Water leaks in your suite can lead to costly damage. Toilets can leak slowly in a rarely used washroom. Your washing machine or dishwasher can unexpectedly release water. The pipes under your kitchen sink can erode over time and cause a leak. Suddenly you have an urgent problem. 

Water leaks are particularly troublesome in a condominium because water will always flow downward potentially damaging lower suites too. You will be responsible for this damage so be sure your insurance policy reflects this added liability for any expenses incurred.

Wise condominium owners can do a few things to avoid costly water damage. Every adult should be familiar with the shut-off valves throughout the suite (under sinks, beside washing machines, under toilets) and know how to turn them off in an emergency.  Check each to see if they work properly so that in the off position there is no more water flow. These valves can become faulty over time and should be repaired by a plumber in case you need to turn off the water.

Consider investing in some water leak alarms. These are small devices that you can place out of sight behind toilets, near washing machines or under sinks. They detect water and give an alarm. There are smart water detector alarms that send a notification to your smart phone app, even when you are away from home.

In the modern world we are unfortunately plagued by deceptive phone calls and emails intending to defraud. Often they seem hilariously inept, but the statistics about reported scams tell us that  vast amounts of money are stolen this way, so they obviously catch many of us off-guard. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:

• If you receive a suspicious phone call claiming to be from a family member in an emergency situation, hang up the phone and contact them directly on the number you have in your telephone list. Likewise unexpected phone calls, texts or emails from your bank or credit card. If you are worried, disconnect and follow up by contacting your bank directly.
• If the caller claims to be a law enforcement official and asks you to pay a fine or bail, hang up and call your police directly. The police or other officials will never request payment by cash, credit card, gift card or Bitcoin. This is always a scam.
• Be careful what you post online. Scammers can use details shared on social media platforms and dating sites for targeting purposes. They can easily gather names and details about your loved ones.
• Be careful with caller ID numbers that look familiar. Scammers use technology to disguise (spoof) the actual number they are calling from and make it appear as a trusted phone number.
• If you receive a strange email from a friend or family member it just takes a moment to run your cursor over the sender’s email address above the message and click.  If you do not recognize it, do not reply or click on any links in the message. Just delete. (Your email application may have a button near the delete button to report it as spam. Use it.)
• Listen to your inner voice that tells you that something does not sound right.

Want to know more about this topic? The Government of Canada has a website dedicated to informing the public – Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.