Roles and responsibilities

Condominiums are communities. Each member has a role to play and responsibilities they must carry out so that the community can thrive. Owners must pay their condo fees, resolve issues collaboratively and expect their boards to carry out their duties in good faith.

A condo board is a group of individuals that are responsible for the governing of the condominium corporation. Boards work with managers and owners to ensure the corporation is being run in compliance with the Condo Act and other applicable legislation. Boards typically meet monthly but could meet more or less frequently depending on the size of the condo and issues it is working on. Not all corporations hire managers to help them carry out day-to-day tasks.

Responsibilities include:

• Tracking the corporation’s financial performance
• Ensuring repairs and maintenance are carried out
• Hiring specialists such as engineers to update the reserve fund study every three years
• Facilitating updates to the corporation’s governing documents, including by getting owner approval when necessary.
• Acting honestly and in good faith
• Overseeing managers, if applicable

Anyone joining a board in Ontario must complete the CAO’s mandatory online training within 6 months of starting.

While the condo board is responsible for making decisions, many condo boards choose to contract out the day-to-day tasks of the condo corporation to a licensed condo manager.

Manager responsibilities may include:

• Managing the corporation’s records
• Handling owner requests
• Coordinating repairs and maintenance
• Hiring and monitoring service providers
• Preparing draft annual budgets
• Monitoring the reserve fund
• Issuing meeting notices
• Organizing board or owners’ meetings.

Managers must be licensed by the Condominium Management Authority of Ontario. Contact the CMRAO or check out our guide on overseeing condo managers to find out more.

Buying a condo does not mean just buying a piece of real estate, it also means gaining an interest in the common elements, a place in the condo’s community and responsibilities towards that community.