What is the difference between the syndicate certificate and the statement of common expenses due?

The certificate describes the co-ownership as a whole: funds, budget, insurance, work, litigation (art. 1068.1 CCQ). The syndicate gives it to the seller within 15 days of the request, and the seller passes it on to the buyer. The statement says what the unit being sold owes the syndicate; it goes to the prospective buyer, after notice to the owner, and has its own 15-day deadline (art. 1069 CCQ).

What happens if the syndicate provides the statement of common expenses after 15 days?

The buyer who asked for it is then not liable for the common expenses due at the time of purchase (art. 1069 CCQ). The seller is not released, but the syndicate has to turn to them, which usually takes longer.

Selling a Quebec Condo Unit: What the Syndicate Must Provide

Q: Can the syndicate charge for the certificate?

The Civil Code and the regulation adopted by decree 991-2025 set no fee for the certificate and do not forbid one. The safest course is to provide for a reasonable fee in the by-laws of the immovable. Other documents the buyer requests are provided at the buyer's cost (art. 1068.2 CCQ).

Quick answer: when a condo unit is sold in Quebec, the syndicate has two 15-day deadlines. It gives the certificate on the condition of the co-ownership to the seller who asks for it (art. 1068.1 CCQ), and it gives the statement of common expenses due to the prospective buyer who asks for it, after notifying the owner (art. 1069 CCQ). On top of that come the documents the buyer may request at their own cost (art. 1068.2 CCQ) and the update of the register after the deed of sale (art. 1065 and 1070 CCQ).

A sale rarely starts with a call to the board. It starts with a sign on the lawn, a promise to purchase, and then an email from the broker or the notary asking for "the syndicate documents" by next week. The board of a small self-managed building then gets three or four different requests, from three different people, each governed by its own rule.

This article is the board's checklist, from the first request to the day the new owner moves in. For the detail of each document, it points to the guides that cover them in depth.

Who asks for what, and by when

What is requested	Who asks	Who the syndicate gives it to	Deadline	Legal basis
Certificate on the condition of the co-ownership	The selling co-owner	The seller, who passes it on to the buyer	15 days	art. 1068.1 CCQ
Statement of common expenses due	The prospective buyer	The prospective buyer, after notifying the owner	15 days	art. 1069 CCQ
Other documents and information	The promisor buyer	The buyer, with a copy to the owner of the unit	With diligence	art. 1068.2 CCQ
Notice of the new owner	Given by the buyer	To the syndicate	15 days	art. 1065 CCQ

Two of these deadlines fall on the syndicate, one falls on the buyer, and one has no number at all. The sections below take each row in turn.

1. The syndicate certificate, given to the seller

Who asks for it. The Civil Code puts the duty on the seller, who must "in due time" give the promisor buyer a certificate from the syndicate on the condition of the co-ownership (art. 1068.1 CCQ). The syndicate, in turn, must deliver the certificate within 15 days to the co-owner who requests it. The broker or the notary often writes on the seller's behalf: the request then comes from the seller's mandatary, and the certificate goes to that person for the seller. The Code does not require the request to be in writing, but always note the date it arrived, because that date starts the 15 days.

The Code's French term is « attestation du syndicat », which is what notaries and brokers will usually call it.

What it contains. The minimum content is set by s. 10 of the regulation adopted by decree 991-2025, in force since August 14, 2025. It includes the contingency fund balance and the reserve fund study's recommendation, the contributions required and paid over the last three years, the current year's budget, the self-insurance fund and the highest deductible, then a short description of inspections, losses, completed and planned work, pending litigation and amendments to the declaration. The certificate is dated and signed by the person authorized to give it, with their name and title. We go through each item, and where the board finds it, in the complete guide to the syndicate certificate.

When the duty does not apply yet. These obligations begin once a new board of directors is appointed after the developer loses control of the syndicate (art. 1068.1 CCQ, third paragraph).

Fees. Neither art. 1068.1 CCQ nor the regulation sets a fee for the certificate, and neither forbids one. Some syndicates charge the seller a fee; others absorb the work in the common expenses. If your syndicate charges one, give it an explicit basis, ideally a provision of the by-laws of the immovable, and keep the amount reasonable: the seller has no choice but to come to you.

