The Case of the Disappearing Roofing Contractor

A Canadian condo board hired a property manager to oversee a full roofing replacement. However, an investigation later revealed that old shingles were never removed; some roofs had three layers of shingles (which violated building code); rotten plywood was left in place; and ice-and-water shielding was missing or poorly installed.

No inspection records, photos, or site documentation existed — only vague invoices. Worst of all, the contractor pulled a Houdini. No regular site visits were made, and progress was not documented, so there was no evidence of when or how the work was done. As a result, emergency repairs drained reserve funds. Legal action was impossible due to lack of documentation. Property values and resident trust suffered. The board had to fire the management company and start over.

Property managers think capital projects are being handled — until a post-mortem reveals that nobody was really watching. Capital projects are expensive and oversight is assumed – not verified. Problems are discovered too late to fix cheaply.

This is why long-term condition monitoring should have been in the property manager's toolkit: a visual history built and retained over long periods of time highlights slow changes that humans miss.

Learn how we can help property managers, construction firms, and businesses leverage the power of timelapse photography to address those pain points before they become big problems.

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