A Note About Online Reviews
Property Management Guild has proudly served condominium corporations for over 40 years. During that time, we have learned an important truth about our industry: property management is often the public face of decisions that are not actually ours to make.
Many negative online reviews stem from situations where an owner or resident has been told "no." That "no" may relate to renovations, pets, parking, noise, short-term rentals, alterations to common elements, or other requests that conflict with the Condominium Act, the corporation's Declaration, By-laws, Rules, or the direction provided by the elected Board of Directors.
A professional property manager does not create these governing documents, nor do we have the authority to ignore them. Our responsibility is to administer them consistently and fairly on behalf of every owner in the community.
Another common criticism is that "the management company keeps raising our condo fees." The reality is quite different.
Condominium fees are established by the Board of Directors based on the corporation's operating budget, anticipated expenses, and recommendations from professionals such as engineers, reserve fund specialists, auditors, and contractors. Property Management Guild prepares information and provides professional guidance, but the Board makes the decisions. Our role is to collect common expenses, safeguard the corporation's funds, pay its obligations, and ensure the property remains financially healthy for all owners.
Like every industry, the costs of utilities, insurance, labour, building materials, and maintenance continue to rise. Reserve Fund Studies are specifically designed to ensure that major repairs and replacements can be completed when required without placing unnecessary financial strain on owners in the future.
We fully understand that these decisions can be emotional. A condominium is often a person's largest financial investment, and disagreements naturally arise. We also recognize that not every experience with our company will be perfect, and when we make a mistake, we work to correct it.
However, we also know that many online reviews are written in moments of frustration by individuals who misunderstand how condominiums are governed or who disagree with rules that are intended to protect the community. Unfortunately, there is no review page for a corporation's governing documents or its elected Board of Directors, so the management company often becomes the target.
Most condominium owners have encountered the neighbour who disregards noise rules, parks where they shouldn't, modify common elements without approval, or believe the rules should not apply to them. When those actions are addressed, it is often the property manager that delivers the message, not creating the rule.
What prospective clients rarely see are the thousands of positive interactions that happen every year. They don't see the emergencies resolved after hours, the financial stewardship, the countless contractor meetings, the preventative maintenance, the difficult conversations handled professionally, or the appreciation expressed privately by Boards and residents.
In our office, we maintain a "Thank You Board" filled with cards, letters, and emails from Boards of Directors and residents who have taken the time to recognize the efforts of our managers and administrative staff. Those messages are rarely posted online, but they represent the relationships we value most.
For the past eight years (since 2017) since I have been tracking, Property Management Guild has consistently had increased annual growth. That growth has not come from advertising campaigns. It has come through referrals from satisfied Boards of Directors, engaged residents, trusted vendors, engineers, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals who work alongside us every day.
We encourage anyone considering Property Management Guild to look beyond anonymous online comments. Speak with the Boards we represent. Ask our professional partners about our reputation. Evaluate our experience, our financial practices, our communication, and our commitment to serving condominium communities with professionalism and integrity.
Our reputation has been built over more than four decades; not by online ratings, but by consistently doing what is in the best interests of the communities we are entrusted to manage.
We are proud to be a Canadian owned and operated company
