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Obtaining a License for Condominium Management – an Overview

Mandatory licensing for condominium management is steadily approaching.  For details on this topic, see our previous blogs.  But in the meantime, we felt that an Overview might be useful.

Here’s a broad overview of the coming requirements:

Obtaining a License for Condominium Management – an Overview

I.   The first step is to consider the following question: Are you (or will you be) providing condominium management services?   In other words, will you need a license?  [Again, see our previous blogs on this topic.]

II.   Assuming you do need a license, you have until January 29, 2018 to make application. As of November 1, 2017, you will be able to make application (on line) at the website for the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario. As part of the application process, you will of course be required to pay the applicable licensing fees.

III.   If you have less than two years of condominium management experience in the past five years (when you make application), you can only apply for a Limited License. You will then have five years to obtain your General Licence.

IV.   If you have more than two years of condominium management experience in the past five years (when you make application), there are two possibilities:

(a)   You can apply for your Transitional General Licence (but you will need to obtain a General License within three years of obtaining your Transitional General License).

(b)   You can apply for your General Licence, if you have fulfilled the necessary education and examination requirements. For now, this requirement is essentially the testing and examination requirements for an ACMO RCM designation.  Note that Managers with 10 years of experience may be able to fulfill these requirements through an abbreviated “refresher course and examination” process.  [For more detail, contact ACMO – the Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario.]

V.   NOTE: If you haven’t provided condominium management services during August, September or October of 2017, you may also only be able to make application for a Limited Licence.  [For more detail, see the CMRAO website.]

VI.   Condominium Management Providers will also be required to make application for their own licences and (as part of that process) to identify a principal condominium manager. They will also be required to pay additional licensing fees (quite separate and apart from the licensing fees payable by managers).

As of January 30, 2018, it will no longer be legal for a person or firm to provide condominium management services without a licence.

It’s coming soon!

Stay tuned to Condo Law News for more blogs about amendments to the Condominium Act and upcoming events .