July 2025
With Toronto looking to increase the amount of co-op housing, more individuals will likely have to submit an application and be accepted by a co-op board before allowed to reside in a building.
Unlike condominiums which have no screening process for prospective buyers and tenants, co-ops have more discretion including the approval or rejection of prospective buyers or tenants. There may be income, age or other stipulations involved. A co-op board can request an in-person interview, bank account statements, and tax returns.
Understanding an individual’s finances and how many will reside in a unit is not unreasonable where individual actions can have an outsized impact on so many others. Local regulations provide limits on what information can be requested. Boards cannot make decisions based on race, religion, ethnicity, marital status or gender.
When a management office is involved, their job is to obtain the necessary information, ensure an applicant meets the stated qualifications and present it to the board without an opinion.
Condo and co-op boards are bound by their governing documents and federal, provincial and local laws. Co-ops include an application process. Condominiums have no authority to involve themselves in the sale of privately-owned units.
Boards have no authority to re-define their authority or responsibilities with regard to unit sales or transfers.
