Condos · Bill 16
Low condo fees are no longer good news. Since August 14, 2025, Bill 16 requires every co-ownership in Quebec to document its building and fund its reserve over a 25-year horizon. Buildings that undercharged for years will have to catch up.
Bill 16 has been fully in force since August 14, 2025 and imposes three obligations on divided co-ownerships in Quebec: a maintenance log for the building, a reserve fund study establishing the amounts needed over a 25-year horizon, and an attestation on the state of the co-ownership. Existing co-ownerships have until August 14, 2028 to produce their first log and first study, prepared by qualified professionals, then revise them periodically. Direct consequence: buildings that kept condo fees artificially low will have to raise them to fund the reserve. For a buyer, very low fees are now a warning sign rather than a selling point; for a seller, a well-funded reserve becomes an argument. The Loaa & Manseur team, number one at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, reviews these documents in every condo transaction. Answer within 24 hours: 438 807 3653.
The three obligations, in plain words
Adopted in 2019, Bill 16 stayed theoretical for years without its regulation. That is over: the full regime has been in force since August 14, 2025, resting on three pillars.
- The maintenance log. A structured record describing the building, its components, their condition and the work history: roof, windows, elevators, parking, envelope. No more oral memory of the syndicate president.
- The reserve fund study. The heavy piece: a professional evaluates the major repairs and replacements coming over 25 years and sets the amounts the syndicate must accumulate every year to face them.
- The attestation on the state of the co-ownership. A health report of the building and the syndicate, designed largely to inform buyers.
Existing co-ownerships have until August 14, 2028 to produce their first log and first study, then revise them periodically. Three years pass quickly for syndicates that have never documented anything.
Why condo fees are going up
The mechanism is simple. For years, many syndicates kept fees low to please co-owners, underfunding the reserve. Bill 16 makes that strategy untenable: once the study is produced, the gap between what the fund holds and what it should hold becomes a number in black and white, known to co-owners, buyers and their brokers.
Underfunded buildings will have only three options, often combined: raise monthly fees, vote special assessments, or postpone work and let the building decay. The first two cost the co-owner money; the third costs value.
This is the most important shift for the market: very low condo fees have moved from selling point to warning sign. A comparable unit charging $150 more per month in a building funded according to its study is often the better buy. Our page on condo fees in Quebec explains how to read a syndicate budget.
Buying a condo now: the new checklist
- the maintenance log and, if it exists already, the reserve fund study: does the building follow the recommendations, or ignore them?
- the attestation on the state of the co-ownership;
- the syndicate's financial statements and the actual reserve balance;
- the minutes of recent meetings: special assessments live there before they officially exist;
- the syndicate's timeline toward August 14, 2028 if nothing has been produced yet. A syndicate that has not started in 2026 will improvise in 2028.
One transition-period warning: until 2028, many buildings will not yet have their study. In that case the buyer is flying blind on the true health of the fund, and the price offered should reflect it. That analysis belongs before the offer, alongside the building inspection, and it changes what a fair price is. Our promise to purchase guide shows where these conditions fit.
Selling a condo: turning the law into an argument
For a seller, Bill 16 is an opportunity as much as a constraint. A condo in a building that has done its homework, log produced, study done, reserve funded, stands out immediately in a market where buyers have grown wary.
- gather the log, study, attestation, financials and minutes before the first visit, to answer a serious buyer the same day;
- if fees rose recently because of the study, address it head-on: an increase that funds the reserve is good news in disguise, and a broker knows how to present it that way;
- if the building is behind on its obligations, know it before the buyer does and price accordingly, rather than suffering a renegotiation at inspection.
The market context makes this matter more: on Montreal's South Shore, the condo segment has shifted in the buyer's favour, as our analysis of buying a condo in Brossard shows with APCIQ data. When buyers can choose, documentary transparency sells.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bill 16 for Quebec condos?
The law requiring divided co-ownerships to document and plan the maintenance of their building. Fully in force since August 14, 2025, it imposes three deliverables: a maintenance log, a reserve fund study over a 25-year horizon prepared by a qualified professional, and an attestation on the state of the co-ownership. All divided co-ownerships are covered, small or large, residential or commercial.
What is the Bill 16 compliance deadline?
Co-ownerships that existed when the regulation came into force have until August 14, 2028 to produce their first maintenance log and first reserve fund study. Some obligations, such as the attestation, already apply. The log and study must then be revised periodically.
Will Bill 16 increase condo fees?
In buildings that underfunded their reserve, yes: once the study is produced, the gap becomes public and the syndicate must adjust contributions through higher monthly fees or special assessments. In well-managed buildings the impact is small. That is why very low fees are now a signal to investigate rather than an advantage: they often announce a catch-up.
What documents should I request before buying a condo?
The maintenance log, the reserve fund study if it exists, the attestation on the state of the co-ownership, the syndicate's financial statements with the reserve balance, the declaration of co-ownership and the minutes of recent meetings. Together these documents reveal the building's real financial health, upcoming work and special assessments in gestation. A broker reviews them before the offer to adjust price or conditions.
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