2. The statement of common expenses due, given to the buyer

The statement of common expenses is a different document, for a different recipient. The certificate describes the co-ownership as a whole; the statement says what this unit owes the syndicate.

The rule. Whoever acquires a unit, "in any manner", is liable for all common expenses due on that unit at the time of acquisition, with interest (art. 1069 CCQ). A prospective buyer may, however, ask the syndicate for a statement of the common expenses due. The buyer is then liable for those expenses only if the syndicate provides the statement within 15 days of the request.

What the deadline means for the syndicate. If the board lets the 15 days pass, the buyer is no longer liable for the arrears, and the syndicate loses the easiest debtor to reach. The seller is not released, but collecting from someone who has already moved out takes longer and is less certain. We cover that scenario in Condo owner not paying common charges in Quebec: what to do.

Notify the owner first. The syndicate is authorized to provide the statement provided it notifies the owner of the unit, or their successors, beforehand (art. 1069 CCQ). It is a notice, not a request for consent: the owner does not have to approve, but must be told before the statement goes out.

A statement adjusted to the budget. The statement is adjusted according to the latest annual budget (art. 1069 CCQ). In practice it shows the instalments due and unpaid, any interest claimed, and the contribution set by the current budget. The Code sets no fee for the statement.

3. The other documents the buyer asks for

A serious buyer usually wants more than the certificate: the maintenance logbook, the reserve fund study, the latest financial statements, recent minutes, the by-laws.

A promisor buyer has no right to the register. The right to consult the register and get copies belongs to co-owners (art. 1070.1 CCQ). The buyer comes through another door: they may ask the syndicate for the documents or information that would allow them to give informed consent (art. 1068.2 CCQ).

The rules of that door. The syndicate provides them "with diligence", with no set number of days, and at the buyer's expense. It does so subject to the provisions on the protection of privacy. And it sends the owner of the unit the documents or information it gave the buyer.

The logbook and the study. The maintenance logbook and the reserve fund study are part of the register (art. 1070 CCQ), and they are usually what a buyer wants to read in full. The certificate only summarizes them: the study's recommendation and the major repairs planned over the next ten years. If your syndicate does not have its first logbook or study yet, say so plainly: the obligation has been in force since August 14, 2025, and the first document must be obtained no later than August 15, 2028 (Loi 16, art. 151). Our guides to the maintenance logbook and to the reserve fund study explain what they contain.

4. After the deed of sale: the new owner and the register

The signing at the notary's office does not end the board's work.

The buyer's notice. Whoever acquires a unit must notify the syndicate within 15 days (art. 1065 CCQ). That deadline falls on the buyer, not on the syndicate. In practice the board often hears about the sale from the notary, and should ask the new owner to confirm their name and mailing address.

The register of co-owners. The register contains the name and mailing address of each co-owner (art. 1070 CCQ). The board therefore replaces the seller with the buyer, as of the date of the deed. Any other personal information, such as a phone number or an email address, goes in only if the person expressly consents.

Payments and access. If the seller paid their fees by pre-authorized debit (PAD), their mandate should end and the buyer should be invited to sign their own. The seller loses access to the documents reserved for co-owners, and the buyer gets theirs. It is also a good time to send the new owner the by-laws and the amount of their contributions.

What the board must not disclose

During a sale everyone is in a hurry, and it is tempting to send "the whole file" to the broker. But the syndicate is an enterprise under Quebec's private-sector privacy Act, strengthened by Law 25. No one may communicate personal information they hold about others to a third party without the consent of the person concerned, unless the Act allows it (art. 13 LPRPSP).

The law does provide for the certificate and the statement: a communication that is necessary under a law applicable in Quebec may be made without consent (art. 18 LPRPSP). But each has its own scope, and that scope is what the board protects.

Other co-owners' arrears. The certificate gives building-wide totals: contributions required and paid, with no names. The statement covers one unit only, the one being sold.
Losses in other units. The certificate describes losses that affected the unit being sold or the common portions, not the neighbours' (Decree 991-2025, s. 10).
Complaints, disputes between neighbours, contravention notices aimed at other units. Nobody asked for them, and they concern people who are not party to the sale.
Other co-owners' contact details. Minutes sent under art. 1068.2 CCQ can contain names and personal information: that article's privacy reservation is a reason to redact whatever does not inform the buyer's decision.
The seller's balance, sent to a broker. The statement goes to the prospective buyer, after notice to the owner. A request that does not come from the buyer or their mandatary deserves a check before you answer it.

