Real estate

Buying a condo in Ontario: the status certificate

When you buy a resale condominium, you also buy into the condominium corporation: its finances, its rules and its disputes. The status certificate is where you find out about them, and reviewing it is one of the most important things I do for condo buyers.

What a status certificate is

A status certificate is a package of documents from the condominium corporation. The corporation must provide it within 10 days after it receives a request and the fee, which cannot be more than $100 including taxes. The package includes a certificate about the unit and the corporation, together with the declaration, by-laws and rules, the budget, the financial statements, reserve fund information and insurance details.

The information in the certificate binds the corporation as of the date it is given. That is why I rely on the certificate rather than on the listing or what you are told at a showing. Sellers often order a status certificate before listing, so ask your realtor whether one is already available.

Make your offer conditional on my review

Unless you have already reviewed a current status certificate with me, make your offer conditional on your lawyer’s review of it. A few business days after the certificate is delivered is usually enough. Send it to me as soon as you receive it so I can report to you before the condition deadline.

What I look for

  • Common expenses: the monthly fee for your unit, whether the seller is behind on payments and whether an increase is coming.

  • Reserve fund: the balance, the most recent reserve fund study and whether contributions are keeping pace with planned repairs. A thin reserve fund can mean higher fees or a special assessment later.

  • Special assessments: any that have been levied or are being considered, and who pays them under your agreement.

  • Lawsuits and judgments involving the corporation, including disputes with the builder or with owners.

  • Rules that affect how you use the unit: leasing and short-term rentals, pets, renovations, flooring, smoking and noise.

  • Parking spaces, lockers and exclusive-use areas: whether they are separately titled units or assigned by the corporation, and whether they are actually included in your purchase.

  • Insurance: the corporation’s coverage and deductible, and whether the corporation can charge its deductible back to an owner. That affects the insurance you need for your unit.

  • What is coming: proposed changes to the declaration, by-laws or rules, and major repair or replacement projects.

If I see a problem, I explain what it means for you and what you can do about it while your condition is still open.

Buying a new condo from a builder

A new condominium works differently. There is no status certificate yet. Instead, the builder must give you a disclosure statement describing the project, the proposed budget and the rules.

  • You can cancel the agreement within 10 days after the later of the day you receive a copy of the agreement signed by you and the builder and the day you receive the disclosure statement. Send me both right away so I can review them within that period.

  • You may move in for a period of interim occupancy before the condominium is registered. During that time you pay a monthly occupancy fee, and it does not go toward the price.

  • I review how your deposits are protected, any caps on closing adjustments such as development charges, the Tarion addendum that governs delays, and the HST rebates you are assigning to the builder.

  • Check that the builder is licensed in the Ontario Builder Directory kept by the Home Construction Regulatory Authority.

New home buyers may qualify for HST rebates, and first-time buyers for more. See my page for first-time home buyers.

Useful links

Buying a condo in London or the surrounding area? Get a quote or call (226) 402-0823.

This page is general information about Ontario real estate law as of September 2026. It is not legal advice about your transaction.