December 2016
Ontario has more than 10,000 condo corporations and 750,000 condo units in Ontario according to Marie-France Lalonde, Ontario Minister of Government and Consumer Services. These figures are confusing in light of available data.
In 2009 it was reported that there were 1,941 condo corporations in Toronto and 8,788 in Ontario. In 2012 a Toronto Star article reported there were 6,750 condo corporations in Ontario which is a 23% decline.
According to the Ontario Land Registry Office, there are now about 2,500 condo corporations in Toronto. If accurate, this is growth – 28% over a seven year period or about 4% per year on average – in the number of Toronto condo corporations between 2009 and 2016.
Available data is confusing when it comes to growth or decline in condo living.
On the street, growth appears to be steady and dramatic.
Something is amiss. It makes little sense that the number of condo corporations in Ontario declined by 20%+ over a three year period then started increasing only since 2012. For those living in Toronto and surrounding areas, growth in condo buildings – and condo corporations – has been continuous for at least 20 years.
Illinois is another area having difficulty determining the size of their HOA population. HOAs, or Homeowners’ Associations, are a comparable form of management to condo corporations. The state’s Community Associations Institute records identify 18,259 condominiums and HOAs in the state during 2016. An independent study by Association Evaluation Inc. found there were more than 50,000 condominiums and HOAs. This study found that 80% were self-managed or managed by developers. It also found that 45% of the HOAs managed fewer than 24 units.
In Illinois there appear to be thousands of unregistered condo associations and HOAs. These are primarily self-managed properties not required to register with the state.
Toronto Condo News has been unable to obtain information on the number of self-managed condo corporations in Toronto.
