Bill 16 for condominiums: what your syndicate needs to know
Maintenance log, reserve fund study, syndicate certificate, August 2028 deadline: this guide explains in plain language what Bill 16 and its regulation require of every divided co-ownership in Québec, who is affected, who may produce the documents and what happens if you do not comply. Written by our team of technologists and engineers, who prepare these documents every day.
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5,200+ satisfied clients
An established practice serving Québec co-ownerships.
In-house team
Professional technologists (OTPQ) and engineers (OIQ). Nothing is subcontracted.
Regulation-compliant
Order in Council 991-2025: required content, 25-year horizon, independent professional.
Maintenance log software included
Reserved for our clients, at no cost, to record your annual updates.
From the adoption of the law to the 2028 deadline
Bill 16 was adopted in 2019, but its most concrete obligations only took effect with its implementing regulation, in August 2025. Here are the dates that matter for your board.
December 2019
Adoption of Bill 16, which modernizes the rules of the Civil Code of Québec on divided co-ownership: reserve fund, maintenance log, information for buyers, operation of the board of directors.
2020
Gradual coming into force of the Civil Code provisions. The content and frequency of the log and the study are left to a regulation, which took five years to arrive.
August 14, 2025
The implementing regulation (Order in Council 991-2025) comes into force: mandatory content, frequency and authorized professionals for the maintenance log and the reserve fund study.
Mid-August 2028
Deadline (3 years and 1 day after the regulation) to obtain the first maintenance log and the first reserve fund study. The syndicate certificate is already required.
Afterwards
Log updated every year and reviewed by a professional every 5 years (10 years for small co-ownerships); reserve fund study renewed every 5 years.
What Bill 16 requires of your syndicate
Bill 16 applies to every divided co-ownership in Québec, whatever its size — from a duplex held in co-ownership to a 300-unit tower, including horizontal co-ownerships of townhouses. The only condition: being constituted as a divided co-ownership, with a syndicate. Undivided co-ownership is not covered.
1. The maintenance logA document that describes the common portions of the building (materials, equipment, installation dates), assesses their condition and remaining useful life, plans major work over 25 years and sets the schedule of routine maintenance. It is updated every year by the board or the manager and reviewed by a professional every 5 years — or every 10 years for small co-ownerships (8 private portions or fewer, 3 above-ground storeys or fewer, or common portions outside a building).
2. The reserve fund studyBased on the log, it estimates year by year, over at least 25 years, the cost of major repairs and replacements, adjusted for inflation, then recommends the annual contributions to the fund and the minimum amount to keep in it. It is renewed every 5 years, without exception.
3. Contributions based on the studyThe board of directors must set the contributions to the reserve fund according to the recommendations of the study. The fund is used exclusively for major repairs and the replacement of the common portions; it cannot be used for current expenses.
4. The syndicate certificate upon a saleAt the request of a prospective buyer, the syndicate provides within 15 days a certificate on the state of the co-ownership: state of the reserve fund, studies carried out, planned work, pending proceedings, etc. The absence of a log and a study shows up immediately. This obligation is already in force.
5. The syndicate registerThe log, the study, the reports and the financial statements are kept in the syndicate register and are accessible to co-owners, who can thus verify that the board is meeting its obligations.
Who may produce the documentsAn engineer, an architect, a professional technologist or a chartered appraiser — and, for the study, also a CPA — practising in a relevant field and independent of the syndicate. A director, a manager or a co-owner cannot sign them personally.
Already done?A log or a study prepared between August 14, 2023 and August 14, 2025 by an authorized professional, and compliant with the content of the regulation, is recognized; it will have to be reviewed 5 years after its date. An earlier or incomplete document must be redone or completed before August 2028.
Good to know: Bill 141 (2018) imposes other obligations — notably the self-insurance fund covering the syndicate’s insurance deductibles. It adds to Bill 16; it does not replace it.
Where does your co-ownership stand?
Five checkboxes to find out whether your maintenance log must be reviewed every 5 or every 10 years, and what you still need to obtain before the August 2028 deadline.
This tool gives a general indication based on the regulation in force. Our team confirms your exact situation and deadlines as part of a service proposal.
1. How often your log must be reviewed
2. Where do you stand?
What Bill 16 changes for your board of directors
Beyond the documents to produce, the law changes how a syndicate budgets, decides on work and sells its units.
Budget and contributions
Contributions to the reserve fund are based on the study, not on a percentage set by guesswork. Increases are justified with figures, component by component.
General meeting of co-owners
The board presents the log, the study and the state of the fund; votes on work and special assessments are taken on a documented basis.
Sale of a unit
The syndicate certificate, due within 15 days, reveals the state of the fund and the studies carried out. A compliant file reassures buyers, notaries and lenders.
