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Newletters and Privacy
Are newsletters considered private to a condominium?
Topic starter Posted : 15/10/2021 2:13 pm
Our condominium is looking at newsletters as one method of communicating with our community. Some of our community members have friends and family members in other condos willing to share examples of newsletters with us to get us started.
Is there anything in a condominium newsletter that could be considered private to that condominium?
Thanks!
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2 Replies
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Posted : 06/11/2021 7:55 am
GibsonT
Sorry for the delay in responding. Computer/User issues with the FORUM recently.
I have a few samples of newsletters we have seen from others.
I strongly advise newsletters be used as, in the absence of information, the rumour mill will take over. There will always be a rumour mill, but they are rarely well‑informed. Some of the mis‑interpretations I have experienced were unbelievable.
When you put something in writing, you must assume that you will not be able to control it so respecting PIPA (Privacy and Personal Information Act of Alberta) is essential.
Some pro‑active boards in large condos issue newsletters monthly.
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@MarkH
About 19 years ago I became the President of our condominium corporation, while the re‑developer was still active on site in another part of the development. There were acute issues that needed to be dealt with and information needed to be disseminated quickly and accurately.
I initiated a simple monthly newsletter which usually ran to four letter‑size pages of 10‑point print. The newsletter included access information to the Board (we did not have a good management company for many of the preceding years) and dealt with many issues the corporation faced. I summarised the decisions of the board meetings, which often included difficult financial decisions dealing with matters not done properly by the re‑developer. We also needed to clarify what the owners were responsible for. Many of the owners were new to condominium living, as was I.
We now have a glossy, coloured, quarterly newsletter which conveys basic information about what was done in the last quarter, what’s coming up and contact information. The newsletters are left at unit entrances (we are an apartment complex so front doors are inside reasonably secure buildings). I don’t know if such matters are sent to absentee landlords.
Urgent matters are posted in the elevators and mailrooms; issues like recent break‑ins and new security arrangements are dealt with by management letters taped to unit doors.
I would like to see a monthly newsletter published on‑line (email and website) and in print, about a page, sent to absentee owners as well as residents.
The newsletter should be attractive and considered a public document. It should be made available to potential purchasers and tenants so they have an idea as to what they may be moving to. It should NOT contain any specific unit or personal information, for privacy reasons.
