CMRAO Quarterly: Autumn 2019

Autumn 2019 | Vol. 1 | Issue 1

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Message from the Chair: Welcome to CMRAO Quarterly

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the first issue of CMRAO Quarterly , the CMRAO’s first newsletter for stakeholders. Each quarter we will share news about our work and important insights about the condo management sector in Ontario.

In January of this year the CMRAO launched its first satisfaction survey, and the message we received from the survey and from events across the province is that there is a strong interest in the work involved with regulating this sector, and a desire for greater transparency about what we do. Through CMRAO Quarterly we will share more of these insights with you.

As a modern regulator we operate in the digital environment, so it makes sense for us to take advantage of online technologies to deliver communications using cost-effective approaches like this

e-newsletter and the CMRAO Blog —another new communications vehicle that was recently launched.

Since the CMRAO’s inception in 2017 we have communicated regularly with our licensees about the licensing program and other compliance-related matters. CMRAO Quarterly is a voluntary subscription for stakeholders like you who are interested in learning more about the work we do in the interest of consumer protection. We currently have 354 subscribers, which is an encouraging sign and demonstrates our mutual commitment to strengthening Ontario’s condo management sector.

Again, a warm welcome to all subscribers.

Aubrey LeBlanc

Chair of the Board

Licensing Update

Protections for Ontario's Condominium Communities

With a booming condo market and over 1.6 million Ontarians living in a condo, the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS) saw a need for revisiting and updating the laws and regulations surrounding condominium governance and management.

After reviewing the Condominium Act, 1998 , and receiving over 2,200 submissions and 200 recommendations from condo owners, developers, managers, and industry experts, the MGCS concluded that Ontario needed:

new laws and tools to increase consumer protection for condo owners and buyers,
improvements to how condos are run and managed, and
a means to strengthen the financial sustainability of condo buildings.

New legislation, the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 (CMSA), enabled the government to designate the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO) as the regulator of individuals and businesses providing condominium management services in Ontario. The CMRAO is dedicated to oversight of the condominium management sector, and to consumer protection for condominium communities across the province.

Through licensing and regulation, the CMRAO works in the public’s interest to establish high standards in condo management and to ensure that condo communities are managed by licensed professionals who operate in accordance with a code of ethics.

The CMRAO builds public trust in condo management services and protects condo communities by:

administering a mandatory licensing system for all condominium managers and management companies and ensuring that only qualified people and businesses hold a licence;
maintaining a public registry that lists licensed condominium managers and management companies, as well as information about licences, conditions, suspensions, revocations, or any disciplinary actions;
promoting and enforcing compliance with the CMSA’s licensing requirements and the Code of Ethics;
handling complaints about licensees by conducting inspections or investigations, helping resolve issues, holding discipline hearings, and taking corrective actions; and
maintaining training and education requirements for condominium managers.

Licensing, meeting minimum education and training requirements, and complying with a code of ethics enhances the integrity of the sector, strengthens the profession, and gives condominium owners confidence in the people and businesses that manage their important investment—their homes.

More information about why the CMRAO was created is available on the MGCS website:

CMRAO Licensing Fees

Every year licensees must pay an annual licence fee to renew their CMRAO licence.

So where do these licensing fees go?

Licensing fees cover the cost of operations and help the CMRAO regulate the condominium management sector. These costs include processing licence applications, enforcement and compliance activities (including inspections and investigations), handling complaints, discipline and appeals hearings, and public awareness activities.

The CMRAO is a not-for-profit corporation funded through the licensing fees of condo management licensees. Without these fees we wouldn’t be able to effectively deliver our regulatory services or carry out our consumer-protection mandate.

Providing value for money and being transparent and accountable for the efficient use of licensing fees is a priority for the CMRAO.

Watch our video to learn more:

The Survey Results Are In!

As outlined in section 8(6) of the administrative agreement with the MGCS, the CMRAO is required to conduct a client satisfaction survey of all or a sampling of its clients, stakeholders, and licensees at least once every two years. In January 2019, the CMRAO launched two surveys: one for licensees and one for stakeholders.

The majority of the respondents to the stakeholder survey were condo unit owners (61.49%) who had some familiarity with CMRAO’s complaints process (82%), though not as many respondents knew they could visit CMRAO’s Public Registry to see if their condominium manager was licensed.

The full survey report is now available on the CMRAO website.

View survey results

Learn Even More

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

The Role of the CMRAO

The CMRAO was created to protect the public’s interest in Ontario’s rapidly growing condominium sector. Nearly 50% of the new homes being built in Ontario are condominium units, and they represent large investments...