WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

New provincial regulations that came into effect on March 18 affect thousands of Quebec building owners, including those who own condos.

Here is a four-part look at what some of the new rules in the building chapter of the Safety Code — geared at improving maintenance — mean for owners of buildings that fall under the RBQ’s jurisdiction and the challenges of enforcing them.

1. INSPECTIONS:

Owners of buildings with five-storeys and higher will have to get an architect or engineer to inspect their façades for things such as rust stains or cracks once every five years. Inspections will have to be completed between 2015 and 2018, depending on the age of the building.

Owners of multi-level parking garages must get an inspection by an engineer once every five years. Inspections will have to be completed between 2014 and 2016, depending on the age of the building.

All inspections of garages and façades will have to be kept in registries.

2. GENERAL FIRE SAFETY RULES

What’s affected: large condo buildings, hotels, motels with at least 10 rooms and private seniors’ residences.

Owners must have working carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, along with a fire-detection system installed by March 2014

3. WATER COOLING TOWERS

Owners must follow a professionally designed maintenance program to be renewed every five years to curb the growth of the bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease. These maintenance programs would have to be kept in a registry.

4. MUNICIPALITIES ACROSS QUEBEC

The RBQ is urging municipalities across Quebec to apply certain requirements from the Security Code to their own buildings, including smaller commercial properties and single family homes.