My condominium’s board of directors recently enacted several changes to building policies that will affect how concierges perform their duties.
These changes, intent aside, will all be a detriment to the residents, and decrease their standard of living.
Where is the balance between looking out for the condominium corporation and reducing liability, and helping the residents who own that corporation?
If you were to search “concierge” in the search field at the top of this blog, I’m sure there would be 100+ results.
I’ve written about concierges time and time again; often describing the goings-on in my very own condo here on George Street as an example.
I’ve asked aloud, sometimes rhetorically, and sometimes seeking answers, whether a concierge in a condominium should be primarily concerned with protecting the condominium corporation, or assisting the residents. I believe that these two items cannot go hand-in-hand, and in fact, the concierge must do one or the other.
During the power outage over Christmas, I went downstairs to leave a key at concierge for my wife’s cousin, who was without power, and to whom we offered our condo for an evening, since we would be staying up at my father’s place over Christmas. I put the key in the envelope, but our cousin’s name on it, and handed it to the concierge.
The concierge said, “I’ll take this key, now, but just to let you know – starting on January 10th, we will no longer accept keys.”
Now let me interject here about the concierges in my building…
We have about five or six different concierges, and there is ONE in the lot who is…….how do I say…..not exactly a great guy.
He’s not mean, and I wouldn’t say he’s “rude,” but he is snarky, and often condescending.
I find him to be deliberately unhelpful, and I feel like he would rather enforce a rule, and take pride in doing so, than help a resident of the building.
Quite often, concierges are people who didn’t get into police academy, or couldn’t get a full-time job as a bank guard, etc. Work your way down the ladder, and you may end up “guarding” a front desk. But other concierges are here to HELP, and they like people, they like interacting with others, and they truly enjoy meeting and greeting 100 people in a day.
The concierge I’m talking about in my building (and to all the residents reading this – I guarantee you know the one…) was never going to be a cop or a bank guard, so he’s not the “security” type. He is, for lack of a better explanation, just a dick. He talks down to the residents like we’re children, and he seems to feel like he occupies the moral high ground.
So when I handed him the key and said, “Thankfully, it’s not January 10th, yet, and my cousin can come pick this up tonight so he can sleep in a warm bed,” I figured I’d add, “And they instituted this rule in my old condo a few years back, so any time we wanted to leave a key, we would just put it in a box instead of an envelope.”
True story. The concierges at 230 King Street would ask, “Is this a key?” And if you said “no,” no matter how obvious it was that this in fact was a key, they would accept the package.
But Mr. Condescending at 112 George Street replied, “Well, if we suspect that there is a key in the package, no matter what shape the package takes, we are hereby authorized to refuse the package.”
So I decided to delve a bit further…
“What if I bring a refridgerator box, stuffed with foam, that happens to have a key inside? What then?”
“Well,” he replied, “If we’re able to jiggle the package and determine that there is a key inside, then we will refuse the package.”
And he said all this with a smile.
What a dick.
He takes such pride in being a dick. Either that, or he’s a robot, with skin…
Amazingly, he added, “This conversation is moot, however, since also staring on January 10th, you won’t be able to leave anything at the front desk for non-residents of the building.”
I just about lost my mind.
What the HELL is the point of a concierge? To open the door?
Oh, wait. They’re actually not going to do that anymore either. Seriously. We’ll get to that…
Let’s go through three changes that my building has recently made, and you tell me if you think I’m overreacting.
1) No Longer Accepting Keys
We covered this above, but let me put the shoe on the other foot for a moment.
Is it in the condominium corporation’s best interest to no longer accept keys?
Does it cost them less in insurance?
Would it help avoid any potential issues down the line, when an unauthorized non-resident ends up with a key to a resident’s unit?
Think of a situation where a dog-walker, who regularly comes and uses a key with his or her name on it, is fired by the resident, and that dog-walker comes back and gets the key the next day. This dog-walker could enter the residents’ unit, and rob them, or whatever else the scaredy-cats of the world might suggest.
A resident leaving a key at concierge for a non-resident puts the responsibility of that key on the concierge, and on the condominium corporation. So, yes, I see why a building might want to cease to accept keys.
