Stay out of my unit
One thing that owners commonly have an issue with is allowing access to their condominium unit.

When I purchased my house, I went to the trouble of changing all the locks and getting top of the line deadbolts because I wanted to make sure that my home was as safe as possible.

I have a limited number of special keys that cannot be duplicated without my consent, so I am very careful as to whom I give my keys to.

For condominium owners, safety and security is one of the reasons that people chose to live the condominium lifestyle.  Understanding the restrictions or rules that deal with access to the building and the condominium unit will avoid any confusion or disputes down the road.

One thing that condominium owners commonly have an issue with is allowing the condominium corporation access to their unit.

It is important for owners to understand that the condominium corporation has the right to enter your unit to carry out the duties of the corporation, which typically means performing periodic maintenance and repairs, fire safety inspections and other tasks relating to the upkeep and safety of the units.

As long as reasonable notice is provided (unless of course, access is required in the event of an emergency, such as a fire or flood in a unit) the corporation or any person authorized by the corporation (such as the property manager) is permitted to enter your unit for these purposes.

To facilitate access to the units for necessary maintenance or in the event of an emergency, condominium corporations often have a master key or keep copies of the unit keys.  These keys are stored in secure lock boxes to restrict access.  Corporations frequently have rules concerning changing the locks on your unit and usually require owners to ensure that the corporation has a current copy of the key to their unit.

The procedure followed at most condominiums is to ensure that there are an appropriate number of staff attending the unit at the time of entry to ensure that nothing is disturbed or damaged within the unit.

Who can enter the building?

Janice Pynn, President of the Canadian Condominium Institute (Toronto Chapter) deals with these types of issues all the time.
One of the challenges that boards have is to develop policies in which the residents are comfortable without compromising safety and security. This may mean having only a limited number of keys for access to the building, for example, one per registered resident.  Any resident who wants to allow a friend, caregiver or guest to have access to the building, will either have to give their key to that individual or better yet, inform the concierge (if there is one) to allow access to the building by registering at the security desk.

In certain instances, boards may consider allowing extra keys and it is important that owners be aware of the policies that are in place.

So before you go on vacation and hand your keys over to your mother-in-law who has generously volunteered to water your plants, speak to property management to find out what procedures are in place.  And remember, before you get too agitated about the thought of the corporation entering your unit, the rules governing access to the units are ultimately there for the benefit and protection of all unit owners.