We go through these obligations in Law 25 for Quebec condo syndicates: what the board must do.

A typical sale timeline

Day 0: the seller, their broker or their notary asks for the certificate. Note the date it arrived. The 15 days start.
A few days later: the buyer's notary asks for the statement of common expenses. New date, new 15-day clock. Notify the unit's owner first.
Meanwhile: the buyer asks for the logbook, the study, the minutes. Provide them with diligence, at the buyer's cost, with third parties' information removed, and send a copy to the owner.
Before day 15: give the certificate to the seller and the statement to the buyer, and keep a record of the date of each handover.
Deed day: the sale is signed. The buyer has 15 days to notify the syndicate.
Then: update the register, end the seller's pre-authorized debit, invite the buyer to join the syndicate.

How CondoAide follows a sale

We made the sale file the board's starting point. In the menu, under "Legal", the "Sale process" page holds one file per sale, from the certificate request to the buyer's arrival.

The file opens on its own. It is created as soon as a certificate or a statement of common expenses is requested for a unit, or a change of owner is recorded. The board can also open one when it hears about a sale.
The steps follow the order of the law. Syndicate certificate, certificate fee, statement of common expenses due, documents requested by the promisor buyer, change of owner, pre-authorized debit mandate, the buyer's arrival. Each step leads to the screen that does it.
The menu flags open sales. A number appears next to "Sale process" when a 15-day clock has fewer than five days left or has passed, and a dot when a sale is open with nothing pressing.
The seller can ask for the certificate themselves. In "My property", a "Selling?" line leads to "Request the attestation". The form reminds them the syndicate has 15 days, shows the unit being sold, and takes the broker's or the notary's name.
The request leads to the sale. When the board opens a certificate request, it sees the unit being sold, the running clock, and two links: one to produce the certificate, one to open the sale file.
The certificate goes out with its invoice, if the by-laws provide for a fee. In the settings, the "Attestation fee" card asks for the amount and the by-law article that provides for it. The invoice is addressed to the seller, care of their mandatary, and booked in the syndicate's other revenue, never in the unit's charges. Once signed, the certificate is sent to the person who requested it through a link valid for 30 days, whether or not the invoice has been paid.
The handover stops the clock. Recording the handover notes the date the certificate was given, including when it was handed over in person.

The deadlines shown are computed from the dates the board enters. Meeting the Civil Code's deadlines remains the board's responsibility: CondoAide helps the board see them, not meet them on its behalf.

For the statement of common expenses, the notice to the owner and the PDF statement, see the release note on the statement of common expenses. For the sale file itself, see the release note on the sale file.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the certificate and the statement of common expenses?

The certificate describes the co-ownership as a whole: funds, budget, insurance, work, litigation (art. 1068.1 CCQ). It is given to the seller, who passes it on to the buyer. The statement says what the unit being sold owes the syndicate, and it goes to the buyer after notice to the owner (art. 1069 CCQ). Each has its own 15-day deadline.

Can the syndicate charge for the certificate?

The Code and the regulation set no fee and do not forbid one. The safest course is to provide for a reasonable fee in the by-laws. Other documents the buyer requests are provided at the buyer's cost (art. 1068.2 CCQ), and copies of the register requested by a co-owner are provided for reasonable fees (art. 1070.1 CCQ).

What happens if the syndicate provides the statement after 15 days?

The buyer who asked for it is then not liable for the common expenses due at the time of purchase (art. 1069 CCQ). The syndicate has to turn to the former owner, which usually takes longer.

Can the buyer consult the syndicate's register before buying?

Not directly: consulting the register is a co-owner's right (art. 1070.1 CCQ). The buyer may, however, ask the syndicate for the documents relevant to their decision, at their own cost, and the syndicate provides them with diligence, subject to privacy (art. 1068.2 CCQ).

Who must notify the syndicate of the sale?

The buyer, within 15 days of the acquisition (art. 1065 CCQ). The board then updates the co-owner's name and mailing address in the register (art. 1070 CCQ).