But I still think a concierge’s primary role is to help residents…
2) No Longer Accepting Packages For Non-Residents
This is ridiculous.
A concierge is supposed to be helpful.
So what’s wrong with me leaving an envelope at the front desk for somebody to pick up?
I LIVE there. I PAY to live there. I spend MONEY on maintenance fees that pay the concierge’s salary. If the concierge is just there to put a face at a desk, then let’s get one of these instead:
This would save us all a LOT of money, lower our maintenance fees, and essentially provide the same service as that which is intended with many of the recent changes.
Personally, the reason I choose to live in a building with not one, but TWO full-time concierges, is because I expect that they will assist me in my day-to-day activities, and help my standard of living. Otherwise, I’d live in a building like 330 Adelaide Street where there is no concierge, and where maintenance fees are incredibly low.
So is it unreasonable to expect that I can leave something at concierge for a non-resident to pick up?
I have a lot of clients who live in this area, and from time to time, I’ll leave documents in a sealed envelope at concierge that they need to pick up, or open and sign, to return to me. I really, truly, don’t see anything wrong with this.
Again, to put the shoe on the other foot, I see that the condominium corporation wants to limit liability, and avoid any and all issues.
But if that’s the case, then just do away with the concierge altogether, and pad the hallways with rubber so we never hurt ourselves in the process of walking…
3) No Longer Opening The Door For Residents
I never asked for the door to be opened for me; it just sort of happened.
When I moved into the building two years ago, I used to come into the lobby, wave my FOB, and enter the front door.
Somewhere along the line, the concierges, who saw me 2-3 times each and ever day, started buzzing me in. And I don’t mean when I was carrying packages up to my eyeballs, and struggling to get my keys – I mean each and every time I came into the lobby, the concierges would buzz me inside before I reached for my FOB.
This was very nice, very helpful, and it made the building feel like “home.”
Well, the concierges have been instructed to no longer buzz residents into the building, as I was told today, by a brand-new concierge who asked me, “Do you live here?”
So I guess we’re starting all over, eh?
I understand from the board of directors’ perspective that we can’t “selectively” open the door. If a concierge knows a resident, and sees them all the time, you still can’t buzz them inside, because the resident that they don’t know, or are unsure of, might feel that favour is being given.
But again, I see no issue with Tom, Ryan, or Mehmet, who I see every day, buzzing me into the building, whether my hands are full, or not.
This rule seems to be put in place strictly to show that “something is being done” about the fact that somebody came into the building and broke into lockers in P2. Maybe this person was buzzed in by a concierge, or maybe this person followed in a resident – feigning that he or she lived here. Either way, this new rule is just lip-service, and it’s silly to think that after two years of seeing my face every day, the concierges that know me are being told NOT to buzz me inside.
–
Maybe I’m wrong here, so feel free to disagree if you want.
I’ve served on condo boards before, and I know what it’s like to make rules that protect both residents and the condominium corporation.
But I still think the primary goal of any concierge should be to help the residents, and I refuse to accept that these people are “security” first and foremost.
It seems to me that my building has chosen to limit any and all liability for the condominium corporation, regardless of how it impacts the residents.
Do I have to move to some fancy-schmancy place like Festival Tower to get the basic services I require?
Only time will tell…
Floom
at 9:46 am
David, you raise excellent points. The challenge is, of course, that most buildings contract security firms vs. hiring full-time concierges. That said – in my experience, with several very well-managed buildings – the security firm’s employees can be extremely helpful, when given the tools. As has been discussed before, condo boards are often populated by intrusive, busy-bodies who have little else to do but make uninformed decisions which impact residents’ lives – I would say that owners should be allowed to vote on issues like concierges accepting keys. Send out a pro/con list “Pro: very convenient if you have cleaners, contractors, friends/relatives visiting…Con: Increased risk of keys going missing or getting into the wrong hands – you decide, majority rules.” – Done. Or, how about this: if you personally object, don’t use the service. If concierges become more and more unhelpful as you describe, you may as well get rid of them and save a tremendous amount on your condo fee.
