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must remain unaltered to comply with health. The CMRAO needs to expand fighting these battles alone. A well-
fire safety standards. its support with clear definitions of managed condominium requires
Despite this high-level guidance, harassment and consider additional well-protected managers—and it’s
a resident might persist in making protection for managers who navigate time to prioritize that. n
unapproved modifications, perceiv- these difficult situations. Managers
ing these safety protocols as an deserve the security of a safe work envi- Karen Rubin, RCM, has been work-
inconvenience. When the manager ronment, free from baseless complaints ing in the condominium industry since
intervenes to restore compliance, the and aggressive personal attacks, so they 2016. She has a background as a cor-
resident may retaliate by launching can fulfill their responsibilities without porate and real estate law clerk with
a personal campaign, filing multiple bearing the burden. an honours bachelor degree from York
complaints, and repeatedly urging the As the condominium industry University. When she is not managing
board to dismiss the manager under expands, it’s time to ensure that the condominiums, she is the chief chauf-
the pretext that their concerns are not professionals at its core aren’t left feur for her children’s social busy lives.
being addressed.
These situations place managers
and their companies in a challenging
position, as harassment complaints,
though acknowledged, often fail to
meet the threshold for significant regu-
latory intervention. Managers are left
to navigate intense professional and
personal stress without clear bound-
aries on what constitutes unacceptable
harassment.
The result is an unstable work envi-
ronment for managers and their support
teams. Without defined guidelines or
recourse for addressing unfounded
complaints, the line between a manag-
er’s professional duties and personal
well-being becomes increasingly
blurred. The burden of managing these
situations with limited support erodes
the ability of managers to perform their
roles to the highest standards, ultimately
impacting the entire condominium
community.

A Call for Action
The CMRAO was established to
oversee and support condo managers,
ensuring that high standards are main-
tained within the profession. However,
when it comes to issues like mental
health concerns or unaddressed behav-
ioural matters, the existing frameworks
fall short. Condo managers are asking:
what will the CMRAO do to address
these real and growing challenges?
How can they shield managers and
management companies from bearing
the weight of responsibilities that fall
outside the typical scope of property
management?
Without greater protection, manag-
ers will continue to carry a burden far
beyond their mandate, forced to balance
compliance with safeguarding the inter-
ests of the community while risking
their professional standing and mental
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