Budget season and the run-up to the AGM are when many condominium boards ask a hard question: is our management company still the right fit? Changing managers is one of the biggest decisions a board makes. Done carelessly, it can leave owners without records, answers or emergency service. Done well, it resets communication, tightens the finances and restores owners' confidence in their board.

This checklist walks Ontario boards through the decision and the change, step by step, so 2027 starts on the right footing.

Before you decide: is it the manager, or how you work together?

Boards usually start looking when the same frustrations keep coming back:

· Emails and owner calls go unanswered for days.
· Monthly financial statements arrive late, or the board cannot follow them.
· Projects from the reserve fund study drift from year to year.
· Contractors are not supervised, and the same repairs keep coming back.
· The board spends more time managing the manager than governing the corporation.

Raise these problems with your current firm first and put your expectations in writing. Sometimes a new manager on the account fixes the issue. If nothing changes, you will have a clear record of why the board decided to move on.

Step 1: Read your management agreement

Your current agreement decides how and when you can leave. Look for the term and renewal date, the termination clause, the notice period, any fees on early termination and what the manager must hand over when the agreement ends. The corporation's records belong to the corporation, not to the management company.

If the agreement was signed by the developer before the turnover meeting, the Condominium Act gives the board a window in the first year after turnover to end it on 60 days' written notice. When in doubt, ask the corporation's lawyer before you give notice.

Step 2: Write down what your board needs

A clear request for proposal gets clearer answers. Describe your corporation's size and type, the number of buildings and units, the age of the property and the major projects coming up. Then list what you expect from a manager:

· How often the manager visits the site and attends board meetings.
· What financial reporting the board receives, and when.
· How owners reach the manager, and how quickly they hear back.
· What the board expects for after-hours emergencies.
· Any owner portal or communication tools you need.

Step 3: Check licences and credentials

Condominium managers and management firms in Ontario must be licensed by the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO). Before you shortlist a firm, look up the company and the manager who would handle your corporation on the public register at cmrao.ca. Ask whether the firm holds any industry certifications, such as ACMO 2000 from the Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario.

Step 4: Request and compare proposals

Send the same information to every firm and set a firm due date. When the proposals arrive, compare them line by line rather than on the headline fee:

· Which services are included in the monthly fee, and which are billed as extras.
· How many corporations the assigned manager already looks after.
· Who covers the manager during holidays and after hours.
· References from boards with properties like yours.
· How the firm plans the transition from your current manager.

Our guide to condo management fees in Ontario explains what usually drives the price and which extra charges to ask about.

Step 5: Make the decision properly

Choosing a manager is usually a board decision, made by resolution at a properly called board meeting and recorded in the minutes. Check your declaration and by-laws for any special requirements. Then sign the new agreement and give written notice to your current manager as the old agreement requires.

Step 6: Plan the handover

The handover is where a change succeeds or fails. Agree on the exact cut-over date, and make sure the incoming manager requests the following from the outgoing firm in writing, with deadlines:

· The minute book, declaration, by-laws, rules and owner and resident registers.
· Current and prior-year financial statements, bank records and reserve fund records.
· The reserve fund study and any engineering reports.
· Insurance policies, contracts, warranties and open work orders.
· Keys, access devices and alarm codes.

Before the cut-over date, tell owners who their new manager is, how to pay common expenses and which number to call in an emergency. There should never be a gap in emergency service.

What a handover looks like with Enfield

When a board appoints The Enfield Group, the handover starts the day the agreement is signed. From signing to full management handover typically takes about 60 days, depending on the notice period in your current contract and how quickly records arrive. We write to the outgoing manager with a clear list of what we need, meet your board to agree priorities, set up banking and owner communications, and introduce your condominium manager, so residents know who to call from day one, including our 24/7 live support line.

Your 2027 checklist

· Concerns raised with the current firm and documented.
· Management agreement reviewed: term, notice and termination terms.
· Board needs written into a request for proposal.
· Licences checked on the CMRAO public register.
· Proposals compared on services, staffing and transition plans.
· Board resolution passed and recorded in the minutes.
· Written notice given and a cut-over date agreed.
· Records requested in writing, with deadlines.
· Owners told about the new manager, payments and the emergency number.

Talk to Enfield

Our step-by-step guide on how to switch condo management companies covers each stage in more detail, and our condominium management services page explains what we do for boards every month. Whether your corporation is in Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton or elsewhere in the Golden Horseshoe, call 905-689-7341 or request a proposal.

This article is general information about Ontario condominiums, not legal advice. Speak with your corporation's lawyer about your management agreement.