ScottyP
at 2:14 pm
Sounds to me like your concierges have been rendered essentially useless.
Time to join the board, David!
Maestra
at 2:17 pm
David, what exactly is the job description of the modern day concierge? It would seem to me that if it is for security, and still there was a problem with lockers on P2 in your building, then put in cameras and be done with it. Save the condo some dough. What rules can the concierge enforce? If there are 5-6 rotating concierges, they cannot know every owner/tenant. Some would argue even a disengaged security guard is a disincentive to possible evildoers… casual troublemakers or the homeless will not bother entering a building if they can see a security guard there. On the other hand, any serious criminal who is very determined to get into the building will probably do so one way or another, regardless of who is on staff. It is not a prison. The majority of buildings downtown do not have any security beyond a numbered speaker panel.
Penguin
at 9:41 pm
Remember your post about Airbnb?
That’s why the no keys policy is great. At least make it a little difficult for the guys doing it.
David Fleming
at 10:32 pm
@ Penguin
Theoretically, not accepting keys at concierge would help cut down on Airbnb rentals.
But in practice, if somebody wants to get a key into the hands of a one-night-renter, they’ll find a way. A lockbox on a pole is only modestly less easy to access than a key at concierge. I’ve witnessed European tourists with map in hand, looking for the exact location of a lockbox on a railing, a pole, etc.
AndrewB
at 12:15 am
When I used AirBnB one time for new years, I actually met the guy and got his key from him. There was exchange of words beforehand and the guy wanted to know a little about my partner and I before just accepting our money and giving the key. Regardless of one’s opinions on AirBnB, not everyone is going to be a raging hooligan in the hallways, etc. There are respectable people on there looking for decent priced accommodations that aren’t in a hotel. We have to balance people’s autonomy over their own units and maintaining a sense of respect for the community in the building.
Blah
at 3:07 am
But with Airbnb, the money is already in his hands since it is all paid upfront online. So technically when you met him to get the key, even if you ended up crazy and scaring him off, he would not be fulfilling his side of the deal after payment.
Mike
at 4:22 pm
These easiest way to cut down on airbnb rentals is to have someone maybe you check airbnb and flipkey once a month or so and report people with postings on there. Put management and the board of directors on notice that if they allow these rentals to occur they are contravening the condo declaration/rules. The best thing about Airbnb is that the landlord puts his/her name and picture on there and pics of the condo. It makes it so easy to figure out which unit it is and sent a notice saying its not permitted and any further rental will result in legal letters being sent out and the charges attached to their unit.
AndrewB
at 12:11 am
Except that allowing or not allowing short term rentals depends on the particular condo’s rules if I remember correctly. So it’s not as simple and furthermore, seems like a bit intrusive on owners choosing what they want to do with their units.
Jeremy
at 10:20 am
From a security perspective not buzzing people in makes a bit of sense, but it is definitely a nice bonus when the guard knows who you are. I *LOVE* the fact that concierges can accept packages. I would have strong objections if they were to stop doing this in our building. Where there level of service begins and ends can vary by building I guess.
If they are *only* there for security then why not replace them with some security cameras that are monitored off-site and save all the residents some money.
Meh
at 9:07 am
Accepting parcels now is the downfall of concierges since, in large condo especially, that can be a few hundred parcels a day with the boom of delivery services. You think condos are going to hire more concierges or hoist that metrically extra work onto the minimum waging current concierge there? It’s been 8 years, we know the answer.
Gozde
at 2:33 pm
This blog post is bang on! It voices every single frustration of mine and more. When I brought up the issue that I should be buzzed in after the concierge well established the fact that I am a resident, I was told it is not their job to buzz me in. I get that. But is “resident recognition” not a part of their job description either? There is a sociability issue here. How am I supposed to trust that this person can actually help me out and communicate with me/socialize in the event of an emergency, when he acts like he doesn’t even know me/acts like a dick though he sees me 3-4 times a day coming in and out of the building + well knows I am a resident of the building? It is a behavioural part of their job description that cannot really be written out — and I think that creates the grey area.
