{"id":12954,"date":"2017-07-10T01:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-07-10T05:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/?p=12954"},"modified":"2017-06-21T11:43:05","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T15:43:05","slug":"seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/","title":{"rendered":"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canada\u2019s population is growing older and the pace of demographic change \u2013 particularly in Ontario \u2013 is accelerating. In fact, new census numbers<\/a> show the province is now home to more people over 65 than children under 15.<\/p>\n

And while the proportion of seniors in most regions of the GTA is slightly lower than the Canadian average, older homeowners looking to cash in on the region\u2019s sizzling housing market may not be thinking far enough down the road \u2013 particularly if they\u2019re leaning towards downsizing into a downtown Toronto condo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Experts say it\u2019s important for downsizing seniors to think about the lifestyle they\u2019re buying, not just the condo\u2019s hip location. While many condo developments are marketed to mature and more affluent buyers, for instance, most are really available to anyone \u2013 even those with a stack of kids \u2013 who can pay the freight.<\/p>\n

The Search for Compatible Neighbours<\/h2>\n

If seniors truly want only same-age neighbours, they need to carefully explore the ins and outs of target-marketed projects. That\u2019s what Toronto retirees Bob and Roz Holden did recently<\/a>. For them, downsizing to a two-bedroom metro condo was the perfect solution: no maintenance, improved security, lock and leave travel \u2013 along with affable, like-minded neighbours.<\/p>\n

But, still healthy and only in their early 70s, this couple may not be fully representative of the coming age wave \u2013 seniors that don\u2019t need care now, but may in future. The growing number of seniors living alone in condos, often without any family or friends nearby, is already creating serious problems for condo boards, says Toronto lawyer Megan Mackey.<\/p>\n

Growing Legal Issues for Condo Boards<\/h2>\n

She expects to see\u00a0several legal issues arising from the influx of seniors into\u00a0condos that may be poorly equipped to meet their ongoing needs. “People with dementia are being moved into condos by their families and some families expect the condo corporation to keep an eye on them … but they shouldn’t;\u00a0that’s not the condo’s job,” she told the CBC <\/em>recently.<\/p>\n

Physical impairments and mental illnesses, including dementia, are considered disabilities under the Ontario Human Rights Code though, and condo corporations have a legal obligation to accommodate people with these disabilities. This might mean permitting modifications of individual units or extensive revamping of common elements as well.<\/p>\n

As a result, condo boards will need to develop policies and procedures for dealing with the aging owners. She suggests condo managers get next-of-kin information immediately when someone moves in, so if that person\u00a0starts having\u00a0issues as they age, the family can be easily reached to open a dialogue. But that doesn\u2019t address the issue of whether they should have moved there in the first place.<\/p>\n

Condo Life Is Not for Everybody<\/h2>\n

As thousands of these aging homeowners flock to vertical communities for the promise of carefree living, they\u2019re learning that life in a condo is far different from the suburban houses where so many of them have spent most of their lives.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s true that condo living usually means less maintenance, that act of sharing general household expenses with your neighbours comes with a hefty price and an extensive laundry list of rules governing what owners can and can\u2019t do with their property. That\u2019s something many older buyers may struggle with.<\/p>\n

In the ideal, downsizing to the right condo can introduce older homeowners to a community of compatible individuals who look out for each other. After all, active living, staying engaged and maintaining social connections is what keeps older people healthy.<\/p>\n

Loneliness Often an Issue<\/h2>\n

But will condo living actually satisfy these needs? It certainly can, but when it doesn\u2019t the consequences can be dire. A lack of social connection and support\u00a0is linked to a whole host of negative outcomes, including depression, poor health, and a lower quality of life.<\/p>\n

Realizing this, some downsizers are looking at more community-minded options. At Canopy Co-housing<\/a>, for instance, a group of like-minded Torontonians are pooling financial resources to design and build a complex similar to a low-rise condo. In addition to the individual dwellings, the development also includes a common space where aging-in-place residents gather and prepare regularly scheduled community meals in a communal kitchen.<\/p>\n

There are hundreds of such co-housing communities across Europe, but as yet only a handful in Canada<\/a> \u2013 one of which is Toronto\u2019s Bethel Green,<\/strong> a church-owned site on Millwood Road that includes a re-developed Bethel Baptist Church along with 19 self-contained \u201clife lease\u201d units designed for seniors.<\/p>\n

