In Ontario, a condo corporation must give a status certificate to anyone who asks for one about a unit. It’s the main way a buyer learns about the building’s finances, rules and legal issues before committing. This page covers what the Condominium Act requires it to contain and what to look for.
The rules
Under Ontario’s Condominium Act, 1998 and its regulation:
- Fee: no more than $100, including all taxes and all required material.
- Deadline: the corporation must provide it within 10 days of receiving the request and the fee (s. 76(3)).
- If it’s late: the corporation is deemed to have given a certificate the next day stating that the unit has no arrears, and that no fee increase or reserve fund assessment has been declared since the current budget (s. 76(5)).
- It’s binding: the certificate binds the corporation, as of its date, for the information it contains, as against a buyer or mortgage lender who relies on it (s. 76(6)).
What it must contain
Section 76(1) lists the contents, including:
- the unit’s common expenses and any default in paying them
- any increase in common expenses declared since the current budget, and why
- any assessment levied against the unit since the budget to increase the reserve fund, and why
- the declaration, by-laws and rules
- outstanding judgments against the corporation and the status of its legal actions
- the current budget, the last audited financial statements and the auditor’s report
- the most recent reserve fund study and updates, the reserve fund balance, and any plan to increase the fund
- substantial changes to the common elements, assets or services that the board has proposed but not carried out
- the number of units leased in the previous fiscal year
- certificates or memoranda for the corporation’s current insurance policies
- whether a court has appointed an inspector or administrator
What to look for
| Section | What to check |
|---|---|
| Common expenses | That the seller is up to date, and any recent or declared increases |
| Reserve fund study | When it was done: corporations must do a new study within 3 years of the last one. Whether the balance and planned contributions match the repairs it forecasts, and any plan to increase contributions |
| Assessments | Any levied since the budget; ask your lawyer and the corporation about any being considered |
| Budget and financial statements | Whether the budget balances and what the auditor’s report says |
| Legal actions | Judgments and lawsuits involving the corporation, and what they could cost owners |
| Insurance | The corporation’s coverage and deductibles, and when you could be charged a deductible for damage from your unit |
| Declaration, by-laws and rules | Limits on pets, rentals, short-term rentals, renovations and parking that matter to you |
| Proposed changes | Substantial work the board has proposed but not yet done |
Put a condition in your offer that gives you time for your lawyer to review the certificate, so you can walk away if it turns up problems. Condo fees explained covers how fees and reserve contributions work.
Related pages
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them on September 25, 2026. How we check facts.
- Ontario e-Laws: Condominium Act, 1998
- Ontario e-Laws: O. Reg. 48/01 (Condominium Act, 1998: General)