|
Condo
Bylaws and Your Business
When you purchase your condo
in Canada, there is usually pages and pages of bylaws you must agree to
and sign as part of the condo purchase.
If you are looking to purchase
a condo, and you have plans to operate a home business out of it (especially
if you plan to have clients coming and going) you will want to read your
bylaws carefully to ensure you will be able to have a home business. If
it states that businesses are not allowed, you will either have to try
and get approval from the condo association for your potential building,
or keep looking for a condo with less restrictive rules governing its
residents.
What if you already live there,
and you discover after the fact that home businesses are not allowed?
Most will turn a blind eye to the practice until complaints arise. If
you run an online business, there would be little reason for someone to
complain. If you have a parade of clients coming and going, however, you
are much more likely to get a complaint than if you meet a client in your
house only occassionally.
What if you have a condo and
then the condo association changes the bylaw? If your business is already
established, it would be grandfathered (grandfather clause) and there
is little they could do to you and your business. What if you hadn't started
your business when the change to place? You would still have legal recourse
if the condo association tries to prevent you from starting your business,
as you bought the condo before the new bylaw was brought into effect.
|