Life leases an emerging option<\/h2>\n

Under life lease<\/a> arrangements, residents pay a lump sum for the right to occupy their units for life rather than owning the unit itself. As with a condo, they pay maintenance fees and property taxes, but are not allowed to take out a mortgage on their units. Owners, or their heirs, are free though to sell the unit at market value to those who qualify.<\/p>\n

Unlike conventional condo boards, life lease boards are allowed to limit occupancy to people of a certain age and prevent units from being rented out \u2013 an important distinction for those seniors looking for a more familiar and homogeneous environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Canada\u2019s population is growing older and the pace of demographic change \u2013 particularly in Ontario \u2013 is accelerating. In fact, new census numbers show the province is now home to more people over 65 than children under 15. And while the proportion of seniors in most regions of the GTA is slightly lower than the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":12956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-condominiums","category-selling-your-home"],"yoast_head":"\nSeniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons | Zoocasa Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Seniors living in condos rather than retirement communities is a growing trend. But condo life doesn't always support the needs of some seniors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons | Zoocasa Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Seniors living in condos rather than retirement communities is a growing trend. But condo life doesn't always support the needs of some seniors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zoocasa Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoocasa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-07-10T05:00:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-06-21T15:43:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Seniors-Living-in-Condos.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"612\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gordon Powers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Zoocasa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zoocasa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gordon Powers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gordon Powers\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6ba1fcb3d8334b05a45eb8ef8d46d457\"},\"headline\":\"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-07-10T05:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-06-21T15:43:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/\"},\"wordCount\":867,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Condominiums\",\"Selling Your Home\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/\",\"name\":\"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons | Zoocasa Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-07-10T05:00:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-06-21T15:43:05+00:00\",\"description\":\"Seniors living in condos rather than retirement communities is a growing trend. But condo life doesn't always support the needs of some seniors.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Zoocasa Blog\",\"description\":\"Home Buying & Selling Tips, Real Estate Market Trends & News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Zoocasa\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zoocasa-square-logo-800x800px.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zoocasa-square-logo-800x800px.png\",\"width\":800,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Zoocasa\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoocasa\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Zoocasa\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6ba1fcb3d8334b05a45eb8ef8d46d457\",\"name\":\"Gordon Powers\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf00a1c03f68e313532b673d32b5c5d7e6aec04f85e471bc3d22bbc555528dec?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf00a1c03f68e313532b673d32b5c5d7e6aec04f85e471bc3d22bbc555528dec?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gordon Powers\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/author\/gordon-powers\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons | Zoocasa Life","description":"Seniors living in condos rather than retirement communities is a growing trend. But condo life doesn't always support the needs of some seniors.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons | Zoocasa Life","og_description":"Seniors living in condos rather than retirement communities is a growing trend. But condo life doesn't always support the needs of some seniors.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/","og_site_name":"Zoocasa Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoocasa","article_published_time":"2017-07-10T05:00:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2017-06-21T15:43:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":612,"height":344,"url":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Seniors-Living-in-Condos.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gordon Powers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Zoocasa","twitter_site":"@Zoocasa","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gordon Powers","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/"},"author":{"name":"Gordon Powers","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6ba1fcb3d8334b05a45eb8ef8d46d457"},"headline":"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons","datePublished":"2017-07-10T05:00:25+00:00","dateModified":"2017-06-21T15:43:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/"},"wordCount":867,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Condominiums","Selling Your Home"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/","name":"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons | Zoocasa Life","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-07-10T05:00:25+00:00","dateModified":"2017-06-21T15:43:05+00:00","description":"Seniors living in condos rather than retirement communities is a growing trend. But condo life doesn't always support the needs of some seniors.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/seniors-living-in-condos-pros-and-cons\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Seniors Living in Condos: The Pros and Cons"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/","name":"Zoocasa Blog","description":"Home Buying & Selling Tips, Real Estate Market Trends & News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Zoocasa","url":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zoocasa-square-logo-800x800px.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/zoocasa-square-logo-800x800px.png","width":800,"height":800,"caption":"Zoocasa"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoocasa","https:\/\/twitter.com\/Zoocasa"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6ba1fcb3d8334b05a45eb8ef8d46d457","name":"Gordon Powers","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf00a1c03f68e313532b673d32b5c5d7e6aec04f85e471bc3d22bbc555528dec?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bf00a1c03f68e313532b673d32b5c5d7e6aec04f85e471bc3d22bbc555528dec?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Gordon Powers"},"url":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/author\/gordon-powers\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoocasa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}