Ontario condo law, in plain English

On this page: Does this apply to you? · The status certificate · Records · The reserve fund · Special assessments and liens · Owners' meetings · Directors · The Tribunal · Hiring contractors · Buying pre-construction · What's changing · Official links · Letters

Does this apply to you?

This page is for condominiums in Ontario: unit owners, people buying a condo unit, and directors of a condominium corporation. It covers the Condominium Act, 1998 (S.O. 1998, c. 19) and O. Reg. 48/01, as explained by the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO).

The status certificate

A status certificate is the corporation's official snapshot of the building and of one unit. Anyone can ask for one (Condominium Act, s. 76), and it matters most when you're buying a resale unit.

• Deadline: the corporation must provide it within 10 days of the request.
• Fee: no more than $100, including all taxes (O. Reg. 48/01, s. 18(4)). Some corporations offer a faster "rush" service for more, but they must still offer the $100 option within 10 days.
• What's in it: the declaration, by-laws and rules; the current budget; the last audited financial statements and auditor's report; the most recent reserve fund study and the state of the reserve fund; the unit's common expenses and any arrears; any increase in common expenses, and any special assessment since the budget, with the reasons; the directors and officers; insurance certificates; and outstanding judgments and current court cases.
• It binds the corporation. What the certificate says, or leaves out, matters. The CAO points to a 2023 court decision (2023 ONSC 2995) where an owner did not have to pay a special assessment that the certificate didn't clearly note.

For a brand-new condo there is no status certificate yet. Similar information is in the developer's disclosure statement.

Records: what you can see and how to ask

Owners, buyers and mortgagees (and their agents) can ask to examine or get copies of the corporation's records (s. 55(3)).

• Use the official form. The request must be made on the CAO's mandatory "Request for Records" form, and the board must answer on the mandatory "Board's Response to Request for Records" form (O. Reg. 48/01, s. 13.3).
• 30 days to respond. The board must respond within 30 days of receiving the request.
• Then 60 days for you. You have 60 days to pay any fee or apply to the Tribunal, or the request is treated as abandoned. If the board never responds, you have six months to apply to the Tribunal.
• Core records include: minutes from the last 12 months; the declaration, by-laws and rules; the approved reserve fund plan; mutual use agreements; the most recent approved financial statements and auditor's report; information certificates from the last 12 months; the current budget; and the record of owners and leased units.
• Fees: electronic copies of core records are free. Paper copies cost no more than 20 cents a page, and fees must reflect the work actually done.
• What can be held back: things like employee records (other than employment contracts), records about actual or contemplated court cases, and records about other units or owners (s. 55(4)). Each record must come with a written statement explaining anything held back and why (O. Reg. 48/01, s. 13.8(1)).
• Refusing without a reasonable excuse costs money. The Tribunal can order the corporation to pay the person who asked a penalty (s. 1.44(1)6). In one 2023 decision it ordered $5,000.

The reserve fund and the reserve fund study

Every corporation must keep a reserve fund and collect money for it. It can be used only for major repair and replacement of the common elements and assets, not for maintenance, alterations or improvements.

• Studies are compulsory (s. 94(1)). The first is a full Class 1 study within one year of the condo being registered. After that, an updated study at least every 3 years, alternating between one with a site inspection (Class 2) and one without (Class 3).
• 30 years ahead. A study must look at least 30 years into the future.
• Independent: directors, officers, managers, owners and residents of the corporation can't do the study themselves.
• 120 days to plan. The board must review the study and propose a funding plan within 120 days of receiving it (s. 94(8)).
• 15 days to tell owners. Within 15 days of proposing the plan, the board must send owners a notice with a summary of the study, a summary of the plan, and any differences between them. The plan takes effect on the 31st day after that notice goes out.

Common expenses, special assessments and liens

Owners must pay their share of the common expenses (condo fees), worked out by the percentage set for their unit.

• Special assessments: a one-time extra charge. The board can levy one without owners' permission, though the condo's own documents may add steps it must follow. Owners must pay their share.
• Other ways to raise money: raise the monthly fees, or borrow. Borrowing needs a borrowing by-law that owners approve.
• Unpaid fees create a lien on the unit automatically (s. 85). It expires after three months unless the corporation registers a Certificate of Lien (s. 85(2)).
• Notice first: before registering, the corporation sends the owner a Notice of Lien that gives a payment date at least 10 days later (s. 85(4)).
• What it covers: the unpaid amount, interest, and reasonable legal costs of collecting it. The lien can be enforced like a mortgage. The CAO says power of sale steps can start 15 days after the certificate is registered.

