Who Works on Your Building? Condo Management Teams in London Ontario: What Boards Should Know
(From a Condominium Management Expert)
Practical Guidance for Smarter Governance in London & Sarnia, Ontario
Your board signed with a management company, but the person who answers the phone this month is not the person who pitched the contract. Invoices come from one name, the budget from another, and nobody is quite sure who is actually responsible for your building.
This guide explains who usually works on a condo building at a management company, what Ontario licensing rules say about who can do what, and the questions a London or Sarnia board can ask to find out exactly who handles its corporation.
Who actually works on a condo building at a management company?
Usually more than one person. Most boards deal with an assigned condo manager, but the work behind that person is often shared across a small team inside the management company.
The roles your board is likely to meet:
• The condo manager assigned to your building, who runs meetings, contractors and owner questions.
• A supervising or senior manager, who backs up the assigned manager and approves larger decisions.
• Accounting or bookkeeping staff, who post invoices, collect common expenses and prepare monthly statements.
• Administrative staff, who handle calls, notices, status certificate requests and records.
• Site staff or contractors, who do the cleaning, maintenance and repairs your manager arranges.
None of this is a problem in itself. The problem is when your board cannot name who does each job, or finds out only when something goes wrong.
What does Ontario law say about who can manage your condo?
Only licensed people can do the management work. This is not legal advice, but generally speaking under Ontario law, section 34 (1) of the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 says no person shall provide condominium management services unless licensed as a condominium management provider or as a condominium manager.
The same Act also governs the team behind your manager. Section 51 (1) says no licensed management provider shall employ an unlicensed person to perform a function for which licensing is required, and section 51 (2) says the provider must ensure every condo manager it employs carries out their duties in compliance with the Act and regulations.
Every licensed provider must also designate a principal condominium manager under section 49 (1), and section 49 (4) says that person shall ensure the provider complies with the Act and the regulations. Your board can fairly ask who that person is at your company.
Bookkeepers and administrative staff do not always need a licence, because not every task is a licensed function. The question for your board is whether the decisions about your building are made by a licensed manager, and which one.
What does a limited licence mean for who makes decisions?
It means a more senior licensee has to supervise the manager and sign off on certain decisions. Section 6 of O. Reg. 123/17 sets out more than one class of condo manager licence: limited, general and transitional general.
This is not legal advice, but generally speaking under Ontario law, section 8 (1) of O. Reg. 123/17 under the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 sets the conditions of a limited licence:
• The manager provides services only under the supervision of a supervising licensee.
• Entering into, renewing or ending a contract for your corporation needs that supervisor's prior approval.
• Spending above a small limit set in the regulation, not counting the reserve fund, needs prior approval too.
• Anything the corporation must give owners under the Condominium Act, 1998 needs prior approval.
Section 8 (2) allows a limited licensee to act without approval when it is necessary for immediate safety or to prevent imminent damage. Section 22 says the supervising licensee shall oversee the work and be readily available to help.
So if your assigned manager holds a limited licence, there is a second person involved in your building's bigger decisions. Your board should know that person's name. For what the letters after a manager's name mean, read our guide: RCM and OLCM Credentials in Ontario: What Your Condo Manager's Letters Mean for London Boards.
What questions should your board ask about your manager's team?
Ask for names and roles, not an org chart. A management company that knows who works on your building can answer these at your next board meeting:
• Who is our assigned condo manager, and what class of licence do they hold?
• If that licence is limited, who is the supervising licensee for our building?
• Who prepares our monthly financial statements, and who reviews them before we see them?
• Who answers when our manager is away or on vacation?
• How many other buildings does our manager look after, and how does the company decide that?
• If our manager leaves the company, how will the board be told and who takes over?
The answers matter more than any single number. A board that knows who to call for each job spends less time chasing and more time deciding.
What happens to your building when a manager changes?
It should be a planned handover, not a surprise. Staff changes happen at every company, but your board should hear about them from your manager first.
This is not legal advice, but generally speaking under Ontario law, section 12 of the Code of Ethics, O. Reg. 3/18, says a licensee shall keep a client informed in a timely manner of all significant steps it takes in providing condominium management services. A change in who manages your building is a significant step for most boards.
Section 46 of the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 requires providers to tell the registrar when a condo manager's employment starts or ends, but it does not require them to tell your board. Section 48 (1) requires a written contract governing the services, so put the notice and handover expectations in your management agreement.
At Sapphire, where we provide condo management in London Ontario and condominium management in Sarnia Ontario, our aim is that every board knows exactly who handles its building. Our team brings 25+ years of combined condo management experience, and boards in London and Sarnia tell us the difference they notice is a manager who answers, with the same standard year in and year out.
A team change is also a good moment to check the numbers. If your board wants a second opinion on its financial statements, you can request a free financial review on us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does everyone at a condo management company in Ontario need a licence?
A: No. Under section 34 (1) of the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015, anyone providing condominium management services must be licensed, and section 51 (1) bars providers from using unlicensed staff for licensed functions. Bookkeeping and office support are not always licensed functions, so ask which staff do what.
Q: Who is the principal condominium manager?
A: The licensed condo manager a management provider designates under section 49 (1) of the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015. Under section 49 (4), that person must ensure the company complies with the Act and regulations. Your board can ask who holds the role at your company.
Q: Can our board ask for a different condo manager?
A: You can ask, and most management companies in London and Sarnia will listen. Whether a change is required depends on your management agreement, so check what it says about the assigned manager and staffing before you raise it.
Related Reading
→ Questions Your Board Should Ask Your Condo Management Company Every Quarter
→ RCM and OLCM Credentials in Ontario: What Your Condo Manager's Letters Mean for London Boards
→ What a Manager Who Answers Looks Like: Service Standards London Ontario Boards Should Expect