Are the rules too unfair for Toronto condo party rooms?
As you’re probably aware, it’s kind of hard to throw a decently sized get-together in a studio-sized condo unit. That’s why condo corporations include the party room amenity, so you don’t have to rent out a banquet hall to throw your next birthday.
The party room in your condominium is funded through the condo fees that every owner pays, and most condo residents haven't necessarily had to pay to use it.
According to NOW Magazine, one condo resident named Christian Buer wanted to book his party room for his 33rd birthday party and he didn’t think much of it. A year prior, Christian had booked the room, “hosting a friend’s child’s birthday party without issue.”
Christian was in for an expensive shock this time around.
In going to book the room, he was told he would have to pay a series of fees: “$25 per hour to hire a security guard, leave a $500 deposit and pay a non-refundable $100 administrative fee.” At this point, he decided to take his party elsewhere.
NOW reporter Miles Kenyon surveyed his own condo dwelling acquaintances and found that these party room fees were not shocking downtown.
“Some condo bylaws require additional security, some implement time-based restrictions, some demand the purchase of liability insurance, some ask for a refundable deposit and some call for all of the above.”
What’s interesting is that the condo fees are supposed to pay for that party space, yet residents these days are being asked to pay-per-use.
Kenyon suggests that the added fees are present to deter damage and wild partying, while others argue that the fees are put in place to “dissuade residents from using a service they already pay for.”
As condo units decrease in size, these shared spaces increase in value. Condo boards may be trying to protect their investments, but they are also barring access to people who simply want to have a small gathering outside of their unit without the brutal entry fee.