If you feel that you are being harassed by another owner, your condominium corporation isn’t taking adequate steps to address a harassment issue or is not enforcing compliance with the condominium corporation’s governing documents, your first step is to learn more about what is and isn’t allowed in your condominium corporation. You can start by:

• Reviewing the information available in Step #2 – Legal Considerations above; and,
• Reviewing your condominium corporation’s governing documents.

Important: Under the Condo Act, all owners and occupants are required to comply with the Condo Act and with the condominium corporation’s governing documents. The Condo Act also prohibits anyone from engaging in conduct that is dangerous or likely to cause injury or illness.

You should also keep track of the issues and interactions you have been experiencing with as much detail as possible including:

• The date and time when the issue occurs;
• The type of harassment issue you are experiencing;
• Who is causing the issue; and,
• Any other details that might be relevant.

2. Determine who is causing the issue

Your next step is to determine who is causing the issue.

Depending on the type of harassment, it may be obvious (e.g., a specific individual has been verbally harassing you). Depending on the type of issue you are experiencing, it might not be clear (e.g., someone has been leaving materials in your mailbox, but you aren’t sure who).

If you know the unit number of the person causing the issue

If you know the unit number of the person causing the issue, you should next determine whether the person is the unit owner or an occupant (e.g., a tenant or a guest).

• You can determine who owns a unit by checking the corporation’s record of owners and mortgagees. Under section 46.1 of the Condo Act, all condominium corporations are required to maintain a record of the names (and addresses) of all condo unit owners.
• Owners are required to notify their condominium corporation if they lease their units. Condominium corporations are required to maintain a record of which units are leased under section 83 (3) of the Condo Act.

By looking at the record of owners and mortgagees and the record of leased units, you can determine whether the person is an owner or an occupant.

Don’t have a copy of these records?

You can request a copy from your condominium corporation using the mandatory Request for Records form, available on our website.

If you don’t know who is causing the issue

If you don’t know who is causing the issue, you can still raise the issue with your condominium corporation.

3. Contact those responsible

Note: Only complete this step if you feel both safe and comfortable doing so. If you do not, move directly to contacting your condominium corporation.

You may wish to speak with any condominium representatives, unit owners or occupants that are causing the issue. They may not know that you feel that they are harassing you, so speaking to them about the issue may resolve your issue quickly.

If you do not feel comfortable speaking to them in person, or if you’ve spoken to them already and the issue has not been resolved, you may want to send them a letter. We have letter and email templates you can use, located in the Helpful Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Your condominium corporation is legally required to take action to address a harassment-related issue that violates the Condo Act and / or corporation’s governing documents.

If you are going to send a letter to another unit owner and/or occupant, you should also send a copy to your condominium corporation. That way, you can ensure that they are aware of the issue, and your corporation will have an opportunity to take steps to resolve it.

Condo unit owners are responsible for ensuring that occupants of their units comply with the Condo Act and the corporation’s governing documents under section 119 of the Condo Act. If the person harassing you is an occupant of a unit, you should notify the owner of the unit so you can ensure that they are aware of the issue as well.

If you don’t know who is causing the issue, you can still raise the issue with your condominium corporation.

If the harassment involves your condominium manager, a member of the condominium corporation’s staff, or another representative of the condominium corporation, you may want to contact the board of directors of your condo directly.

To summarize…

• If the person causing the issue is a unit owner
  • Then you should send your letter to both the owner and your condominium corporation
• If the person causing the issue is a non-owner occupant
  • Then you should send your letter to the owner, the occupant, and your condominium corporation.
• If you don’t know who is causing the issue
  • Then you should send your letter to your condominium corporation.
• If the person causing the issue is a condominium manager, a member of the condominium corporation’s staff or another representative of the condominium corporation
  • Then you should send your letter to your condominium corporation’s board of directors.

If your issue isn’t resolved after contacting those responsible, proceed to #4 below.

4. Contact your Condominium corporation

As noted above, it is important that you notify your condominium corporation so you can ensure that they are aware of the issue and so they have an opportunity to take steps to resolve it

If you don’t think your condominium corporation is aware of any harassment or has not addressed the situation, you should send your condominium corporation a letter or email. The CAO has helpful letter and email templates you can use, located in the Helpful Resources section at the bottom of this page.

You should keep a copy of your letter/email and note the date and time that you sent it.

5. Follow up

After you’ve contacted the responsible unit owner, occupant and / or your condominium corporation, they should take steps to resolve the issue.

If you’ve given them a reasonable opportunity but the issue has not been resolved, you can send a follow-up letter or email. You can use our Second Letter template, which you can find under the Helpful Resources section at the bottom of this page.

You should keep a copy of your letter/email and note the date and time that you sent it.

What if these steps don’t resolve my issue?

If you’ve tried the steps above and the harassment issue has continued, there are additional steps you can take. Depending on what your condominium corporation’s governing documents say, you may be able to file an application with the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT).

Visit Step #4 – Additional Help for more information.

Have a Question?

If you have a question about any of the information you’ve read, please contact us. We have a team available to answer any questions you may have.

Have a Question?

If you have a question about any of the information you’ve read, please contact us. We have a team available to answer any questions you may have.

If you think your condominium corporation isn’t taking adequate steps to address a harassment issue or is not enforcing compliance with the condominium corporation’s governing documents, your first step is to learn more about what is and isn’t allowed in your condominium corporation. You can start by:

• Reviewing the information available in Step #2 – Legal Considerations above; and,
• Reviewing your condominium corporation’s governing documents.

Important: Under the Condo Act, all owners and occupants are required to comply with the Condo Act and with the condominium corporation’s governing documents. The Condo Act also prohibits anyone from engaging in conduct that is dangerous or likely to cause injury or illness.

