Nothing in Ontario's Condo Act forces a buyer to request one — but skipping it is the single riskiest shortcut in a condo deal.
Short answer
No statute requires a condo buyer to obtain a status certificate before closing, but making the offer conditional on a satisfactory review is standard due-diligence practice — it’s the buyer’s only formal window into the corporation’s finances and legal exposure before the deal becomes irreversible. Anyone can request a status certificate, and a corporation "can charge up to $100 including all applicable taxes" and "must provide them within 10 days."
Legally, no one compels a buyer to request a status certificate — a purchase can close without one. In practice, making the offer conditional on a satisfactory status certificate review "gives your lawyer time to read it within the condition period and lets you walk away if something serious turns up," and the guide is blunt about it: "Don’t skip this for a resale condo."
The Condominium Authority of Ontario confirms the mechanics: anyone can request one, not just an owner or prospective buyer, the corporation "can charge up to $100 including all applicable taxes to provide it," and "must provide them within 10 days" of the request.
A status certificate can include the current declaration, by-laws and rules; the current fiscal year’s budget, last audited financial statements and auditor’s report; a statement on the reserve fund study and the reserve fund’s condition; common expenses for the unit and any arrears; any increase in common expenses and why; any special assessments charged to the unit "since the current budget" and why; the certificate of insurance for current policies; and whether there are outstanding legal judgments or ongoing litigation involving the corporation — per CAO’s own list.
In a competitive market, waiving the status certificate condition to strengthen an offer is exactly the move that removes the buyer’s only chance to catch a special assessment or an underfunded reserve fund before it becomes their problem — see what actually kills a deal once it’s disclosed.
See also: the specific red flags that kill a deal and notice rules for showing a tenanted unit.
A 30-minute call is enough to walk through status-certificate conditions and what to flag before an offer goes firm.
