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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
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
Auditor’s Guide to the AIR
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
Audit Fees on the Rise for Housing Co-ops
In recent years, with sustained high inflation affecting many goods and services, we looked at the audit fee data reported by housing co-ops in our portfolio.
Our analysis shows that audit fees are on the rise. Specifically, from 2022 to 2025, the average annual increase for housing co-op audit
Information Worth Paying For
By this time, all Agency clients know that we encourage you to invest in—or update—a building condition assessment (BCA). If you are refinancing, your co-op will also need environmental testing and an appraisal from a firm acceptable to the lender you are approaching. What you may not know is that
Tip of the Month
Risk Trend
92% of Agency clients have a Strengthening or Stable risk trend. Proof of many good decisions.