You should also keep track of the issues and interactions you have been experiencing with as much detail as possible including:

• The date and time when the issue occurs;
• The type of harassment issue you are experiencing;
• Who is causing the issue; and,
• Any other details that might be relevant.

2. Contact your Condominium corporation

It is important that you notify your condominium corporation of the issue so you can ensure that they are aware of the issue and so they have an opportunity to take steps to resolve it.

If you don’t think your condominium corporation is aware of any harassment or has not addressed the situation, you should send your condominium corporation a letter or email. The CAO has helpful letter and email templates you can use, located in the Helpful Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Your condominium corporation is legally required to take action to address a harassment-related issue that violates the Condo Act and/or corporation’s governing documents.

You should keep a copy of your letter/email and note the date and time that you sent it.

3. Follow up

After you’ve contacted your condominium corporation, they should take steps to resolve the issue.

If you’ve given them a reasonable opportunity but the issue has not been resolved, you can send a follow-up letter or email. You can use our Second Letter template, which you can find under the Helpful Resources section at the bottom of this page.

You should keep a copy of your letter/email and note the date and time that you sent it.

What if these steps don’t resolve my issue?

If you’ve tried the steps above and the harassment issue has continued, there are additional steps you can take. Depending on what your condominium corporation’s governing documents say, you may be able to file an application with the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT).

Visit Step #4 – Additional Help for more information.

Have a Question?

If you have a question about any of the information you’ve read, please contact us. We have a team available to answer any questions you may have.

Your first step is to learn more about the harassment issue you have been contacted about, and the effect it may be having on others in the condo. You can start by:

• Reviewing the information available in Step #2 – Legal Considerations above;
• Reviewing your condominium corporation’s governing documents; and,
• Reviewing any information, letters or claims regarding harassment that you have received.

Important: Under the Condo Act, all owners and occupants are required to comply with the Condo Act and with the condominium corporation’s governing documents. The Condo Act also prohibits anyone from engaging in conduct that is dangerous or likely to cause injury or illness.

If you do not comply with the Condo Act or your corporation’s governing documents, or if you are engaged in conduct that is dangerous and/or potentially illegal, another owner or your condominium corporation may take legal action against you, which might include filing a case against you with the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT).

2. Determine what to do next

Once you have reviewed the information above, you should determine what to do next.

• If you’re doing something that isn’t allowed under your corporation’s governing documents or something that could be considered dangerous / threatening, you should stop immediately.
• If you don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, you should respond to whoever contacted you and see if there is anything you can do to resolve the issue. We have letter and email templates you can use, located in the Helpful Resources section at the bottom of this page. If you send a letter/email, you should keep a copy and note the date and time that you sent it.
• If you don’t understand what you’re being asked to do or why, you should respond to the sender and ask for more information.
• If you don’t know what to do next and need advice, you may wish to seek legal advice from a paralegal or lawyer licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. If you don’t already have a lawyer or paralegal, you may be interested in the Law Society Referral Service, an online service provided by the LSO to connect people in need with licensed lawyers and paralegals. The service is free, and you may receive up to a half-hour free consultation. The CAO and our staff can’t provide legal advice.

Regardless of what you decide to do, you should communicate with your condominium corporation early and often. We have letter and email templates you can use, located in the Helpful Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Remember: If you don’t take action to comply with your condominium corporation’s governing documents or otherwise address any threatening or dangerous behaviour, another owner or your condominium corporation may take legal action against you, which might include filing a case against you with the Condominium Authority Tribunal (CAT).

Have a Question?

If you have a question about any of the information you’ve read, please contact us. We have a team available to answer any questions you may have.

If you think there is an issue with your corporation’s governing documents, you should first ensure that you can clearly identify and describe the problem.

Consistency and Reasonableness

• All three of a condominium corporation’s governing documents must be consistent with the Condo Act.
• A condominium corporation’s by-laws must also be reasonable and consistent with the corporation’s declaration.
• A condominium corporation’s rules must also be reasonable and consistent with both the corporation’s declaration and by-laws.

Procedural Requirements

Under the Condo Act, there are certain processes that must be followed to amend a corporation’s declaration, or to make, amend, or repeal the corporation’s by-laws and rules. If these processes are not followed, then those governing documents may not be enforceable.

For more information, you should review the information about governing documents on our website.

2. Contact your condominium corporation

Once you have identified the issue, you should contact your condominium corporation.

• If you think that a provision in your condominium corporation’s governing documents is unreasonable or inconsistent with another governing document or with the Condo Act, you should contact your condominium corporation’s board of directors and/or manager. If your condominium corporation agrees, they may initiate the process to change the corporation’s governing documents.
• If you think that your condominium corporation didn’t follow the right process to change your condominium corporation’s governing documents, you should contact your condominium corporation’s board of directors and/or manager.
• If you don’t know what to do next and need advice, you may wish to seek legal advice from a paralegal or lawyer licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. If you do not already have a lawyer or paralegal, you may be interested in the Law Society Referral Service, which is an online service provided by the LSO to connect people in need with licensed lawyers and paralegals. The service is free, and you may receive up to a half-hour free consultation. The CAO and its staff cannot provide legal advice.

We have letter and email templates you can use, located in the Helpful Resources section at the bottom of this page.

What if these steps don’t resolve my issue?

If you’ve tried the steps above and your issue still hasn’t been resolved, then you may be able to file an application with the CAT.

Visit Step #4 – Additional Help for more information.

Have a Question?

If you have a question about any of the information you’ve read, please contact us. We have a team available to answer any questions you may have.