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What is the Leaky Condo Crisis?

Back about 1980 the Federal Government decided to make housing in Canada more energy efficient. To this end they modified the National Standard for housing construction. The chief points of this standard was the use of a vapor barrier on the warm side of the wall with fibreglass batt insulation in the gap between studs. The National Research Council did extensive field tests (in Regina - which of course is so representative of our winters!) and it was proclaimed that this would be the base standard for all of Canada.

Well things being what they are BC adopted this as the base for it's building code, which then trickled down to the municipal level as the way things had to be built. Good plan - the people would save money on heating cost, and there would be much rejoicing in places like Winnipeg. One problem, we have an element to our winters that the rest of Canada doesn't, rain and lots of it!. We have wind driven rain, light rain, hard rain, medium rain, and even liquid sunshine. We also have at any given time elevated humidity levels - something to do with the large bodies of water all around us. Now there is one problem with fiberglass insulation, it acts like a sponge. If some how water made it into the wall it takes up residence. In Regina, with cold dry winds (brrr), hot dry winds, and nearly negative humidity in the winter, any left over water in the wall could get sucked out through solid steel, let alone a stucco wall. Unfortunately on the West Coast we don't enjoy the brisk prairie breezes.

Well it seems that most builders can't spend the time and money to build a wall to National Research Council specs or may lack the skill sets to do so. Add to the fact that the building code was sort of stretched a bit, what is good for a 1 to 2 floor house has to work on a 3 - 4 floor Condominium - right? Plus then you have to add in that most houses have a healthy eave that acts like a umbrella and are sheltered by the houses and trees next to it. Then we have the architects, adding a ledge here, and ditching those overhangs - they just don't look Californian enough! Cutting to the chase, you have a rather large wall getting gallons of water thrown against it, details directing the water in, construction methods that are less then perfect, fiberglass insulation just waiting to suck up water, and a plastic vapor barrier to make sure it doesn't leave once it gets there. You couldn't design a better way to test the rotting characteristics of standard wood frame construction! So you have an estimated 200,000 people in Coastal BC participating in the worlds largest rot production experiment. Problem is we are less than willing to do so but it has been left up to us to finance ourselves out of the situation Who is affected by it? This is not a conclusive list but if your condo:

• Was built after 1980
• Is wood frame with stucco finish
• Is in a Coastal BC area
• Was built on speculation for profit

You are a prime candidate for a leaky condo! Please don't think all people who live in condo's are rich. Most people in condominiums are there because they can't afford a townhouse or single family dwelling. Some are young families, elderly people on fixed income, or single people that can't afford a larger mortgage.

So what is the big deal? There are actually several big deals:

• It is estimated over 200,000 people will be affected
• In Victoria it is estimated 50 units are known to have problems and another 500 units are suspect.
• It is estimated the problem will cost close to $2 billion when all is said and done Money spent on condo repairs won't be spent in other areas of the economy, most condo owners won't be buying much the next little while.
• Averages for repairs range from $20,000 to over $100,000.
• Because of the problem the Condo market has taken a dive, this affects all aspects of the BC Housing Industry.
• The health issues of living in Leaky Condo are just starting to come up. More links between bad health, mold and mildew are being found.
• There is no "Free" money - the money available through the various government programs are loans, repayable in full. Condo owners are expected to foot the bill completely.
• Because of the loss of value most leaky condos have been assessed for tax purposes much lower then they would if they if repaired. This means a substantial loss in tax revenues for local governments.
• Most Condo owners are not in a position to walk away (just think of the economic disaster it would cause if we did!), even if they do they can still be liable for their mortgage value and the cost of repairs. If they declare bankruptcy it is under the same rules as the person who managed their affairs poorly. Some one who has worked all their life, paid bills on time, scrimped and saved so they can purchase their own home may now face the reality of loosing it all just because they bought a condominium.
• Most Leaky Condo owners have lost nearly half their personal equity because of this problem.
• People that are near retirement age really have to be concerned that they now financially can't retire or have to give up their home.
• The emotional stress put on Leaky Condo owners is nearly unbearable, this stress is causing health problems for many people, physically and mentally.
• The only reason that condo owners are in this situation is that they purchased a condo. Even though they are not responsible for the cause of the problem they are being held responsible for paying for it and arranging to repair it.

What Should I be doing about it? If you live in condo that leaks or suspect that it leaks, refer to the Help page - and please contact us so we can help. Also most importantly - keep yourself in good spirits (or good spirits in you), this is a messy, miserable experience. You will need to do every thing you can to keep from being dragged down, maintaining a good sense of humor helps.

After you get the details of getting your home fixed taken care of (this should be your first priority), take your pent up frustration and convert it to political energy.

We need your help to achieve the following:

• Make the people really responsible for this take responsibility, morally and financially. Some people made a heck of a lot of money building these condos, maybe they should help fix the problem they created.
• Get financial help for those most in need, people on fixed income people that need help the most, then get help for the rest of us.
• Make sure this never happens again, lets raise such a stink that the Government actually does something to make sure the building code is appropriate, that loopholes in regulations are closed, and that a home owner has at least the same recourse as some one buying a car!
• Support others going through this mess

If you don't own a Leaky Condo we still would like you to support us in our cause. This issue affects everyone, from the person that drives nails for a living to the person selling cars, the impact is very broad. We don't expect handouts but we would like to see those that brought this situation into being held accountable.