Dan
at 12:41 pm
David, how much is the property management company charging per year in your fiscal budget for the 24-hour concierge? (total expense for concierge services)
A Master Concierge
at 7:18 am
As a master concierge for condos and any resedential arrangements I can say that I’ve always handled parcels, keys and opened the doors for residents I know. This is a great article and your assessment is fair! I manage my own time as well as supervise a team of concierges. I think educating residence on what they need to be responsible for is also a good idea based on your concerns. For keys I always tell residents to immediately let us know if any contracts or services expire and we are not to give them out further to that person or people, I explain why as well.
As for starting over when it comes to letting you in, the concierge is probably new and doesn’t know who is who yet. When training we can’t simply show them photos of residents and the unit number ect. The best thing to do is for the new concierge to wait and have you let yourself in once, that way they know who you are (your fob leaves a record) and then in the future let you in with confidence and service.
Grey
at 2:56 am
The writer has some serious issues with security guards. Perhaps the issue lies wuth YOU not them
Deb
at 7:53 am
@Grey
Only sensible thing I’ve read in this long line of garbage
Grey
at 8:13 am
The writer has some serious issues with security guards. Perhaps the issue lies with him not them
Alice
at 9:11 pm
As s condo concierge I feel your frustration. But as a resident uou need to feel ours. You continually post after post put the blame on the security team when in fact they are only following site orders. The concierge is not an uneducated failed police force failure bitter at life. We do not take sick joy in shoving rules down your throat. It is our job. You seem to think a condo concierge is the same thing as a hotel concierge. We are in fact security guards there to protect the property and enforce the rules. Do we like telling s resident despirate to leave keys of paperwork thst we cannot accept them due to the rules? No of course not. But break the rule for one snd uou have to break it for everyone. Your happy I get written up. Get written up 3 times and I am out of a job. There are cameras everywhere and there are tenants and owners more then happy to bring thid to property managment attention. You seem yo hate security guards. I find this quite common in the condo field. People assume I am lazy stupid or uneducated. I an nether. I am a woman over 50 who gound herself out of s job when the retail store she managed for years closed. I could not find a job in my field. Security pays me more then min wage , is customer service based and steady. It puts.a roof over my head and good on my table. I have worked with studying students, Univercity grads and people in the same boat as me. Funny but never have I worked with a failed police academy wannabe. Oh and by the way working as a bank guard is not something most guards aspire too. Next time you put your uninformed misconceptions onto the concierge perhaps you need to walk a mile in thier shoes. Take your complaints to where it belongs, property managment. We are only doing our job.
Nicole
at 2:21 pm
Love, look at your grammar. You are uneducated. X
Darrin
at 10:28 pm
We are implementing a new 24/7 concierge desk (355 unit hirise), replacing the night-only security desk (outside agency). Thanks for everyone’s insights, pro and con. I am on the condo board so I will be bringing up these points as we are starting from scratch and will have to come up with our own rules. We have had enough problems, even after adding an extensive security camera system, that we felt a 24/7 solution was necessary, even though it will drive up our condo fees. Our prime motivation was the security of the building, underground parking, and the residents. Extras like package drop off, key handling, and door opening didn’t even come up in our conversation (but might after reading this). I read on one concierge company’s site that they even handle drycleaning for residents. Wow.
Bob
at 3:02 pm
Oh no, the concierge won’t wipe my ass for me. My life is so miserable, I sit around my condo writing things I know nothing about. You are a sad little person.
Kevin R
at 4:03 pm
First World Problems are real and very scary . There are some people who think that just because they own a condominium unit that they are entitled to everything. These specific condo owners think that just because they pay high maintenance fees that they should be treated as VIPs with 24/7 special privileges. These same specific individuals act like they are above all mankind and treat those who are employed in lesser paying jobs like their own personal modern day slaves.
