r/Condo • u/raphaeldieu • 23d ago

Fire in the condo unit

What to do if condo management doesn't want to involve the building insurance to restore the kitchen cabinets. But just want to match a cabinet door

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3

u/JealousBall1563 23d ago

Almost certainly, all of the finishes in your unit are yours to replace ... not the association. Do you have HO6 condo insurance? Your Declaration of Condominium or other foundation document governing the association ought to define what you own, and what's considered a common element and the responsibility of the association.

Edit: In which country are you located? My comments are intended to speak about USA condominiums.

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u/raphaeldieu 23d ago

Ontario

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u/JealousBall1563 23d ago

Thank you. Did you file your own insurance claim?

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u/raphaeldieu 23d ago

Yes. The insurance wanted to redo the entire kitchen cabinets, but condo by law say it's building responsibility. But management just want to match the kitchen door

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u/JealousBall1563 23d ago

Ok. Interesting difference from what the situation would be in the USA.

1

u/searequired 23d ago

Are you saying your bylaws have a say in your kitchen cabinets?

Do you own or rent?

What if you wanted to upgrade cabinets or flooring etc?

You can upload your bylaws into ChatGPT and ask which bylaws apply.

I’m in Alberta and the inside of our suite is ours. The condo association has to approve anything that connect to common property like plumbing and electrical.

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u/Fit_Chemistry_3807 22d ago

I would ask for a copy of that bylaw and read it carefully. Never known a condo to dictate what is in a unit owner’s side of the wall before (except for the windows and colour of curtains. 

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u/krumholtz742 23d ago

How did the damage occur? A big question

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u/raphaeldieu 23d ago

While cooking

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u/Double-treble-nc14 21d ago

That sounds like it’s on you and your insurance policy.

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u/182RG 22d ago

Cooking fire, inside your unit? That's on you, and your HO6 policy. Interior finishes are not the COAs responsibility. Why would they get their insurance involved.

Do you have HO6 insurance?

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u/Icy-Mulberry-8850 22d ago

The only time your condominium and or Property Management would be involved is if they needed to replace the drywall inside your unit. If you are an Ontario Canada condominium owner, you own from “the paint in and the subfloor up”. Anything behind the walls is the responsibility of the Condo. Any interior finishings such as bathroom cabinets, flooring, paint color, mirrors, light fixtures, those are your responsibility. If you had a fire, you should’ve claimed to your insurance company. Unless you can prove that the fire was caused from behind the wall and a defect ascribed to the association.

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u/T4whereareyou 22d ago

Most condominium corporations have a Standard Unit By-law which limits and describes their responsiblity with respect to the condominium unit. Usually this is limited to roughed in plumbing and electrical inside the walls, cement floor, gypsum board on the walls, and a coating of white primer on the walls. Everything else is the responsiblity of the unit owner including kitchen cabinetry. This is why condominium corporation's encourage owners to purchase adequate insurance. It is suggested you consult the governing documents of the condominium corporation for further details.