Author: Woodsworth Housing Co-op

Moving out: leaving Woodsworth

Each member must give advance written notice of termination to the co-op when they will be moving out. The details of termination date and required notice are in the Occupancy Bylaw, Article 10.2. For most months, you must give at least 60 days notice starting from the first of the month. February and March have slightly different notice periods.

If part of a household moves out, the member who is leaving must notify Management in writing. If it is a long-term guest who is leaving, the members who continue to live in the unit must notify the co-op within ten days. They must do this whether or not that person gave notice.  While this is true of all households, those receiving housing charge subsidy are also required to do this based on the Housing Charge Subsidy Bylaw, Article 4.4 as well as the Occupancy Bylaw.

A person’s membership and occupancy rights end on the first day that person no longer occupies the unit as a principal residence.

See the Occupancy Bylaw, Section 10. How Members Withdraw from the Co-op.

The Move-Out Bylaw talks about the Co-op’s expectations about the move-out condition of  units. It is available in the Bylaw binder in the Photocopy Room and on the co-op website.

How a long-term guest becomes a member

How a long-term guest becomes a member:

Members can propose their long-term guest for membership in Woodsworth.  There is no waiting period after becoming a long-term guest before they start the application process.

Applicants  must be at least sixteen years old to become a member.

There is no requirement for long-term guests to become members.

Members should be aware that after the applicant becomes a member, they share the rights and responsibilities for the unit. They also gain the right to live in a unit in Woodsworth, to use the common facilities of Woodsworth, and to be involved in the governance of Woodsworth, including voting at members’ meetings.

Do you qualify for the Turning Sixteen process?

Those who live with parents or guardians in Woodsworth between the ages of 16 and 19 can apply for membership using the Turning 16 process.

Those who missed the Turning Sixteen window of ages 16-19 but lived at Woodsworth before they were sixteen years old can apply as long-term guests, but they will not need a signed long-term guest agreement. The regular process is followed apart from that.

The membership process for long-term guests:

The Membership Committee holds an internal information session annually. Watch the Weekly for an announcement. This session is a compulsory part of the process to becoming a member.

In order to apply for membership,
– there must be a long-term guest agreement (LTG agreement) properly signed and witnessed in the Management files and
– Woodsworth must be the long-term guest’s principal residence. The applicant must show two pieces of proof of their address to attend the session.

If these two requirements are not in place, the person cannot attend the required information session.

At the information session, the long-term guests will receive an application form which must be completed and returned to Management within three months. All members of the household must sign the application form since they are agreeing to share rights to the unit.

Once the completed application form is received, Management will do a credit check on applicants and income verification.

Two members of the Membership Committee will interview the applicant and the Committee will make a recommendation on membership to the Board of Directors.

At a Board meeting, the Directors will make a motion to approve membership, request more information as needed, or deny membership.

Management will notify the applicant and members of the Board decision. The members can appeal adverse decisions to the Board.

After approval as a member, sign the Occupancy Agreement!

Once approved, the new member must sign the household’s Occupancy Agreement. This completes the process of becoming a member. Signing the Occupancy Agreement is necessary for all members –  the Turning 16s, the long-term guests, returning members (former members), external members. See Management to do this because a staff member must witness your signatures. Keep a copy of the agreement. It is an important document since it gives you rights.

The new member shares equal rights and responsibilities for the unit with the existing members, with no priority for any member in the household and the new member is eligible to participate in democratic decision-making by voting at members’ meetings or joining or being elected to the Board or committees.

Special rules:

A resident who has become a member by living with existing member(s) must wait two (2) years from the date of becoming a member to take sole responsibility for that unit or to apply to relocate independently of that member.

They cannot join the internal waiting list until the required waiting period of two years has elapsed. Any period of time before Board approval as a member is not included in the two years. However, they may be eligible to move with the rest of the household.

There are two exceptions: Those on the waiting list prior to approval of Bylaw 84 on Sept 26, 2023 must wait 1 year only (based on the old bylaw). See also: Occupancy Bylaw, Article 10.4 Death of a member.

For information on membership and the process, contact the Membership Committee.

Bylaws:

The Occupancy Bylaw covers the rules about long-term guests. The Membership Bylaw covers the rules about long-term guests becoming members.

The Membership Bylaw covers becoming a member as a long-term guest and membership for sixteen to nineteen year olds (Turning Sixteens). This is a less formal process geared to teens. The bylaw also covers unit allocation and waiting lists.

Periodically, the co-op will invite people to apply as external members. That process is in the Membership Bylaw as well.

Woodsworth’s confidentiality rules are in the Organizational Bylaw.