First of all, grow up!! The world doesn’t revolve around you. You are not the center of the universe. You are just a human being just like every other human beings. Just because you may earn more in your employment doesn’t give you the right to verbally abuse others that earn less. Please take note that if everyone on this planet all earned themselves the same highest schooling education level, then there will always be a need for janitorial service personnel, customer service personnel, factory worker personnel, food service personnel, retail service personnel, landscaping personnel…and that list goes on and on. Just know that the way the world is at the moment has been specifically and purposefully designed to be the way it currently is.
You are targeting concierge in your rants about the things you don’t like about them. First of all, concierge are actually security guards. As per the Ministry of Safety & Correctional Services all Security Guards have to pass a mandatory standard test and pass a mandatory trained course amount of time, in order to execute their duties on any given work site. Once the security has completed these two mandatory steps, then there will be further work site specific training to pass. Once the guard has passed all criteria then they can begin to work.
Before the guard has been accepted to work at a specific site, they must know the fire alarm procedures, life and safety procedures, all emergency and non-emergency related procedures, access control procedures, reporting procedures, client tenancy procedures, customer service requirements, and all other site specific related procedures. As an added bonus, security guards are now given a false illegal title as a “concierge”. A concierge is a person who generally works in hotels who assist people by physically opening doors, help with baggage items, arrange reservations for tours, dining, theatres, and provide all kinds of tourism assistance. All this amount of workload for for contractual security guards for either minimum wage or a little more than minimum wage salary; therefore, if you are a condo owner thinking that you will always be treated better than the rest of all mankind, well, this is the reason why contact security are the way they are.
When certain people experience the level of customer service at a hotel or a place similar to a hotel such as a five star condominium, this is because the employed personnel generally earns almost twice the salary of the regular condo contractual security concierge. The real first world problem here is not the low-paid contractual security guard, it’s the condo residents and their guest. Condo residents are also made up of a few board members who provide their property management a set of policies that they have agreed would be in all residents’ best interest. These general policies needs to be enforced at all times without prejudice or bias.
Condominiums are generally very fast-paced environment. Always residents on the go to and fro. All kinds of food and parcel deliveries almost non-stop 24/7. Guest parking permits, elevator and other amenity bookings are also seeming to be non-stop residents’ demands. Due to condo fiscal budget, some condos only have one guard per shift while other condos have two or more guards. Regular foot patrols of the entire condo needs to be done regardless of how many guards are on duty and regardless of weather and other safety hazard condition concerns. Only a few people can effectively insert themselves to become loyal contractual security guards earning little income with always having the positive mindset that they will do the best that they can with what they have to work with.
Then you have those certain individuals who are either residents or residents’ guests or delivery persons who think that they know what security guards as supposed to do and how they are to do their jobs. These individuals drain the positive life force out of security guards causing them to eventually snap by taking themselves into aggressive territorial levels. This will then be perceived as bad customer service on the guard’s part; however, bad customer service is usually caused by customers’ negative behavioural mannerisms. Always remember that the service personnel are human beings too and that they too are allowed to be emotional when faced with negative behavioural mannerisms.
Certain condo residents, their guests and delivery personnel are sometimes absurd with rude abusive behaviour towards security personnel on a regular basis. These certain specific residents purposely order numerous parcels and expect security to have a place to store these packages or deliver the parcels directly into their condo units. Not caring that there is only so much security staff on duty at a time, security will have to manage multiple parcel deliveries, direct food delivery persons and issue parking permits all at once. During the weekdays, the rush of the 9-5 workers arrive home all at once to collect their parcels; meanwhile, many other residents has ordered multiple food deliveries and/or have guest that needs to have parking permits. Most condo policies requires security to contact the residents whenever guest; including food deliveries, arrives on site. When security is bombarded by 20-30 people at their security desk all wanting some kind of security assistance, it’s nearly impossible for security to handle such workload and maintain excellent customer service, especially when certain people are extremely rude and/or impatient. This is the life of average security concierge. It’s no wonder why there are always a revolving door of security guards because of such work conditions. Nevertheless, not all security guards have great customer service skills. For the most part, most security guards are well trained; however, in this diverse part of the world, not everyone will posses the same level of excellent customer service.
