A short video tells the story of the CAO, including the launch of our online services and online tribunal, which were developed to bring much-needed support to condo owners, residents and directors, and to contribute to enhancing the enjoyment of condo living in Ontario. By encouraging early resolution of issues through the CAO’s suite of services and resolving disputes through Canada’s first fully online tribunal, the CAO is a model for dispute resolution, solving condo disputes conveniently, quickly and affordably. Watch the video here.

To assist owners and directors, the following is a short list of what we do and a list of examples of what we do not provide:

What we do:

• Provide information and training about:
  • rights and responsibilities of condo owners
  • the roles and responsibilities of the board of directors and condo management
  • changes to the Condominium Act, 1998, that affect condominium communities
• Provide information on common issues to assist condo communities in proactively resolving issues
• Provide a publicly available, searchable, online registry of all condominium corporations in the province, as may be required by regulation.
• Host and provide access to the condominium forms which have been delegated by the Minister of Government and Consumer Services.
• Offer a new, online dispute-resolution process, called the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT) and adjudicate disputes.

 

What we don’t do:

• Help with individual condo repairs or maintenance such as plumbing issues
• Help with building issues such as falling glass
• Get involved with the operation of your condo building (such as security, common elements, recreation facilities, common grounds, garbage disposal etc.)
• Get involved with board-related situations such as elections, attend board meetings or enforce board decisions
• Enforce condominium corporation’s by-laws, rules or policies or other building rules
• Investigate non-compliance with the Condominium Act, 1998, its regulations, or a particular condominium corporation’s declaration, by-laws, rules, or policies
• Investigate possible misconduct by individuals such as board member, manager or resident (for example, investigating possible fraud; this would be a criminal investigation)
• Act on behalf of any particular owner, resident, condominium corporation, condominium manager, or condominium management service provider (for example, send a letter to an owner, represent a party before the CAT)
• Provide legal advice, opinions or recommendations on any topic

For most of the items above, contact your condo manager, condo board or seek legal advice.