Chargebacks & Unexpected Fees
Community Situation Chargeback / Unauthorized Service FeeAn $890 Bill for an After-Hours Check the Owner Never Requested
A brief weekend call to ask about a neighbouring unit turned into an $890 chargeback for a service visit the owner says was never authorized.
- Charge
- $890 for an after-hours service call
- Trigger
- Weekend phone call about a thermostat not working
- Finding
- Dead thermostat battery
- Dispute
- Owner says they never authorized a contractor visit
A new condo owner called the management office on a weekend to ask if other units also had no heat. Their thermostat was not working. Security took the call and sent someone to check. The visit found nothing more than a dead thermostat battery. The owner said they were never told a contractor would be sent, or what it would cost.
Days later, the owner received an $890 invoice. It covered multiple hours plus a transportation fee, billed as an emergency after-hours service call. The owner disputed the charge, offered a smaller amount, and was told the board required full payment. A lien was mentioned if it was not paid within a week. It shows how quickly a short phone call can turn into a large chargeback when no one makes the authorization or scope clear at the start.
Documents an owner in this situation should gather
- The invoice or chargeback notice, in full, including how the hours and fees were calculated
- Any record of the original call: date, time, and exactly what was asked
- The contractor's service report, if one exists
- The corporation's bylaw or rule describing when chargebacks and emergency service dispatch apply
- All written correspondence with the property manager about the dispute
Questions to ask management or the board
- 1Was this service actually authorized by the owner before it was performed, and if not, on what basis is it being charged back?
- 2What is the itemized breakdown behind the total: hours, rate, and transportation fee?
- 3What is the corporation's documented policy for triaging after-hours calls and deciding when a paid contractor visit is warranted?
- 4Is a reduced settlement or payment plan available given the dispute over authorization?
Facing something like this?
Read the plain-language guidance for this exact situation, or run your own documents through the Free Notice Decoder.
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Curated and maintained by Alexander Baraz, Condo Owner Advocate.
This is a Community Situation: a real situation shared publicly by a condo owner, most often in an Ontario Facebook community group. It is an illustrative community case. It is not a Condo Owner Advocate client, not COA casework, not a testimonial, and not legal advice.