Quebec condo laws: what a volunteer board needs to know

The day you take a seat on the board, nobody hands you the list of rules that apply. It fits in three laws and one document specific to your building. This page goes through them topic by topic, and points to the guide for each.

The Civil Code: the syndicate and its declaration

As soon as the declaration of co-ownership is published, the co-owners as a body form a legal person: the syndicate. The syndicate owns the contingency fund, signs the contracts and insures the building. The board runs it; the two are not the same thing.

The declaration of co-ownership comprises the act constituting the co-ownership, the by-laws of the immovable and the description of the fractions (art. 1052 C.C.Q.). It can settle what the Code leaves open, a longer notice period for instance. It cannot change what the Code requires: a clause that alters the majorities of the general meeting is deemed unwritten.

Common expenses and the two funds

Each co-owner contributes to the common expenses in proportion to the relative value of their fraction (art. 1064 C.C.Q.), their share of the common expenses. Each year, the board sets these contributions after consulting the general meeting. They cover the running costs of the building, the amounts paid into the contingency fund and those of the self-insurance fund, which pays for deductibles.

The contingency fund belongs to the syndicate and is used only for major repairs and the replacement of common portions. Its amount follows the contingency fund study, described below. To estimate the order of magnitude before the study, the contingency fund calculator does the math on screen.

The register, insurance and the certificate

The syndicate keeps a register available to the co-owners: their names and addresses, the minutes, the financial statements, the declaration, the contracts and, now, the maintenance log. A new board should be able to find in it everything the previous one decided.

The syndicate insures the whole building, for an amount that allows it to be rebuilt. That amount is assessed at least every five years by a member of a professional order designated by regulation. The syndicate also carries liability insurance for itself and for its board members.

When a unit is sold, the seller gives the buyer the syndicate's certificate, the document the notary asks for when a unit is sold. The syndicate provides it within 15 days of the co-owner's request (art. 1068.1 C.C.Q.). The certificate guide lists its contents and offers a template.

The general meeting of co-owners

The annual meeting is held within six months of the end of the financial year. The notice goes out at least 10 and at most 45 days before the meeting (art. 346 C.C.Q.), with the financial statements and the budget forecast. Within five days of receiving it, any co-owner may cause a question to be placed on the agenda.

Quorum and majorities are counted in votes, according to the relative value of each fraction, never in heads. The minutes go out to the co-owners within 30 days. The general meeting guide follows the sequence from the notice to the minutes, and the table of majorities says which vote applies to which decision.

Bill 16: the maintenance log and the fund study

Passed in 2019, Bill 16 rewrote part of the Civil Code. The board has a maintenance log established under Bill 16, describing the maintenance done and the maintenance required, keeps it up to date and has it reviewed periodically (art. 1070.2 C.C.Q.). It also obtains a contingency fund study, which sets the amounts needed for major repairs and replacements.

The regulation that sets the details has been in force since August 14, 2025. Existing buildings have until August 15, 2028, at the latest, for their first log and their first study. Setting up both initially falls to a professional who is a member of a designated order and independent of the syndicate; keeping the log up to date falls to the board. The Bill 16 page details the timeline.

In Kohabit, each piece of work is added to the maintenance log when it happens, and the log comes out as a PDF when someone asks for it. Kohabit helps you keep it; it does not guarantee compliance.

Law 25: personal information

The register holds names, addresses and sometimes more. Passed in 2021 and brought into force in stages from September 2022 to September 2024, Law 25 governs what the syndicate collects, keeps and shares. Its obligations fall on the syndicate, not on the provider of its tools. The Law 25 page goes through them one by one.

What your board can do this week

1. Reread the declaration of co-ownership, especially the by-laws of the immovable: a notice period longer than the Code's, rules on the use of common portions.
2. Write down the end date of the financial year, and so the deadline for the next annual meeting.
3. Open the register and check that it holds the minutes, the financial statements and the contracts.
4. Take stock of the maintenance log and the contingency fund study, against the August 15, 2028 deadline.
5. Check who on the board is responsible for personal information.

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