Who is responsible for what?

The Board is responsible for approving of long-term guests and approving membership.

The Membership Committee is responsible for holding information sessions, interviewing and making recommendations to the Board about applicants. The committee does not deal with getting long-term guest status.  Email address:  woodsworthmembership@gmail.com

Management oversees applications for the long-term guest process, including receiving requests and getting long-term guest agreements signed, tasks related to membership such as credit checks, tracking Board decisions and approval about status (long-term guest and member) and for occupancy agreements.

Management is also responsible for unit allocations, based on the Membership Bylaw.

If you want information on becoming a long-term guest, see How guests get long-term guest (LTG) status

 

How guests get long-term guest (LTG) status

Everyone living in the Co-op must have a relationship (status) with the Co-op. Members and long-term guests (LTGs) all have a legal agreement with the Co-op. Members sign an Occupancy Agreement, and LTGs sign a Long-term Guest Agreement. These clarify individuals’ expectations about their role, responsibility and rights in the Co-op. This also allows the Co-op to deal with any problems that might arise from that household.

Casual guests have no status and are not considered part of a household. A casual guest may not stay at the co-op for more than three months in any year.

Teens who live in Woodsworth before they are sixteen years old do not have to apply for long-term guest status. When they turn 16, they automatically become long-term guests. No long-term guest agreement is necessary if they live with a parent or guardian. They are encouraged to apply for membership. There is a special procedure for those Turning 16 (ages 16-19).

What is a Long-term guest (LTG)?

A non-member who is approved by the Board of Directors to live as a part of a member’s household.  An LTG is not a member and has no member rights or privileges. The Occupancy Bylaw has the rules about the long-term guest process and rights. The long-term guest agreement is an attachment to the bylaw. Long-term guests may apply for membership as an internal applicant but there are time restrictions in place for relocating to their own unit.

Becoming a Long-term guest:

The Board of Directors is responsible for approving long-term guests and Management helps with the procedures and updating files. The Membership Committee has no role in approving long-term guests.

Woodsworth members can make a written request to the board of directors to approve someone as a long-term guest. Use the application form for long-term guest that is available online or in the Photocopy Room.

The request must be signed by all co-op members in the household. The proposed guest must also sign the request.

Once completed, if this is given or emailed to Management, the Manager can ensure it is on an upcoming Board agenda. The Board agenda is done by the Board and the manager. Keep a copy of your request.

Application form: Request for long-term guest status

Approval by directors of long-term guest status:

The board may choose to approve a long-term guest for a fixed period or for a maximum period or for an indefinite period. This must be stated in the board’s approval motion. If approval is for a fixed or maximum period, the person will no longer be a long-term guest at the end of the period. The board of directors can cancel long-term guest status or change the terms of long-term guest status at any time.

Sign a long-term guest agreement:

For long-term guest status to be in effect, all members in the household and their guests must sign and comply with a long-term guest agreement.

The agreement is signed only after approval by the Board and witnessed by Management.(Long-term guests do not sign the Occupancy Agreement.)

Talk to Management after Board approval about going to the Office to sign your agreement. A staff member will witness your signatures. Keep a copy of the agreement. This agreement will be necessary if the LTG wishes to become a member in the future. There is no waiting period for applying for membership, but the required information sessions are held just once a year.

Impact of long-term guest status:

Long-term guests have no right to occupy the unit independent of the members, no right to occupy any other unit in the co-op, and no right to a place on the co-op’s internal waiting list. Long-term guests also have no voting rights.

The member is still responsible to the co-op for all housing charges and all the member’s obligations to the co-op. The long-term guest cannot pay anything to the member, such as key money, and the only payment permitted is a fair share of the housing charges. Any other payment is against the law.

However long-term guests (LTGs) are considered occupants with co-op status when the member(s) apply for a larger unit, thereby helping to meet the Occupancy Bylaw’s occupancy standards. The co-op agrees that the long-term guest can live in the member’s unit and the guest is entitled to written notice if they are asked to leave.  The long-term guest must immediately leave the unit when the member’s occupancy rights end.

Members who receive rent subsidy (RGI) should know that the LTGs income may be used in the calculations. Talk to Management.

Membership:

Members may propose membership for long-term guests. The applicant must have a signed long-term guest agreement on file with Management.

Help and information:

For information on Long-Term Guest status, contact Management.

The Occupancy Bylaw covers the basic rules about becoming a long-term guest and their rights.

For information about membership for long-term guests, see How a long-term guest becomes a member

Woodsworth’s On-Call System: How it works

From the Weekly, January 21, 2024 by a member.

