If You Build It, They Will Come: Amenities, Expectations, and the Reality of Condo Living

Condominium developers know that amenities sell units. A rooftop terrace, a fitness centre, a party room, a dog wash station — these features appear in marketing materials and influence purchase decisions.

What the marketing doesn't always cover is what happens after the building is occupied.

The Amenity Gap

Amenities cost money to maintain. They require insurance, cleaning, repairs, and in some cases, staffing. These costs are borne by the corporation — which means they're borne by owners through their condo fees.

When a building is new, these costs are often underestimated in the initial budget. As the building ages and amenities require more maintenance, the gap between what owners expected to pay and what they actually pay can widen.

The Usage Problem

Amenities that are heavily used generate more wear and more complaints. Amenities that are rarely used still cost money to maintain.

A fitness centre that nobody uses still needs to be insured, cleaned, and eventually have its equipment replaced. A party room that's booked every weekend generates noise complaints, damage claims, and administrative work.

Neither scenario is free.

What Boards Should Do

Understand your amenity costs. Know what each amenity costs to operate and maintain annually. This information should be in your budget and your reserve fund study.

Set clear rules for amenity use. Rules about booking, capacity, hours, and behaviour protect the amenities and the community. Enforce them consistently.

Evaluate underused amenities. If an amenity is rarely used and costs significant money to maintain, it's worth asking whether it's serving the community. Some corporations have converted underused amenities to other purposes — additional storage, a workspace, a community garden.

Communicate costs to owners. Owners who understand what their amenities cost are better positioned to make informed decisions about them.

The Realistic Expectation

Amenities are a feature of condominium living, not a free benefit. They come with costs, rules, and responsibilities. Communities that understand this — and that manage their amenities thoughtfully — get more value from them.

The ones that don't often find that the amenity that sold the unit becomes a source of ongoing conflict.