Security guards mainly choose this type of profession either because it’s easier to work in than retailing or general labour type jobs or because they need to have some work experience to advance to another career or basically being a security guard can be a rewarding career due to knowing the amount of importance that is related to the job title itself. Overall, security guarding is a job many people choose to do for one purpose or another just like any other professions out there. Every job has someone out there who will criticize someone for what they say and do. I truly believe that if you have nothing nice to say then keep your thoughts to yourself.
BUD SAUNDERS
at 8:40 pm
SO A WHILE BACK, MY FRIEND WROTE SOME BULLETINS, POSTS, ETC. AND PUT THEM UP AROUND THE BUILDING AS SHE HAD SEEN A FEW WRONG THINGS GOING ON THAT NEEDED TO CALL TENANT’S ATTENTION FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY. TURNS OUT SHE WAS CALLED TO HER HEAD OFFICE AND TERMINATED IMMEDIATELY BASED ON THE ARGUMENT THAT SHE HAD TAKEN THE LAW IN HER HANDS. WAS SCOLDED BY THE SITE SUPERVISOR FOR HER ACT ALTHOUGH AN EVENING EARLIER HE (THE SITE SUPERVISOR DID NOT MENTION A WORD OF DISAGREEMENT BUT RATHER SEEMED PLEASED THINGS WORKED OUT). UNFORTUNATELY HER SUPERVISOR REPEATED INCESSANTLY HOW SHE HAD PLACED HERSELF OVER THE THE CONDOMINIUM BOARD, PROPERTY MANAGER, SUPERVISOR HIMSELF…A MESS. SHE TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT SHE WROTE THE MESSAGES INCLUDING THE CONDOMINIUM PHONE NUMBERS AS A WAY TO DIRECT READERS, PROBABLE INFRACTORS, ETC. TO THE PROPERTY MANAGER’S OFFICE AND SEEK GUIDANCE, UNFRUITFUL AS THEY FOCUS ONLY ON HOW SHE WAS IMITATING THE SITE BOARD, REPRESENTATIVES.
SHE NOW DRIVES A FORKLIFT AND MAKES BETTER MONEY WITH LESS HASSLE.
How could this have been avoided?
Jay
at 3:05 am
Been working as a concierge for quite a few years. I have worked in over 20 condos. Concierge/security follows the building rules and regulations placed by board members. Having said that some residents do need to understand that Condo Concierge is slightly different from Hotel Concierge services. Condo concierge prevents and protects your property in a safe way possible. Some building/condo treated concierge/security guards with respect and in return, they get the same respect. Concierge/Security companies main priority should be to train their guards in customer service. Provide the best customer service and make their guards understand that it can be a stressful job dealing with over 200 residents. I have recently opened my own security/concierge company and offer friendly approach type services, such as accepting keys and packages. This way residents and concierge build a friendly relationship. If your condo is interested in our service, I would glad to send a proposal.
E
at 5:25 pm
I have the same problem with my concierge.
At my first day at the new apartment , he was assisting another tenant, he looked at me and said give me a minute, so I winked at him, since we are all wearing masks and did not want to interrupt his conversation, once he was done, he looked at me and said : you have a mouth , so use it, I don’t like eye signals!!!
I was shocked on how rude he was.
Then last week I arrived from my trip and I contacted Covid there so I had to extend my stay, when I came in to the lobby with my luggage, he looked at me and said: your parcels stayed longer than 10 days so I told him my situation, he looked at me, not my problem , you broke the “rules”.
So I did not answer him, since he never listens.
He is so entitled and feels the owner of the building, extremely condescending and rude.
Welcome to 195 Merton street 🙂
Austin Snow
at 5:06 pm
As a Property Management professional, condominiums within the city are forced to try and meet nearly impossible expectations. Security are asked to provide concierge-level services, which is fair in high-end/luxury buildings. However, the key is the balance between security and concierge services. In addition, security staff are often under-trained and underpaid, leaving staff unmotatived to perform and offer excellent levels of service, especially when owners think they are initiated and “pay their salary”. Be nice to your building staff, and I assure you they will often go above and beyond for you, within the policies and rules which are in place to protect the corporation and it’s owners from unnecessary liability.