This by-law addresses the question that when it comes to insurwho pays for the insurance deductible and complements the declaration in this respect. In other words, it addresses the question of who is responsible for what. For instance, it clarifies

• Which damage to a suite or common elements is covered in the corporation's insurance: Damage caused by fire, smoke, flooding, water seepage from the common elements into a suite, from one suite to the common elements and from one suite into another;
• Who is responsible when such damage is the result of an act of omission or commission (voluntary or involuntary) by an owner, a resident, a guest of any resident, or someone who works for a resident.

Example:

A resident is alone cooking and falls asleep; the pot burns, a roll of paper towels catches fire, the smoke alarm goes off but, by the time he wakes up, his suite is damaged by smoke and so is the corridor next to his suite. The damage to the corridor is assessed at $2,000 while the condo's insurance deductible is $2,500.

Who pays? Depending on the declaration and the by-law, the owner may pay the $2,000 for the corridor. If the owner does not pay, this sum becomes part of the common element arrears and a lien can be registered against his suite. If it is a tenant who is responsible, the owner may still have to pay and recoup the money from the tenant.

The Standard Unit By-Law describes in detail what in each suite is "standard," that is, what is not an upgrade (or an improvement). Standard means what was specified and sold by the builder as part of the regular sales package.

What is an upgrade? It is, for instance, a higher-quality carpet than what was offered by the builder or that an owner later installed while renovating her suite. In some developments, marble floors and hardwood floors are standard but, in others, they are upgrades and owners incur additional costs to have them installed. Cabinets that are specifically designed for an owner constitute an upgrade. Ceiling lights in bedrooms and living areas may be upgrades. An additional shower enclosure is another example as are higher-grade paints and wallpapers.

Therefore, this by-law describes the standard type of carpeting, tile, or marble, tub, countertop material, cabinetry and faucets/taps that came with the unit or would have come with the unit if upgrades had not been paid beyond the price of the regular or standard features.

This by-law provides the condominium corporation with a set of procedures to follow should a dispute arise between two owners or between an owner and the condo. This by-law addresses how a mediator is chosen, who can be a mediator, timelines, documents to be presented, fees, and what defines a failure of mediation. Simliar clauses are written for the process of arbitration.

This by-law describes the detail operations of the corporation, including:

• year end date
• how records are maintained
• duties of the corporation
• powers of the corporation
• how notices are delivered
• make up of the board of directors
• the duties of each officer
• how the owners meet
• assessment and collection of common expenses