On-call: 1 (877) 858-1110 ext. 4 after 5pm on weekdays, plus weekends & holidays

The purpose of On-call is to provide emergency service outside of regular Office hours. I’m writing this because there seem to be many misconceptions about how the current system works and the role it plays. I have a unique perspective because I was on the Board that made changes, and because I now get to see how the system works.

What is On-call’s role:

Primary tasks:
– Answer calls from members during weekends, holidays and after 5pm on regular weekdays.
– Arrange for contractors to come, in case of a maintenance emergency during off hours.
– Nightly 11pm inspection of the co-op to ensure it is secure (common area doors/ gates/windows closed and locked, lights turned off, etc.)
– Assist members locked out of their units
– Provide access to co-op property for maintenance contractors
– Provide access of co-op property for emergency responders
– Liaise with the manager and the Board of Directors

Other tasks include:
– Filling out work orders for any deficiency identified during the nightly 11pm inspection, such as a broken gate lock.
– Filling out work orders for members who are unable to do so themselves.
– Inspecting the Penthouse Party Room after bookings
– Putting the elevator In Service for move-in and move-outs

NOT On-call’s role:

– On-call members are not security guards and if there is a crime in progress, members must call 911.
– On-call members have no medical training and if anyone is experiencing a medical emergency, they should call 911.
– On-call does not turn off the midrise fire alarm, only the fire department can do so.
– The on-site on-call team does not oversee or “manage” the work of contractors during emergency maintenance repairs.
– Members should not call the on-call number if their TV breaks down or if there’s a problem with their cable — in that situation contact Rogers.
– On-call does not schedule repairs for air conditioners, or any other appliances that are outside of co-op responsibility.

What happens when there’s a fire alarm in the midrise:

– When the alarm goes off in the midrise, it automatically triggers the fire panel which alerts our monitoring company, which in turn contacts the Fire Department.
– The monitoring company will also notify co-op management, including On-call.
– Legally, only the Fire Department is able to deal with a fire alarm, and only they can turn it off, even if it’s a false alarm.
– On-call’s role is to provide access to the Fire Safety Box in the outer lobby: if the Fire Department arrives before On-call, they will break the lock.
– After the Fire Department leaves, On-call confirms that the fire panel has been reset, and sets the maglocks (all the common-area doors which lock) to “secure.”

What happens when a member calls the On-call number:

– Calls from residents go to an answering service which does INTAKE.
– “Intake” means the person takes the call and inputs all the necessary information into a system. This generates a report which is then immediately forwarded to the co-op manager, Homestarts head office and the on-site On-call team, via email and phone call.
– Every single call generates a report.
– Some calls only require the answering service to take action: for example when there is a plumbing problem in a single unit, the answering service contacts the plumber and schedules the repairs. Examples of maintenance emergencies which require urgent repairs: power outage, boiler/water tank not working, furnace not working, no water, plumbing problems, flood, broken/damaged door lock.
– For other types of calls, the on-site On-call person will be required to take action, for example when there is a unit lock-out, or for putting the elevator in service.
– Calls for complex issues will see everyone play a role, such as when the water shut-down on Frederick and Albert Franck a few weeks ago.

What is new in the on-call system:

In most ways, the new on-call system is like the old system. Members continue to call On-call in case of maintenance emergencies and lockouts (unsurprisingly, most calls are for plumbing problems and unit lockouts). Residents of Woodsworth are still paid per shift to be part of the On-call team, and their tasks are essentially the same.

However, there are some differences & improvements:

– Residents must now apply to be on the team, and the application process includes a police check.
– There is a new On-call number and an answering service takes the calls.
– The new intake system allows for better tracking and cooperation between all parties.
– The panel which holds all the unit keys (in case of lock-out) is now fobbed and there is an electronic record when accessed.
– The on-call team is now required to fill out work orders, the result of a review conducted a couple of years ago, which streamlined maintenance repair procedures (Work Order System).
– There is now more coordination between management and On-call, crucial as our property ages and emergency repairs occur more frequently.
– Major security breaches, and health and safety incidents are now reported immediately to management and the Board of Directors.

Why an answering service?

On-call started to use an answering service because when management of the system changed hands, no one from the old on-call committee applied for the new positions. This meant there was no one on-site to perform any of the on-call duties. Restructuring the system became necessary, with tasks split into off-site and on-site. Now, call intake is done by an off-site answering service, and on-site duties are performed by Woodsworth members, with the co-op manager overseeing both.

There have been some issues during the transition period but problems are addressed as they occur. The system is now working quite well, though I’m sure more improvements will be needed. We’re lucky to have On-call.