Condominium Management
Regulatory Authority of Ontario

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find out if my condominium manager or the condominium management business is licensed?

The CMRAO offers a public registry to search for licensed condominium managers and maangement company. You will be able to search by the name or licence number of the condominium manager or condominium management company.

If you are unable to find your condominium manager or management company on our public registry, please contact info@cmrao.ca.

Is licensing required for both individuals and business?

Yes, both the individual and the management provider business are required to hold a licence with the CMRAO if they provide condominium management services, as defined by the CMSA, in Ontario. The CMSA defines condominium management services as the following services provided to or on behalf of a condominium corporation:

  1. Collecting or holding contributions to the common expenses or other amounts levied by, or payable to, the corporation.
  2. Exercising delegated powers and duties of the corporation or its board of directors, including:
    • i. Making payments to third parties on behalf of the corporation,
    • ii. Negotiating or entering into contracts on behalf of the corporation, or
    • iii. Supervising employees or contractors hired or engaged by the corporation.

I found out my condominium manager holds a Limited Licence, but I have never seen their supervisor work on site with them. Is that allowed?

A Limited Licensee could provide the condominium management services to the corporation under the conditions of a Limited Licence. The Limited Licensee would have to be employed by a licensed condominium management provider firm, and they must be overseen by a general manager.

The supervising licensee (general or transitional general licensee) must be readily available to assist the Limited Licensee but they are not required to be present at the condominium site of that licensee.

Please visit here for more information on the conditions of a Limited Licence.

Your public registry shows that my condominium manager is employed by more than one licensed condominium management company. Is that allowed?

According to the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015, the licensee cannot be employed by more than one licensed condominium management provider unless the licensee has obtained the consent, in the form or manner approved by the registrar, of all condominium management providers who employ the licensee. If the licensee is providing services on behalf of two (2) condominium management provider firms, they are required to obtain written consent from both companies.

I am interested in becoming a condominium manager in the future. How do I get started?

Condominium managers need a licence from the CMRAO to provide condominium management services. If you are interested in becoming a condominium manager, learn more about the process here.

Is the condominium manager responsible for scheduling AGMs?

This will depend on the management agreement. The board of directors has the responsibility to hold owners’ meetings and Annual General Meetings (AGMs), but may delegate to management the task of scheduling meetings. The CMRAO does not have jurisdiction over the board of directors.

The condominium manager’s role is to advise the board on the requirements to hold AGMs and if requested, the manager would also help with preparing meeting materials, providing notice and scheduling the meeting. Each corporation has a unique relationship with their management, which is governed by the management agreement. For more information about the role of the manager at your corporation, you may wish to submit a Request for Records form to the corporation for the purposes of obtaining the agreement.

You are encouraged to contact the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) for any concerns about online AGMs, voting or requesting records.

Our condominium manager approached me and other unit owners to sign a proxy form in case we are unable to attend the meeting. Is this allowed?

Under section 53 of the CMSA, condominium managers cannot solicit (i.e. petition for or try to directly obtain) proxy forms where the subject matter of the meeting includes any matter directly related to the licensee, or the removal or the election of one or more of the corporation’s directors. However, managers are permitted to facilitate the use of proxy forms, including by distributing, collecting or holding proxy forms. Managers can also solicit proxy forms if it is solely for the purpose of establishing quorum at the meeting.

Additional information is available in a guide entitled Use of Proxies and Proxy Forms

There is a water leak in my unit coming from my ceiling, and I think it is the unit above that is causing the damage. I addressed this with the condominium manager, but they are not doing anything and are not taking responsibility for the repairs. Why should I be responsible for this when the leak is caused by the unit above?

The corporation has the responsibility to maintain the common elements and the owners must maintain the unit. You are also encouraged to review your condominium corporation’s description, declaration and by-laws for more clarification on how your unit is defined and who is responsible for various repairs. Knowing the exact description of your unit, and the responsibility of repairs will help you better understand the legal responsibility to repair this damage. If you do not have these documents, you may want to request them from the corporation by completing the ‘Request for Records’ form found on the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) website.

All repairs, maintenance and construction projects are typically authorized by the board of directors. Condominium managers usually act on the direction of the board and do not typically make decisions pertaining to when repairs are conducted. Condominium managers can only execute the decision made by the board and the manager initiates action at the board’s direction.

I am a unit owner and management informed me that my monthly condominium fees are being increased. I do not want to pay for this since I did not agree with the increase. What can we do about this?

All fees, such as common expenses fees and special assessment fees, are made, approved and finalized by the board of directors. The CMRAO does not have the authority to review the decisions of the board of directors.

For issues pertaining to an increase in your common element fees, special assessment fees or other charges, you may wish to check your condominium’s by-laws for any restrictions regarding condominium fee increases. You may also try to contact the board of directors or management to discuss and clarify the reason for the increase.

For more information on condominium fees and board-related matters, please visit the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) website. The CAO offers a variety of services and information to the condominium community within Ontario. These services include providing online information to members of the condominium community, training for condominium directors regarding their rights and responsibilities, and access to dispute resolution services through the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT).

A chargeback was applied to my account, but I think it was done unfairly. Can I file a complaint with the CMRAO?

Owners are required to pay their common expense fees on time. When an owner defaults on their contributions to the common expenses, the corporation automatically has a lien against the unit for the amount owing, plus interest, plus reasonable legal costs and expenses related to collection of the unpaid amount.

The CMRAO only manages complaints against the condominium manager or condominium management company. A chargeback (and subsequent lien) is the responsibility of the board. If you believe a chargeback was implemented unfairly, you must reach out to the board directly to discuss your issue.

I heard that my condominium manager is not licensed. Is that a problem? What can I do?

As of November 1, 2017, it is against the law to provide condominium management services without a licence. You can check if your condominium manager is licensed by searching CMRAO’s Public Registry. If you believe an unlicensed individual is providing condominium management services, you may report this to the CMRAO by contacting info@cmrao.ca.

I am having trouble retrieving the corporation records from management. What should I do?

You may wish to start by raising the matter with the corporation’s board of directors. The Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) also provides information as it relates to records requests.