August 14, 2028: what your condo association must have finished before the Act 16 deadline

Quick answer. On August 14, 2028, every divided co-ownership in Quebec will need a compliant Act 16 maintenance log, regardless of its size. Act 16 (formerly known as Bill 16, before it was passed) is the law that makes this log mandatory. This is not a last-minute formality: between gathering the documents, having a qualified person inventory the components, and breaking in day-to-day record-keeping, a volunteer condo association should plan on a comfortable 12 to 18 months. The best time to start was yesterday; the second-best time is this month.

Why two years is not much

On paper, August 2028 seems far off. In practice, three factors shorten the runway.

First, the initial build does not depend on you alone. The inventory and assessment of components call for building professionals, and they will be in ever greater demand as tens of thousands of condo associations wake up at the same time. Logs commissioned in 2026 are negotiable; those commissioned in the spring of 2028 will be snapped up at a premium, if you can find anyone at all.

Second, the raw material for your log is scattered. Work invoices, inspection reports, warranties, maintenance contracts: in a volunteer condo association, these documents live with the former treasurer, in a box in the basement, and across three email threads. Gathering them takes weeks, not hours, and no one can do it for you.

Third, a log is only worth anything once it has been broken in. A document delivered by a professional and never updated will be out of date before the deadline even arrives. It takes a few months of day-to-day record-keeping before logging an intervention becomes a reflex for the board rather than a chore.

The month-by-month countdown

Summer-fall 2026, gather. Bring everything that exists into one place: declaration of co-ownership, plans, past reports, major invoices, warranties, current contracts. Do not sort, just gather. Appoint someone on the board to own it and set an end date: two months is enough if one person carries the file.

Winter 2026-2027, request quotes. Contact two or three professionals for the initial inventory of components. Compare what is included: inspection, estimated service lives, proposed maintenance schedule. This is also the time to choose the tool that will carry day-to-day record-keeping, so the professional delivers their data straight into it rather than into a PDF that will gather dust.

First half of 2027, build. The inventory is done, the components documented, the maintenance schedule set. Check that every major component has a defined due date: a log without a schedule is just a snapshot.

Second half of 2027, break it in. Log every intervention as it happens, adjust the frequencies, train the next board on the tool. This is the half-year that turns a document into a system.

Early 2028, verify. Contingency fund study aligned with the log, certificate on the condition of the condominium available on demand, history up to date. You reach the deadline as a spectator, not in an emergency.

What if we are already behind?

If you are reading this in 2027 or 2028, the sequence stays the same, just compressed: gathering the documents and commissioning the inventory start in parallel from the first week, and day-to-day record-keeping begins the day the inventory is delivered. What disappears is the comfort of comparing quotes and the calm break-in period. Nothing is lost, but every month of waiting is paid for in options.

For the detail of what the log must contain, who can write it, and what it costs, our complete guide to the Act 16 maintenance log covers it all. And for the log's companion piece, the free contingency fund calculator gives you a first projection in a few minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Can the August 14, 2028 deadline be pushed back?

Nothing suggests it will be. The regulation is in force and the deadline is set. Building your compliance on the hope of a postponement is a bet your responsibility as a board member should not take.

What actually happens on August 15, 2028 if we are not ready?

No one will come and seal the building, but every sale will call for documents you cannot produce, every claim will raise the question of documented maintenance, and the board's liability will be harder to defend. The penalty is diffuse but very real.

What should we start with this week?

An email to the board with a single decision on the agenda: who gathers the documents, and by what date. Everything else follows from there.

Sources

• Act 16 (2019) and its implementing regulation, official texts on LegisQuebec
• Rules for managing divided co-ownerships, Quebec.ca
• Complete guide to the maintenance log, Kohabit

Written by Ben, founder of Kohabit and a volunteer board member of his own condo association. This article is informational and does not replace legal advice.