rely on subcontractors. “In-house, we have two engineers; we have an licensed and certified contractors who can rebuild floors, bathrooms and provide skilled opinions when necessary to diagnose issues; we have a technician who can go on-site and take humidity readings, make openings, and install blowers to prevent flooring from having to be ripped out. We do all that inhouse,” Maia explains. “A lot of our clients really appreciate that, because we know their buildings, we can get to them really fast, and we value our relationships with our clients,” she adds. “External contractors are never going to value those relationships as much. They may come in, do a job, and never see the client again. We have an ongoing relationship with the client and we care about the building as a whole, so clients feel more comfortable with us because they know we’re going to make sure the job gets done properly.” These days, the properties in Wilkar’s portfolio are mainly based in the downtown area of Montreal, in neighborhoods including Griffintown, Westmount, Notre-Dame-deGrâce, and Old Montreal. Some of the more luxurious buildings they manage have between 50 and 70 units, while other higher-density buildings have unit counts up to 600. In recent years, a good portion of their work has come from developers who approach Wilkar during their building’s construction, so they can have them managing the building right from the moment residents move in. At the same time, the company also gets a lot of work with existing buildings – those jobs APRIL 2023
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