Your first step is to learn more about what is and is not allowed in your condominium corporation. You can start by:

• Reviewing the information available in Step #2 – Legal Considerations above;
• Reviewing your condominium corporation’s governing documents; and,
• Determining if there are any other legal issues associated with the short-term rentals (e.g., Municipal By-laws).

2. Gather information from the owner or occupant who raised the issue

You may wish to reach out to the owner or occupant who raised the issue to gather all the information you can about the issue, including:

• The date and time when the issues occur;
• The type of short-term rental issue they are experiencing;
• Who they think is causing the issue;
• Any other details that might be relevant.

After you’ve gathered all the information you can, you should proceed to #3 below.

3. Determine who is causing the issue

Your next step is to determine who is 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 condominium 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.

4. Contact the owner and/or occupant causing the issue

If a unit owner or occupant is causing the issue, you may wish to speak with them directly. They may not know that they are causing an issue, so speaking to them about the issue may resolve your issue quickly.

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

• If the person causing the issue is a unit owner, then you should send your letter to the owner.
• If the person causing the issue is a non-owner occupant, then you should send your letter to the owner and the occupant.
• If you don’t know who is causing the issue, then you should send your letter to the unit owner.

In this initial communication, you may want to identify:

• The short-term rental related issue they have caused and / or the specific provision(s) in the governing document(s) they have violated (if any);
• How they can resolve the issue; and
• The condominium corporation’s next steps if the issue continues.

Depending on the nature of the issue, it may take some time to resolve. Your condominium corporation’s governing documents may set out a specific timeframe for resolving such an issue. If the governing documents don’t specify a timeframe, you should give the owner or occupant a reasonable amount of time to resolve the issue.

You should keep a record of your interactions with the owner and/or occupant with as much detail as possible and note the date and time that you sent them.

If the issue isn’t resolved after contacting the owner and/or occupant, proceed to #4 below.

5. Follow up

After you’ve contacted the responsible unit owner or occupant, 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 short-term rental 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.