The CAO’s operations are primarily funded by condo fees paid by condo owners and collected from condo corporations in Ontario. The assessment fees that corporations pay are calculated based on the equivalent of $1 per voting unit per month.

The CAO uses these fees to provide:

• Information and self-help resources about condominium living
• Mandatory online training for condominium directors
• Tools and guides for resolving common condominium issues
• Access to the Condominium Authority Tribunal, an online dispute resolution forum with exclusive jurisdiction to handle common condo-related disputes
• A condo registry containing information on all condominium corporations in Ontario, for increased transparency

The CAO administers the Condominium Authority Tribunal, an online tribunal dedicated to helping resolve common condo living disputes conveniently, quickly, and affordably.

Parties wishing to file CAT cases must pay an initial $25 fee and a separate fee for each stage of the CAT process.

Stage 1 – Negotiation begins as soon as the case is accepted. Parties can then decide to move to Stage 2 – Mediation, which happens when the applicant pays the $50 mediation fee.

Parties that cannot resolve their dispute in Stage 2 can then move to Stage 3 – Adjudication when the applicant pays the $125 fee.

If a case is not resolved by Settlement Agreement or Consent Order and a CAT Member makes a final decision to resolve the dispute, the unsuccessful party will typically be required to reimburse the successful party for their CAT fees, unless the CAT Member decides otherwise.

While the CAT generally will not order one party to reimburse another party for legal fees or costs, the CAT may order a party to reimburse another party for all or part of their costs, including costs directly related to behavior that was unreasonable, for an improper purpose, or that caused a delay or additional expense.

The Tribunal fees are not refundable.