What an Ontario status certificate must contain under the Condominium Act, the ten-day rule, and the items we check line by line before you waive.
⚖️ This is general information, not legal advice. It can't account for your specific situation. Use it to get oriented, then confirm the details with a licensed Ontario lawyer.
A status certificate is the condominium corporation's formal statement about a unit and the building, given under section 76 of the Condominium Act, 1998. The corporation must deliver it within ten days of receiving a request and the fee, which O. Reg. 48/01 caps at $100 including taxes. The certificate binds the corporation to what it says, and if it leaves out required information it is deemed to say there is none. That makes it the single most useful document in a resale condo purchase. Here is what we look for, in the order we read it.
The unit's money
- Monthly common expenses for this unit, and whether they include utilities, parking and locker.
- Any arrears against the unit: arrears follow the unit, so they must be cleared on closing.
- Any increase in common expenses since the current budget, and any special assessment levied or anticipated.
- Whether the unit's contribution to the reserve fund has been increased since the budget.
The corporation's money
- The current budget and the most recent audited financial statements: look for deficits and for expenses running ahead of budget.
- The reserve fund balance and the summary of the most recent reserve fund study, including the date. Studies should be updated every three years; an old study is a warning.
- The corporation's plan for future funding: are contributions scheduled to rise sharply, and is a special assessment recommended?
- Any loans the corporation has taken, and any judgments against it.
Insurance and liability
- The corporation's insurance certificate: coverage amounts and, importantly, the deductible.
- The standard unit by-law and any deductible by-law: they decide what the corporation insures and what the owner pays when damage starts in the unit.
- Whether the corporation is a party to any litigation or arbitration, and what it is about (construction defects, a dispute with the declarant, an owner claim).
The rules you will live under
- Declaration, by-laws and rules: pets, short-term rentals, leasing restrictions, renovations, flooring, barbecues.
- Any notice of an intended change to the declaration, by-laws or rules that owners are being asked to approve.
- Number of units currently leased, which some lenders care about.
- Whether the corporation has agreements affecting the unit: shared facilities, management, telecommunications, parking licences.
What exactly you are buying
- Confirm the unit number and level match the listing, and whether parking and locker are separate units, exclusive-use common elements or leased from the corporation.
- Any alterations to the unit or common elements the corporation has recorded, and whether an owner agreement under section 98 exists for them.
- Whether the seller owes anything under a compliance order or has an unresolved complaint.
Timing points
- The certificate speaks as of its date. If the seller obtained it weeks ago, ask whether anything has changed and consider a fresh one; lenders often want a recent certificate.
- If the corporation does not deliver within ten days, section 76(5) deems the certificate to say there are no arrears, increases or assessments, but you should still not waive without seeing the actual documents.
- Your condition deadline should run from receipt of the complete certificate, not from acceptance of the offer.
- For a new condominium bought from the declarant there is no status certificate before registration; the disclosure statement under section 72 does that job.
How Treadstone Law can help
Send the certificate to us the day it arrives, with every attachment. We report back in plain language on the money, the risks and the rules, so that your decision within the condition window is an informed one.
Treadstone Law handles real estate matters on a transparent flat fee, with online intake and a real lawyer on your file, across Ontario.
- Start your file online at treadstonelaw.ca/start-file
- See flat-fee pricing at treadstonelaw.ca/pricing
- Learn more about our real estate services at treadstonelaw.ca/real-estate
- Or call us: 1-844-900-1070
This is not legal advice
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Ontario laws and government programs change, and how the law applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, speak with a licensed Ontario lawyer. Treadstone Law is licensed by the Law Society of Ontario — reach us at 1-844-900-1070 or start a file online.