Many small Ontario condominiums run without a property manager: the board, at least three directors, does the work itself. The Act does not lighten anything for them. This guide collects the duties a self-managed board carries every year, with the section that sets each one, so the calendar can be built once.
Who runs a self-managed corporation?
"A board of directors shall manage the affairs of the corporation" (Condominium Act, 1998, s. 27 (1)), and the board "shall consist of at least three persons" or more if the by-laws say so (s. 27 (2)). The board may hire help, or not.
Does the board need a licence?
The Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 requires a licence to provide condominium management services (s. 34 (1)). Those services include "collecting or holding contributions to the common expenses" and exercising the board's delegated powers, such as paying third parties, signing contracts or supervising contractors on the corporation's behalf (s. 1 (1)).
Directors are exempt: the licence is not required for "a person who is elected or appointed as a director of a condominium corporation", including a director paid under a by-law, "unless the person is providing condominium management services for compensation or reward or the expectation of such" (O. Reg. 123/17, s. 2 (1), para. 14). A self-managed board that does the work itself stays inside that exemption. An outside person or company paid to do it does not, and needs a licence.
The yearly calendar
| Duty | When | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Annual general meeting | Within six months of the end of each fiscal year | Act, s. 45 (2) |
| Preliminary notice of the meeting | At least 20 days before the notice of meeting | Act, ss. 45.1 (1), 47 (1) (c) |
| Notice of meeting, with the financial statements and the auditor's report attached | At least 15 days before the meeting | Act, ss. 47 (1) (b), 69 (2) |
| Appoint the auditor | At each AGM (small-corporation waiver below) | Act, s. 60 (2) and (5) |
| First periodic information certificate | Within 60 days after the end of the first quarter | O. Reg. 48/01, s. 11.1 (4) |
| Second periodic information certificate | Within 60 days after the end of the third quarter | O. Reg. 48/01, s. 11.1 (4) |
| Annual return to the Condominium Registrar | Between January 1 and March 31 | O. Reg. 377/17, s. 5 (2) |
The periodic information certificate guide has the content and a date table, and the virtual meetings guide covers notice, quorum and electronic voting for the AGM.
Duties on a longer cycle
- Reserve fund study within every three years after the previous one, with the class rotating between a comprehensive study, an update with a site inspection and an update without one (O. Reg. 48/01, s. 31 (3) and (4)). After each study, the board has 120 days to propose a funding plan and 15 days more to send the Notice of Future Funding (Act, s. 94 (8) and (9)); see the Notice of Future Funding guide.
- Director training. Each director completes the courses designated by the Condominium Authority of Ontario within six months of being elected or appointed, unless they completed them in the previous seven years (O. Reg. 48/01, s. 11.7 (4)). A director who does not "immediately ceases to be a director" (Act, s. 29 (2) (e)).
Duties triggered by events
| Event | What the board owes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A change of directors, officers, address for service or manager | An information certificate update within 30 days | O. Reg. 48/01, s. 11.2 (3) |
| The board loses its quorum | An information certificate update within five days | O. Reg. 48/01, s. 11.2 (3), para. 4 |
| A new owner gives notice | A new owner information certificate within 30 days | O. Reg. 48/01, s. 11.3 (4) |
| An owner asks for records | A response on the prescribed form within 30 days | O. Reg. 48/01, s. 13.3 (6) |
| An owner defaults on common expenses | The lien expires in three months unless a certificate of lien is registered | Act, s. 85 (2) |
| An owner leases a unit | The owner must notify the corporation within 10 days | Act, s. 83 (1) |
The lien deadline is the one most easily missed by a volunteer board; the arrears and condo lien guide walks through it.
Standing obligations
- Maintenance. The corporation maintains the common elements and each owner maintains their unit (Act, s. 90 (1)).
- Insurance. The corporation obtains and maintains insurance for damage to the units and common elements caused by major perils (Act, s. 99 (1)). Any lapse must be reported in the next periodic information certificate (O. Reg. 48/01, s. 11.1 (1) (h)).
- Record of owners and mortgagees. The corporation keeps it up to date from the notices it receives (Act, s. 46.1).
- Records. The corporation keeps adequate records, including the financial records, the minute book, the declaration, by-laws and rules, and all reserve fund studies and plans (Act, s. 55 (1)). Financial records are kept at least seven years after the period they relate to; minutes, the governing documents and the reserve fund studies are kept at all times (O. Reg. 48/01, s. 13.1 (2)).
The audit in a small corporation
The owners appoint an auditor at each AGM (Act, s. 60 (2)). A corporation with fewer than 25 units may skip the appointment until the next AGM if the turn-over meeting has been held and all the owners consent in writing as of the meeting date (s. 60 (5)). An owner 30 days or more in arrears cannot consent until the arrears are paid (s. 60 (6) and (7)), so a single unpaid account can bring the audit back.
What changes on December 31, 2026
These rules are not in force yet, but they are dated. On December 31, 2026, section 46 of the Act, on owners requisitioning a meeting, is replaced: the requisition will be on a prescribed form, the board will have 20 days to answer it in writing, and owners whose common expenses are 30 days or more in arrears will not be able to requisition (Protecting Condominium Owners Act, 2015, Sched. 1, s. 40; O. Reg. 236/26). Until that day, the current section 46 applies, and O. Reg. 236/26 keeps it applying to any requisition the board receives before then.
Sources
- Condominium Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, c. 19, ss. 27, 29 (2), 45, 45.1, 46.1, 47, 55, 60, 69, 83, 85, 90, 94 and 99.
- O. Reg. 48/01 (General), ss. 11.1 to 11.3, 11.7, 13.1, 13.3 and 31; O. Reg. 236/26 (amendments in force December 31, 2026).
- O. Reg. 377/17 (Condominium Returns), s. 5.
- Condominium Management Services Act, 2015, S.O. 2015, c. 28, Sched. 2, ss. 1 (1) and 34; O. Reg. 123/17, s. 2 (1).
This guide summarizes the Condominium Act, 1998 and its regulations as of October 21, 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. For a decision about your corporation, consult an Ontario condominium lawyer.