary drastically per condo building and depending on who the management is. Some take it more seriously than others, and challenges can present themselves for the mixed units.
The commercial condos will have different hours of operation and it can be difficult in maintaining security of the main doors for entry to the commercial units. This means the business condo owners really have got to consider additional security for their specific units.
Then there is quite often the extra worry that the residential side feels. If good security is not in place between the residential and the business side there are extra concerns. It comes down to every unit must focus on having proper protection in place for their individual units.
If security outside the units concerning the common errors seems to be lacking or there are concerns these should be first brought to the attention of Property Management, and if not addressed then brought to the attention of the Condo board. After all the property management works for the board, and the board represents you.
You will have to check your condo contract to determine specifically what you can do in regards to adding security to your specific unit. Fortunately even it is quite restrictive there are many security measures that you can put in place. Now with there being the option for wireless security systems, it gives you even greater options.
Don’t forget that security doesn’t just center around possible break ins or thefts. It also includes safety against fire and smoke. Make sure you pay close attention to having the proper alerts in your unit, and you are well versed in the fire routes for your condo.
Included in your review of your security status should also include your parking. No matter whether you are utilizing above ground or underground parking, some form of security should be in place.
If you feeling confident because there are security cameras in place, you may want to ensure that they are actually working cameras and not just fake, and if there is anyone monitoring them. This may be unlikely if there is no security staff in place.
Even the security for your elevators is something that you want to pay attention to. If you happen to get trapped on the elevator at 3 Am in the morning is there going to be somebody available to respond and assist you?
Condo living is great but don’t be over confident and make assumptions about your security.