Register and transparency
Log, study and reports are kept in the register and can be consulted by co-owners. A well-documented board is a board that is hard to challenge.
Directors’ liability
Directors have a duty to act with prudence and diligence. A documented failure — no log, no study, underfunded reserve — engages their liability.
Three obligations, one team
The log and the study identify and fund the work; the façade and parking structure inspection (Bill 122) completes your legal obligations; our structural engineers then design and supervise the work.
Maintenance log and reserve fund study
Both documents in a single inspection, produced in-house by our technologists (OTPQ) and engineers (OIQ). Service proposal by email within two weeks.
Façade and parking structure inspection
Verification report every 5 years for buildings of 5 storeys or more and for parking slabs.
Plans and specifications, tendering, supervision
When the work comes, our structural engineers design it, have it carried out and certify it.
Bill 16: the questions syndicates ask
What is Bill 16?
Bill 16, adopted in December 2019, amended the Civil Code of Québec to better regulate divided co-ownership: management of the reserve fund, maintenance log, information for buyers, operation of the board of directors. Its most concrete measures — the content and frequency of the log and the study — depended on a regulation, which came into force on August 14, 2025.
Is Bill 16 in force?
Yes. The Civil Code provisions have been in force since 2020, and the regulation specifying the maintenance log and the reserve fund study has been in force since August 14, 2025. Syndicates have 3 years and 1 day, i.e. until mid-August 2028, to obtain their first log and first study.
What is the deadline to comply?
Mid-August 2028 for the first maintenance log and the first reserve fund study. Note that the syndicate certificate upon a sale is already required, and the board must already set its contributions prudently. Given the limited number of authorized professionals and the thousands of syndicates affected, we recommend not waiting until 2028.
Which co-ownerships are affected?
Every divided co-ownership in Québec, with no size threshold: small buildings of 2 to 8 units, horizontal co-ownerships of townhouses, residential towers and commercial co-ownerships alike. Undivided co-ownership (with no syndicate) is not covered.
What is the difference between the maintenance log and the reserve fund study?
The log describes the building: inventory of the common portions, condition, remaining service life, maintenance schedule and major works plan. The study puts figures on it: based on the log, it projects costs over 25 years and recommends the contributions and the minimum amount of the fund. The study must rest on a compliant log, which is why the two are generally prepared together.
Who may prepare the log and the study?
An engineer, an architect, a professional technologist or a chartered appraiser — and for the study also a CPA — practising in a relevant field and independent of the syndicate. A director, a manager or a contractor cannot produce them personally. At Darheim, both documents are prepared in-house by our technologists (OTPQ) and engineers (OIQ).
Is our small co-ownership subject to the same rules?
Yes, with one relief: if your co-ownership has 8 private portions or fewer (not counting parking and storage spaces), 3 fully above-ground storeys or fewer, or common portions located outside a building, the professional review of the log goes from every 5 years to every 10 years. The annual update of the log and the renewal of the study every 5 years still apply.
What does a syndicate risk if it does not comply?
The consequences are practical first: upon every sale, the syndicate certificate reveals the absence of a log and a study, which can derail a transaction or lower the price. Directors also engage their personal liability if they fail to meet their obligations, and an underfunded reserve sooner or later turns into large special assessments.
How much do a maintenance log and a reserve fund study cost?
The price depends on the number of units, the age and complexity of the building (underground parking, elevators, mechanical systems) and the existing documentation. Preparing both documents during a single inspection reduces the total cost. We send a detailed, itemized service proposal by email within two weeks.
Are our study or log prepared in 2024 still valid?
If they were prepared between August 14, 2023 and August 14, 2025 by an authorized professional and meet the content of the regulation (25-year horizon, complete inventory, etc.), they are recognized and will have to be renewed 5 years after their date. A document dated before August 2023, or an incomplete one, must be redone or brought up to standard before August 2028. We check the compliance of your existing document.
What is the syndicate certificate?
A document that the syndicate must provide within 15 days to a prospective buyer who requests it. It presents the state of the co-ownership: reserve fund, studies and log carried out, planned work, special assessments, legal proceedings, etc.
What is the difference between Bill 16 and Bill 141?
Bill 141 (2018) deals with insurance in co-ownership: it notably created the self-insurance fund, which covers the syndicate’s deductibles in the event of a loss. Bill 16 (2019) deals with maintenance and financial planning: log, reserve fund study, certificate. Both apply to your syndicate.
Where do we start?
Gather what already exists (plans, declaration of co-ownership, work history, reserve fund financial statements), then request a service proposal for the log and the study. A single inspection produces both documents; you then receive a signed file, ready for the register, the general meeting and the certificates.