@oystercove said:
…. why would any half smart owner ever bother to get permission, particularly if they think it might not be approved??
Because if they get found out before they sell their property, they can find themselves having to reinstate the CP to it’s original state at their own expense. It’s only after the property with unapproved changes is sold that the changes become the responsibility of the Owners Corp.
How do they get found out? Fire inspections, other work in the unit and, as a last resort, a sticky-beak at an open house prior to sale. Whale’s catch-all by-law is the best way to go but failing that, a an information hand-out warning people that unapproved changes may lead to to delays when they come to sell might get owners to toe the line.