Condominium Law

Condo disputes need focus.
Most don't need a fight.

The Condominium Authority Tribunal handles a specific range of practical disputes. Knowing exactly what it can order — and what it can't — shapes how you approach the case and what outcome is realistic.

CAT jurisdiction confirmed before you file anything
Records requests handled from notice to production
Negotiation, mediation, and adjudication representation
Condo corporation responses prepared

What condo owners actually deal with

Condo disputes reach the CAT in many forms. Some start with a letter from the corporation. Some start with a neighbour. Some start with a records request that went nowhere. Here is what we see most often.

Pet rules and animal disputes

A condo may allow pets but restrict breeds, sizes, or common area access. If the corporation is demanding you remove a pet, muzzle it, or keep it out of certain spaces, the enforcement process is not always straightforward. Disability-related accommodation requests for support animals add a separate layer — the condo's rules do not override the Human Rights Code.

Noise, smoke, and odour

Sound travels differently in concrete and steel buildings. Footsteps, music, appliances, dogs, and home workouts all generate complaints. Cigarette smoke, cannabis, cooking odours, and exhaust from a unit that drifts into a hallway or adjacent unit can also become CAT matters if the corporation issues a notice or an owner files.

Parking and storage

Assigned parking spots and storage lockers generate a steady volume of disputes — another owner using your spot, a vehicle abandoned in a visitor area for weeks, access to your storage blocked by the corporation, or a question about what was actually conveyed with your unit when you bought it.

Records requests

Owners have a right to request specific documents from their condo corporation: minutes of board and owner meetings, status certificates, financial statements, reserve fund studies, management and service contracts, and more. Improper refusals, excessive fees, unexplained redactions, and missed timelines are common grounds for a CAT application.

Chargebacks and rule enforcement

If the corporation charged costs back to your unit — for cleaning, repairs, or a rule violation you dispute — or issued a notice, compliance direction, or work order you believe is wrong or excessive, there may be a process to challenge it through the CAT.

How we can help

Assess whether your issue falls within CAT jurisdiction before you file
Advise on what evidence will matter at each stage of the process
Draft applications, responses, and settlement submissions
Represent you at the negotiation, mediation, or adjudication stage
Help condo corporations respond to CAT applications
Advise on records obligations and document production

Where condo disputes go

ForumWhat it handles
Condominium Authority TribunalRecords, nuisance, pets, animals, parking, vehicles, storage, and settlement compliance
Superior Court of JusticeInjunctions, oppression, serious damage, common element issues, and broader condo matters
Small Claims CourtSome chargeback or damage disputes, depending on the issue
Human Rights Tribunal of OntarioDisability accommodation issues involving service animals or age and disability, only where applicable

The first 15 minutes are free

No obligation. Just a straight answer on where you stand and what your options are.