Selling a Condo in Ontario: The Documents You're Responsible for Providing

Selling a condominium unit in Ontario involves more paperwork than selling a freehold home, mainly because buyers and their lawyers expect to see how the condominium corporation itself is run — not just documents about your specific unit. Knowing what's expected up front helps you avoid last-minute scrambling once you have an accepted offer.

Here's what an Ontario condo seller is typically responsible for pulling together, and where each document comes from.

The Status Certificate: The Centrepiece Document

The single most important document in a resale condo transaction is the status certificate, issued by the condominium corporation. It's the standard due-diligence package buyers and their lawyers review before closing, and it's distinct from a new-condo builder's disclosure statement (which applies only to purchases directly from a developer).

A status certificate typically includes information such as:

• The corporation's current budget and recent financial statements
• Reserve fund information
• Any litigation the corporation is involved in
• The declaration, by-laws, and rules governing the unit and building
• Confirmation of whether common expenses (condo fees) for the unit are paid up to date
• Insurance information for the corporation's master policy

As the seller, you don't personally draft the status certificate — the condominium corporation (usually through its property management company) prepares and issues it, generally in response to a formal request. But you're responsible for making sure the request goes in with enough lead time that it's in hand before your buyer's review period expires.

Documents a Seller Is Typically Responsible For

Special Assessments and Known Upcoming Costs

If the condominium corporation has approved a special assessment, or you've received formal notice of one, this generally needs to be disclosed rather than left for the buyer to discover only once they review the status certificate. A status certificate will often reflect this, but proactive disclosure protects you from a claim that you knew about a cost and didn't say anything.

Parking and Locker Documentation

Confirm exactly how your parking spot(s) and locker(s) are held — owned as a separate unit, held as a common element with exclusive use rights, or leased from the corporation. This affects what can actually be included in the sale and how it should be described in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale. Sellers sometimes assume a spot is "theirs" to sell when it's technically a leased or exclusive-use arrangement with its own rules.

Renovation and Alteration Records

If you made changes inside your unit — flooring, layout changes, or anything affecting shared systems — check whether the condominium corporation's rules required approval, and whether you have documentation of that approval. Buyers' lawyers sometimes ask for this, particularly for anything that could affect common elements (plumbing, electrical, structural elements shared with the building).

A Practical Timeline for Sellers

Before You List

• Locate your own copies of the declaration, by-laws, and rules if you have them
• Gather parking/locker purchase or lease documentation
• Note any special assessment notices you've received
• Confirm your own common expenses are current

Once You Have an Accepted Offer

• Request the status certificate from the property management company right away — this is often a condition with a defined review period, so delay works against you
• Provide the certificate and any of your own supporting documents to your lawyer for review
• Address any surprises the status certificate reveals (unexpected litigation, a reserve fund shortfall, a pending assessment) with your lawyer before the buyer's condition deadline

Before Closing

• Confirm outstanding common expenses are paid in full
• Coordinate handover of keys, fobs, and any parking/locker access devices
• Confirm any required corporation sign-off (for example, confirming no outstanding violations tied to your unit) is complete

Frequently asked questions