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Best Practices for Capital Spending
Capital spending refers to investments in major repairs and replacements. Typically, a capital expenditure is an expense of $2,000 or more for a building or landscaping project. It does not include maintenance-related repairs or replacements or any items that are normally described as operating
Protect Your Assets
Your co-op has three main assets, although only one appears on the audited financial statements.
Your money and buildings
Protect your co-op‘s property by buying the right insurance in the right amounts. All housing co-ops need five kinds of insurance: property, loss of housing charges, public
Your Operating Agreement
Almost all housing co-operatives that have received assistance under federal programs in Canada have, or once had, an operating agreement with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The CMHC agreements set out what each party is required to do during a term that varies from 30 to 50 years.
Plan for the Future
Good planning is the secret behind a building that doesn’t look its age. Without a plan, your co-op can’t know how much you’ll need to save for major repairs. Until you know this, you don’t know what your housing charges should be.
Your plan begins with a recent building condition assessment that
Q&A on Undertaking Capital Projects
Aging in Place at Kensington Seniors Co-op, PEI
Does your housing co-op want members to age in place but isn’t sure what they’ll need? You can start with a simple upgrade, such as installing non-slip flooring at the entrance to your co‑op. Grab bars near toilets and showers are an easy fix, as are detachable shower heads with flexible hoses.
Depe
Coverage for Loss of Housing Charges
Being under-insured puts a co-op at risk. Insurance protects against a misfortune that strikes without warning. In a housing co-op anything can happen, from a fire - several major fires have occurred over the past few years - to a staff person or president gone missing, along with the entire capital
Your Insurance and Legal Grow Ops
Under new federal rules introduced in August 2016, landlords have little recourse if a tenant is growing licenced medical marijuana in their unit. There’s a risk, though, that insurance policies will not cover damages from any activities deemed ‘high risk’, and, in most cases, the operation of a
Tip of the Month
Co-ops without Paid Managers
Since 2007, the percentage of co-ops without paid help is down by more than half to a mere 2% of Agency clients. Another 12% just have a lonely bookkeeper.