The Condo Status Certificate: Six Things to Read First
The Condo Status Certificate: Six Things to Read First
Under Ontario’s Condominium Act a condo corporation must produce a status certificate within 10 days of a request for a fee capped at $100. It discloses the reserve fund and the reserve fund study, the budget and common expenses, arrears on the unit, approved or anticipated special assessments, insurance, outstanding judgments and current or pending litigation. It reflects the corporation’s position when prepared, so it is a snapshot rather than a guarantee.
Last updated: August 2026
10 days
The corporation’s deadline to produce it
$100
The maximum fee, capped by the Condominium Act
6 checks
What to read before you go firm
The status certificate is the single most useful document in a condo purchase and the one buyers
are least likely to actually read. It usually arrives as a hundred plus pages of PDF, at the exact
moment somebody is telling you to go firm.
I am not going to pretend you will read all of it. So here is what I look at, in order, and the
things that have actually killed deals.
What it is, and what you are entitled to
Under Ontario’s Condominium Act the corporation must produce a status certificate on request
within 10 days, for a fee capped at $100. That is the whole cost of
the best due diligence available to a condo buyer, which makes waiving it a strange economy.
It is a standardised package. It includes the declaration, by-laws and rules, the current budget,
the common expense amount for the unit, the reserve fund balance and the most recent reserve fund
study, the insurance certificate, whether the unit is in arrears, any known special assessments, and
disclosure of outstanding judgments and current or pending litigation.
The six things I read first
1
Is this unit in arrears
The simplest and most immediate. Unpaid common expenses are a lien against the unit, and lien priority is not something you want to discover after closing.
2
The reserve fund balance, then the reserve fund study
The balance alone tells you almost nothing. The study tells you what the building is going to need and when. A healthy looking balance against a study calling for a garage membrane and elevators in three years is not healthy.
3
Special assessments, approved or anticipated
The certificate discloses these. The word to look for is anticipated, not just approved. A corporation that knows something is coming is required to say so.
4
Litigation
Current or pending. A building in litigation with its developer over construction defects is a very different purchase from one that is not, and it can affect financing and insurance.
5
The rules, honestly read
Pets, short term rentals, parking, balcony use, flooring. People buy a unit and then discover the rule that makes their plan impossible. The rules are in the package you were given.
6
The budget, compared to last year
A corporation holding fees flat while costs rise is not being efficient. It is deferring, and deferred is a synonym for yours, later.
The certificate is a snapshot, and it is already slightly out of date when you get it
This is the limitation nobody explains. The corporation has up to ten days to produce it, and the information reflects the corporation’s position when it was prepared. Something decided at a board meeting last week may not appear. That does not make it useless, it makes it a floor rather than a guarantee. If you are buying in a building where you know something is in motion, ask your lawyer whether a fresh certificate closer to closing is worth the second hundred dollars. It usually is.
Why you should never waive it
In competitive markets buyers get pushed to submit without a status certificate condition. I
understand the pressure. I also know what it costs when it goes wrong, and the asymmetry is
absurd.
The condition costs you a few days and $100. What it protects you from is a special assessment
that can run to tens of thousands per unit, a building in litigation, or rules that make your
intended use impossible.
The middle path
If you genuinely cannot include the condition, order the certificate before you offer. Any
owner can request one for their own unit, and a well prepared listing will already have it
available. If a seller will not produce one in a market where it is standard, that is information
in itself.
This is general information, not legal advice
A status certificate should be reviewed by a real estate lawyer, and most will do it for a
modest fee. They read these constantly, they know which clauses matter, and they will catch things
a buyer will not.
Sources: Condominium Authority of Ontario guidance on status certificates and the Condominium Act, 1998, which sets the ten day production requirement and the $100 fee cap and prescribes the contents of the certificate.
Where This Comes From
Written from Condominium Authority of Ontario guidance and the Condominium Act, 1998, which sets the ten day production requirement, the $100 fee cap and the prescribed contents.
How long does a status certificate take in Ontario?
The condominium corporation must produce it within 10 days of a request, for a fee of up to $100. Buyers commonly build a status certificate condition of around 10 business days into an offer to allow for production and for a lawyer to review it.
What does a status certificate tell you?
The declaration, by-laws and rules, the current budget and common expense amount, the reserve fund balance and the most recent reserve fund study, whether the unit is in arrears, approved or anticipated special assessments, the insurance certificate, outstanding judgments, and current or pending litigation.
Should I waive the status certificate condition?
It is a poor trade. The condition costs a few days and $100 and protects against special assessments that can run to tens of thousands per unit, litigation affecting financing, or rules that make your intended use impossible. If you cannot include the condition, order the certificate before offering.
Is the reserve fund balance enough to judge a building?
No. The balance is meaningless without the reserve fund study, which sets out what the building will need and when. A large balance against a study calling for major work in the near term is not a healthy position.
Is the status certificate a guarantee?
No. It reflects the corporation’s position when prepared, and the corporation has up to ten days to produce it, so a recent board decision may not appear. Where you know something is in motion, ask your lawyer whether a fresh certificate closer to closing is worthwhile.
If you want a second read on a status certificate before you go firm, send it over. I am not your lawyer and you should still have one review it, but I can tell you quickly whether anything in it should change your offer.
