Working Together to Elevate the Sector: Highlights from the CMRAO's First Five Years
Five years ago, on November 1, 2017, the CMRAO was established under the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 (CMSA). From the beginning, the CMRAO’s mandate has been to regulate Ontario’s growing condominium management sector and promote high professional standards for Ontario’s condominium managers and provider businesses. A previously unregulated sector with an unknown number of service providers, today there are 3,887 licensed condominium managers and 404 licensed provider businesses (as at November 15, 2022).

For a young organization, the CMRAO has achieved many noteworthy milestones over the first five years of operation that range across multiple areas of program and service delivery:
Licensing
  • As its first priority, the CMRAO sets standards and enforces the mandatory licensing of condominium managers and provider businesses.
  • Before the CMRAO began operations, anyone could provide condominium management services. Today, condominium managers are professionals who, like other professions in Ontario, need a licence to provide their services. To be licensed by the CMRAO, condominium managers must meet education and experience requirement standards, and comply with a code of ethics.
  • The CMRAO introduced professional designations that condominium managers and provider businesses can use to promote their licences across social media and on personal/corporate branding materials.
Compliance
  • The CMRAO’s compliance program enforces the legislation that all licensees are required to follow. Managers and provider businesses that commit infractions may face discipline and other kinds of licensing and enforcement actions that are published on the CMRAO website.
  • Complaints received by the CMRAO could lead to disciplinary hearings heard by a panel of at least three members from the CMRAO’s Discipline Committee, appointed by the CMRAO Board of Directors.
  • The CMRAO initiated a proactive risk-based inspections program to monitor and confirm that condominium managers and provider businesses are in compliance with key requirements under the CMSA and its regulations.
Education
  • The CMRAO developed and published the first competency profile for condominium managers in Ontario, which identifies the professional competencies (or minimum expectations) expected of an individual who holds a General Licence with the CMRAO.
  • As of November 1, 2021, the responsibility for setting education standards transferred from the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery to the Registrar of the CMRAO.
  • In 2021, the CMRAO launched a new education program featuring six courses that further reinforces the professionalization of Ontario’s condominium management sector to ensure that new managers have the knowledge required to succeed in this continuously growing industry.
  • The CMRAO introduced Excellence in Condominium Management, a mandatory course for anyone applying for a Limited Licence with the CMRAO that provides foundational knowledge about the condominium industry and the role of a condominium manager to set a consistent standard of excellence for entry-level condominium managers in Ontario.
  • The CMRAO recently introduced the framework for a new continuing education program that will strengthen the profession by ensuring that condominium managers maintain and improve professional competencies.
Consumer Protection
  • Handling complaints is an important aspect of consumer protection, and the CMRAO has developed an online complaints process that helps to build trust and promote ethical and competent condominium management services by offering a mechanism to report practices that may violate the CMSA and Code of Ethics. Complaints submitted to the CMRAO are processed consistently and adhere to standardized timelines.
  • The public registry is an accessible and searchable database of all condominium managers and provider businesses licensed to provide their service in Ontario, with details about the licence (including discipline decisions, and licence conditions) for each licensee.
Further, the CMRAO has conducted six satisfaction surveys to date (three for licensees and three for stakeholders) to gather industry feedback and gauge the impact of its programs, service delivery, and communications activities for licensees and condo owners and directors. The CMRAO’s Advisory Committee, whose members are appointed by the CMRAO Board of Directors, provides input on issues of importance to consumers related to the CMRAO’s mandate and delivery of condominium management services.

It has been a busy and productive first five years. The CMRAO appreciates and values the distinct roles of industry associations, stakeholders, and other partner organizations as we continue our collective work to maintain and enhance standards for Ontario’s growing condominium management sector. Meeting these standards enhances the integrity of the sector, elevates the profession, and provides condominium owners and residents with confidence in the people and companies that manage their important investment.
Update on the CMRAO's Proactive Inspections program
The CMRAO has initiated a risk-based inspections program to monitor and confirm that condominium managers and provider businesses are complying with key requirements under the Condominium Management Services Act, 2015 (CMSA) and its regulations.
In the CMRAO’s first five years of operation, numerous inspections have been conducted in response to complaints alleging serious types of misconduct that resulted in regulatory actions, including the revocation and suspension of licences. The allegations range across several areas, from dishonourable or unprofessional conduct to misappropriation of funds and allegations of fraud.
In response to Recommendation 7 of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario’s Value-for-Money Audit on Condominium Oversight in Ontario, the CMRAO has broadened its compliance program to include proactive standardized inspections of its licensees. In the interest of consumer protection, it is common practice for regulatory bodies to conduct routine inspections of their registrants or licensees.
The CMRAO is currently conducting proactive inspections of condominium managers and provider businesses. The licensees have been selected and all twelve inspections are underway and on track for the targeted completion date of March 31, 2023.
The approach to these inspections was informed by consultations with the CMRAO Advisory Committee to focus on four key areas:

  1. proper records management practices, including records turnover processes
  2. administration of owners’ meetings and elections, including the use of proxy forms
  3. declaration of conflicts of interest to a client’s Board of Directors
  4. written contract with all clients
The CMRAO prepared and published guides to help licensees prepare for the inspection areas of focus, which are available to the public.

Learn more about the CMRAO’s proactive inspections program on the website.
Understanding the Different Roles of the CMRAO and the CAO
The Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO) and the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) are two authorities involved in different aspects of condominium living in Ontario. Although both organizations work in the interest of consumer protection, each organization plays a different role.

View the infographic on our website to see the differences between the two organizations.
New Continuing Professional Education Program for General Licensee
On November 15, 2022, the CMRAO released its new Continuing Professional Education (CPE) framework for condominium managers in Ontario, which is available on the CMRAO website. Effective July 1, 2023, all General Licensees will be required to complete a mandatory CPE program to renew their licence.

The CPE program aims to strengthen the competencies of General Licensees. The annual completion of CPE requirements will ensure that General Licensees can refresh and improve on existing expertise, stay up to date with the latest legislation and best practices, as well as acquire new skills.

The CPE program was developed to support the CMRAO’s mandate to strengthen the condominium management profession and protect consumers in Ontario’s expanding and complex condominium sector.
Continuing Professional Education Webinar
Join us on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, for the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Framework webinar with Ali Arlani, CEO and Registrar, and Sandy Vizely, Deputy Registrar. Details of the new program will be discussed, including specific components and requirements, eligible activities for the program, and other CPE reporting requirements.

This webinar is an opportunity for licensees to learn about the new CPE program, and to have their questions answered.
Licensing Update
Complaints
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. This is information the CMRAO will be sharing about the work we do to protect consumers and regulate Ontario’s rapidly growing condominium management sector.
Learn Even More
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:
On November 1, 2021, the CMRAO introduced a new mandatory education course for Limited Licence applicants. Individuals who apply for a Limited Licence must now ...

In response to feedback received from the condominium sector, the CMRAO has developed an online Management Directory to make the search for a condominium ...

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