Requesting Condo Corporation Records in Ontario: What Owners Are Entitled to See

Owning a condo unit in Ontario comes with more than a share in the building — it comes with a legal right to look under the hood of how the corporation runs. Many owners never exercise it, either because they don’t know it exists or because the process feels opaque.

A condo records request lets an owner examine or obtain copies of the condominium corporation’s books and records — financial statements, meeting minutes, contracts, and more — beyond what’s summarized in a status certificate. Understanding what you can ask for, what a corporation can withhold, and how to make the request properly can matter enormously if you’re trying to understand a fee increase, a board decision, or the state of the reserve fund.

Why This Right Exists

Under Ontario’s Condominium Act, 1998, a condominium corporation is required to keep adequate records of its finances, decisions, and governance, and owners — as the people ultimately funding and living under those decisions — have a legal right to examine them. This sits alongside, but is broader than, the status certificate a buyer receives before purchase: a status certificate is a summary snapshot, while a records request can get you the underlying documents.

What You Can Generally Request

The categories of records an owner can typically ask to examine or copy include:

• Financial statements, budgets, and the corporation’s accounting records
• Minutes of board and owner meetings
• The declaration, by-laws, and rules currently in effect
• Contracts the corporation has entered into, such as management or maintenance agreements
• Insurance certificates and reserve fund study documentation

What a Corporation Can Typically Refuse

Not everything is open for inspection. Corporations can generally decline to produce records — or portions of records — that fall into categories such as:

• Records relating to specific units other than your own, including personal or financial information about other individual owners
• Materials protected by solicitor-client privilege, such as legal advice the board has received
• Records of an ongoing or contemplated legal proceeding
• Employee personnel records

If you’re refused access to something you believe you’re entitled to see, that refusal itself can become the subject of a dispute — including, in some cases, through the Condominium Authority Tribunal.

How to Make a Records Request: Step by Step

1. Put the request in writing. Identify yourself as an owner and describe, as specifically as you can, which records or category of records you want to examine or copy.
2. Send it to the corporation — typically through the property manager or directly to the board, depending on how the corporation handles correspondence.
3. Expect a response setting out what’s available. The corporation should confirm which records it will produce, and note any it’s declining and why.
4. Arrange examination or copies. You may be able to examine records in person, request copies, or both. A corporation can charge a fee to cover the reasonable cost of producing copies — ask what that cost will be before you commit, since the applicable fee structure can change and should be confirmed directly with the corporation or its manager.
5. Follow up on any refusal you disagree with. If you think a record was wrongly withheld, raise it with the board in writing, and — if unresolved — records access disputes are one of the categories that can be brought before the Condominium Authority Tribunal.

Frequently asked questions