Owners' meetings and information certificates

• Requisitioning a meeting: owners of at least 15% of the voting units can demand an owners' meeting, in writing, saying what is to be discussed (s. 46).
• Current timelines: the board sends a preliminary notice within 5 days, gives at least 15 days' notice of the meeting, and holds it within 35 days of receiving the requisition. If it doesn't, the owners can call the meeting themselves and hold it within 45 days, and may ask to be repaid reasonable costs (s. 46(5)).
• Removing a director needs owners of more than 50% of all voting units to vote for it.
• Virtual meetings: since 1 October 2023, owners' meetings and votes can be held online or by phone without a special by-law.
• Information certificates (O. Reg. 48/01, s. 11): a Periodic Information Certificate goes to all owners twice a year, within 60 days of the end of the first and third quarters; an update goes out within 30 days of key changes such as a change of directors; and a new owner gets one within 30 days of giving written notice.

Directors

• Training: every director must complete the CAO's free online training within six months of being elected, appointed or re-elected, unless they completed it in the past 7 years (s. 29(2)).
• Who can be a director: an individual aged 18 or over, not bankrupt, and not found incapable of managing property. The condo's own documents can add more.
• Disclosure: directors must keep their written disclosures up to date for the whole term (s. 40). A director who doesn't stops being a director.
• Conflicts: a director with a material interest in a proposed contract must disclose it, and can't be present for, vote on, or count toward quorum on that vote (s. 40).
• Standard of care: directors must act honestly, in good faith, and with the care and diligence a prudent person would use.

The Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT)

The CAT is an online tribunal. Cases move through three stages, negotiation, mediation and adjudication, and it can make binding orders. It can only hear the types of dispute the Ontario government has given it. Right now those are:

• condo records;
• compliance with settlement agreements;
• rules about pets and animals, vehicles, parking and storage;
• nuisance, annoyance or disruption, including noise, odour, light, vibration, smoke and vapour;
• chargebacks (indemnification or compensation provisions) linked to those topics.

Fees: $25 to file, $50 for mediation and $125 for adjudication ($200 in total). The losing party usually has to repay the winner's Tribunal fees. Legal costs are ordered only in limited cases. New Tribunal rules and a new online system started on 1 October 2026 for new cases.

Hiring contractors: what boards should check

No official source we checked says Ontario law requires a set number of quotes. The CAO's best-practice guide says boards should get at least three quotes for any sizable purchase. Before you sign, check:

• HST: the Ontario rate is 13%. A business registered for HST must show its GST/HST number on invoices of $100 or more. Check it on the free CRA GST/HST Registry. A small supplier (taxable sales of $30,000 or less over four quarters) may legally have no number and charge no HST.
• WSIB clearance: WSIB's policy says whoever directly hires a contractor for construction work must get a WSIB clearance before work starts and keep it current for the whole job. The only exemption is for householders renovating their own home. A clearance lasts up to 90 days. It protects the corporation from being held liable for the contractor's unpaid WSIB premiums. Starting without one is an offence.
• Electrical: the Electrical Safety Authority says only Licensed Electrical Contractors (with a 7-digit ECRA/ESA licence number) are legally authorized to be hired to do electrical work in your home. Check them on the ESA Contractor Locator, and ask for the ESA notification and Certificate of Acceptance.
• Gas and fuels: fuel contractors must be registered with TSSA, and their gas technicians certified. Ask for both numbers.
• Compulsory trades such as plumber and electrician need a Certificate of Qualification (or an apprentice's registered training agreement). Check the Skilled Trades Ontario public register.
• Local licences: some cities licence renovators. In Toronto, businesses that repair or renovate buildings need a Building Renovator licence. Check with your city or town.
• Insurance: ask for a certificate of insurance. Check the named insured matches the business, the policy is not expired, and the limits meet what the corporation needs.

Check a contractor's quote free →

Buying pre-construction: interim occupancy and deposits

• Interim occupancy means you move into your new unit before the title is transferred to you. "Occupancy does not mean ownership." It can last from a few weeks to a year or more.
• The occupancy fee is made up of interest on the unpaid balance of the price, estimated municipal taxes for the unit, and projected common expense fees. It is not credited to the purchase price.
• Deposits on a condo unit must be held in trust. If the builder ends the agreement, the deposit must be returned in full within 10 days. If it isn't, Tarion's deposit protection covers up to $20,000 for a condo unit.
• Check the builder on the HCRA's Ontario Builder Directory before you sign.

What's changing (not law yet)