The property management industry in Ontario has a structural problem. Firms grow by adding units faster than they add managers, then compensate by routing every interaction through a shared inbox. The board that signed the proposal met one person. The board that calls six months later talks to whoever picks up. The manager who knew your building left eight months ago. Nobody told you.
Fee structures are designed the same way. A low per-unit rate wins the proposal. Status certificate fees, after-hours charges, special project markups, and administrative levies make up the difference after the agreement is signed. By the time the board notices the gap between what was quoted and what is being invoiced, they are already locked into an auto-renewal.
Trellis was built around a different model. Every portfolio has a named, licensed manager — one person whose name is on the welcome letter and who is accountable to the board by title. Our fee schedule lists every extra before you sign. Our management agreements include published response-time commitments. If we miss them, we want to know.
We are not trying to be the largest firm in the GTA. We are trying to be the one that boards describe, five years into the relationship, as the firm that did what it said it would do. That is a narrower ambition than it sounds.