Before you draw a single layout, get your building’s governing documents: the declaration, bylaws and rules. Property management can provide copies, or you can submit a records request. A status certificate also includes them, and its fee is capped at $100 including tax. The declaration defines the boundary between your unit and the common elements, and that boundary is not intuitive. In many GTA buildings the concrete slab, exterior walls, windows, balcony, plumbing stacks, HVAC risers and sometimes the ceiling are common elements, even though they sit inside or next to your unit. What you can do to them, and what agreements you need first, follows from that definition.
| The most expensive sequencing error in condo renovation is designing first and reading the declaration second. |
Most guides describe two. There are three, and they are independent. Satisfying one does not satisfy the others.
The corporation manages the common elements and enforces the declaration, bylaws and rules. You need its written approval, usually through property management, before any work begins. A typical application includes:
Processing takes about two weeks in a well-run building and four to six weeks in others, longer if the board meets monthly and the application needs board review. Build this into the schedule before you sign a construction contract.
Many condo scopes need a building permit from the City of Toronto or the relevant GTA municipality. Permits are generally triggered by structural work, new or removed walls (which in a condo may also be fire separations), new or relocated plumbing fixtures, and changes to mechanical systems. Replacing cabinets, countertops or fixtures in their existing locations generally does not need one. The permit comes from the municipality, not the corporation. Where work touches a common element, the municipality may ask for the corporation’s written authorization with the application, which is another reason to secure condo approval first.
In Ontario, electrical work is not covered by the building permit. It falls under the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), and the notification, commonly called an ESA permit, is filed by a Licensed Electrical Contractor (LEC). Replacing an existing fixture with a similar one is generally treated as maintenance. New circuits, relocated devices, added pot lights and any panel work need notification and inspection. Confirm that your electrician is an LEC and that the notification is actually filed. The ESA certificate is often what property management asks for at closeout.
If your renovation alters a common element, section 98 of the Ontario Condominium Act requires a written agreement between you and the corporation, registered on title. It sounds procedural. It is not. It permanently allocates responsibility for maintaining, repairing and insuring the alteration, usually to you and every future owner of your unit. Work that commonly triggers one:
A section 98 agreement typically needs board approval, a lawyer, sometimes an engineer’s letter, and registration. Four to eight weeks is common. If your scope needs one, it is the critical path item for the whole project. Finding out in week six of a twelve-week schedule is a serious problem.
Every declaration differs, but these rules appear in most GTA buildings:
Hard flooring is the most frequent condo renovation scope and the most frequent source of conflict with the corporation and the neighbours below. Most declarations set a minimum impact sound rating for new hard flooring. IIC (Impact Insulation Class) is the rating that matters for footfall noise. STC measures airborne sound and is a different thing. Many GTA buildings require a minimum IIC of 50 to 55, or name an approved underlay directly. Two things owners routinely miss:
Get flooring approval in writing before ordering material. Tearing out non-compliant flooring is the most common expensive undo in GTA condo renovation.
If your building predates roughly 1990, budget for testing before demolition. Stipple ceilings, drywall joint compound, vinyl floor tile and pipe insulation from that era commonly contain asbestos. Disturbing it in a building with shared air systems is a health risk for your neighbours, triggers a work stoppage under Ontario occupational health and safety rules, and creates immediate liability for you. Testing costs little by comparison.
| Scope | Condo Approval | Building Permit | ESA | Section 98 Risk |
| Kitchen, same layout | Yes | Usually no | If new circuits or lighting | Low |
| Kitchen, sink or dishwasher moved | Yes | Yes | Usually | If stack connection changes |
| Bathroom, same layout | Yes | Usually no | If new circuits or lighting | Low |
| Bathroom, fixtures moved or exhaust altered | Yes | Yes | Usually | Likely if duct or stack affected |
| Flooring | Yes, with sound rating proof | No | No | Low |
| Pot lights or new circuits | Yes | No | Yes | If ceiling is common element |
| Paint and finishes | Notice to management | No | No | None |
Condo work is a different discipline from house renovation, and a contractor learning it on your project learns at your expense. Before you sign, ask:
A contractor who answers all of these specifically has done this work. One who hesitates on section 98 has not.
For a mid-range GTA condo renovation covering a kitchen, a bathroom and flooring:
| Stage | Duration |
| Governing documents and review | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Condo corporation application and approval | 2 to 6 weeks |
| Building permit (runs alongside condo approval) | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Section 98 agreement, if required | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Material procurement and scheduling | 2 to 4 weeks |
| Active construction under restricted hours | 5 to 10 weeks |
| Total, first consultation to completion | Roughly 3 to 5 months, longer if section 98 is on the critical path |
Approval stages cannot be compressed by starting early. Starting without them breaches the corporation’s rules and the Building Code Act, and a stop-work order costs far more time than the approval would have.
Maple Leaf Quality Renos manages the condo corporation application, the municipal permit and the ESA filing for every condo renovation we complete, and flags section 98 requirements at the estimate stage rather than mid-project. Every trade on our team carries the required insurance and works within building restrictions.
Contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation and a detailed written estimate.
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✉ contact@mapleleafqualityrenos.ca
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