The Advisory Committee provides valuable perspective and input on issues of importance and advises the CMRAO on emerging issues within the condominium industry.

Earlier this year, the CMRAO’s Board of Directors appointed Chris Jaglowitz as the inaugural Chair of the Advisory Committee. Chris is a condominium lawyer who is well known in the industry and is knowledgeable on a variety of condominium issues as the result of his extensive history in the sector. Chris has practised condominium law since 2003 and has taught condominium law at Humber College.

The CMRAO would also like to announce the appointment of Michael Steele to the Advisory Committee. Michael is a condominium owner who has a wealth of knowledge in multi-residential construction and has served on several provincial and federal advisory committees relating to the construction industry.

The Discipline Committee supports the CMRAO's disciplinary process by determining when a licensee has failed to comply with the CMRAO's Code of Ethics.

The CMRAO is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniela T. Corapi as the new Chair of the Discipline Committee. Daniela is a lawyer and an experienced mediator, prosecutor, and adjudicator. She has extensive litigation experience in both private practice and as corporate counsel. Her experience covers a wide range of civil litigation, regulatory, and administrative law matters. Daniela is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Institute of Ontario.

The CMRAO would like to thank Jeff Donnelly, outgoing inaugural Chair, for his invaluable contributions with establishing the Discipline Committee and all his adjudicative work during his time at the CMRAO.

Daniela T. Corapi

The CMRAO handles complaints by conducting inspections and investigations, assisting in issues resolution, holding discipline hearings, and taking corrective actions. What follows is a summary of the complaints received over the last year.

Handling complaints is an important aspect of consumer protection. The CMRAO works in the public interest to build trust and promote ethical and competent condominium management services across Ontario. The Registrar of the CMRAO is responsible for handling complaints against licensees as outlined in Section 57 of the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 (CMSA).

The CMRAO has received a volume of complaints that were not actionable as they did not fall within its jurisdiction. The CMRAO does not have jurisdiction over the decisions or conduct of the condominium corporation, other people, or businesses (such as the board of directors, administrators, security guards, or others) unless they are providing condominium management services illegally without a licence or otherwise violating the CMSA.

For the CMRAO to take regulatory action regarding a complaint, it must fall within the CMRAO’s jurisdiction. If a complaint is within its jurisdiction and has merit, then the type of regulatory action taken (for example, issuing a warning, suspending a licence, or referring a matter to the Discipline Committee or to the Statutory Director for complaints that could lead to a provincial offence) varies depending on the severity of the infraction. Handling complaints is a legal process and the CMRAO reviews every complaint it receives carefully and treats all parties fairly.

In November 2021, the CMRAO launched its new website, which featured expanded content reviewed by the CMRAO’s Advisory Committee. The new content clearly articulates the entire complaints process, the service standard assigned to each stage of the process, and the kinds of complaints that the CMRAO can handle based on its mandate. The process is defined by three distinct stages:

Complaints Process – Stage One: Initial Assessment (all complaints)

Once a complaint is received, it is assigned to a coordinator who reviews the submission and contacts the complainant within five business days with an update about the complaint. In the initial assessment stage, complaints are reviewed to determine if the complaint falls within the CMRAO’s jurisdiction. Staff will close complaint files that do not fall within the jurisdiction or that are not of regulatory concern, and will email a formal letter to the complainant outlining reasons for the case closure. However, if it is determined that the complaint does fall within the CMRAO’s jurisdiction and is of regulatory concern, then the complaint will move to the second stage – Information Gathering.

Complaints Process – Stage Two: Information Gathering (complaints within the CMRAO's jurisdiction)

The CMRAO gathers additional information from the licensee and/or other individuals, as necessary. Although most complaints involve only the CMRAO, the complainant, and the licensee, the CMRAO may also need to involve other individuals in the complaints process, such as members of the condominium corporation’s board of directors. If the coordinator requests information, the licensee will typically be given four weeks to provide a response. The CMSA requires that “a licensee who receives a written request for information shall provide the information as soon as practicable.”

Complaints Process – Stage Three: Review and Decision (complaints within the CMRAO's jurisdiction)

Once all the information has been gathered, the complaint is assessed and a decision is issued. For every complaint, a decision letter is issued to the complainant and the licensee. The decision letter generally includes a summary of the allegations, details about the information-gathering process, and the decision. At the end of the review process, the Registrar may do any of the following as appropriate:

Although not all the complaints are within its jurisdiction, the CMRAO aims to process 80% of the complaints it receives within 60 days. There are several factors that may lead to longer processing times, including:

The CMRAO’s complaints process provides an impartial assessment of concerns involving licensed managers and provider businesses to build trust in condominium management services and protect Ontario’s condominium communities.

All CMRAO licensees are required to follow a number of rules as outlined in the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015, and its regulations, including the Code of Ethics regulation, which sets out the general obligations of condominium managers and provider businesses, and promotes professionalism, reliability, and quality of service.

The CMRAO publishes its regulatory decisions to maintain transparency and accountability to the public and its stakeholders.

What follows are the CMRAO’s most recent compliance cases.

As the result of a complaint related to the conduct of a licensee, the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT) upheld a decision of the Registrar to revoke a condominium manager’s General Licence and apply conditions to the licence of their management provider business.

In April 2022, the CMRAO’s Discipline Committee issued a decision against a management provider business related to allegations that the licensee failed to transfer funds intended for their clients.

The CMRAO’s Discipline Committee issued a decision against a management provider business and its Principal Condominium Manager for permitting an unlicensed person to practise.

The results of the CMRAO’s 2022 satisfaction surveys have just been published in a new report. Our thanks to everyone who took the time to complete the surveys for licensees and stakeholders, which provided the CMRAO with valuable feedback.

The report is now available on the CMRAO website.

View the video highlights of both surveys:

CMRAO Quarterly is subscription-based newsletter for stakeholders like you who are interested in learning more about the CMRAO’s work to protect Ontario’s condominium consumers.

If you have any questions, comments, or story ideas for topics that you would like to see in a future issue, please send us an email and let us know!

The CMRAO's blog provides relevant, timely, and valuable information to help condominium managers better understand their role as licensed professionals. Here are some recent posts: