Definition : Legal recourse - Application for injunction

  The windows of our unit are at the end of their lives, according to a specialist who changed the thermos of a window that don't 2 windows have already cracked. Despite my express request to the syndicate to change our windows, he prefers to wait a few years to change all the windows. We have been losing the enjoyment of one of our main windows for 2 years. Its opening is a danger, because it is too heavy, weighs on the closing mechanism, and I am afraid that it falls from the 4th floor, or that the thermos breaks again. Question:  What do you think are our remedies?

The declaration of co-ownership is a contract that orchestrates and regulates the lives of co-owners, lessees and other occupants of the immovable. It represents the guideline for everyone who lives in the immovable.The declaration of co-ownership provides, systematically, that it is up to the board of directors to have its content abided to. However, it happens that people break the rules, in particular by a non-compliant use of a private portion with regard to the destination of the immovable, a noise nuisance and work carried out in violation of the by the laws of the immovable. Other examples illustrate the problems that can occur in the co-ownership, such as an encroachment on a common portion or the improper installation of a floor covering. Anyone who does not abide to the declaration of co-ownership is liable, inter alia, to a legal recourse based on article 1080 of the Civil Code of Quebec . This action may be brought by a co-owner or the syndicate.

  Usually declarations of co-ownership list the patrimony of the syndicate of co-owners. Among the items owned by the syndicate is the register of co-ownership. It contains all the syndicate's archives, such as the declaration of co-ownership, the up-to-date list of co-owners and tenants of the immovable and the minutes of the co-owners meetings and the board of directors meetings, enabling it to carry out its mission adequately. The co-owners must have access to this register, which can be entrusted to a director or a condo manager.

L’obligation du Syndicat d’entretenir les parties communes, plus particulièrement les parties communes à usage restreint, a fait couler beaucoup d’encre depuis la réforme de 1994. Souvent, les administrateurs se font tirer l’oreille lorsque des copropriétaires réclament l’exécution de certains travaux majeurs, soit un balcon sérieusement endommagé ou, comme c’était le cas dans l’affaire MARCHAND, pour une verrière qui est la source constante d’infiltration d’eau(1).  

The syndicate has the legal obligation to safeguard the immovable, concerning work in common and private portions. Such work includes minor or major repairs, and urgent interventions, when the conservation of the built-up patrimony is affected by a fortuitous event. In such occurrences, article 1066 of the Civil Code of Québec provides that no co-owner may interfere with carrying out, even inside his private portion work required for the preservation and which is necessary to maintain the immovable in a good state of repairs.  

When the work of a co-owner has an impact on the common portions, the latter must obtain authorization from the meeting of co-owners to have it undertaken, even if the work is carried out in his private portion. This authorization requires a vote, the majority of which is greater than that required for the current decisions. Failure to comply with this rule could result in a co-owner being ordered to restore the premises to their original state or even to pay damages.    

En tant que conseil d’administration, nous suspectons la présence d’un vice de construction dans l'immeuble. Quelles démarches devrions-nous engager afin de sauvegarder nos droits et ceux des copropriétaires?

  I am constantly disturbed by noise in my condo, because its soundproofing is deficient. The co-owners living upstairs aggravate me, because of constant barking and loud music. My next door neighbour has the same problem with her neighbors above, who have recently installed hardwood floors! Question: What are our recourses to remedy this problem?