Can a condo corporation really put a lien on my unit?

Yes. Section 85 of Ontario's Condominium Act gives a corporation a lien right when an owner defaults on common expenses. The corporation must follow the notice and registration rules to preserve that lien.

How quickly can the condo register a lien after I miss a payment?

The corporation must give you at least 10 days' written notice before registration. It must register the certificate within three months after the default that created the lien, or that lien expires.

Can legal fees be added to a condo lien?

Section 85 can include reasonable legal costs and expenses incurred to collect or try to collect unpaid common expenses. That is different from a compliance lawyer-letter cost, which is not automatically chargeable without separate authority or a court or CAT award.

My mortgage lender was told about the lien. What should I do?

Contact the lender promptly to learn what it requires, request a current itemized statement from the corporation, and obtain licensed Ontario legal advice if the lien, amount, priority, or next deadline is disputed.

What if I can't pay the full amount the condo is demanding?

Ask the corporation in writing whether it will accept a payment plan, and get any agreement in writing before relying on it. A plan does not erase the lien right, and the notice and registration timelines keep running unless the default is resolved, so act before the deadlines rather than after. If a certificate of lien has already been registered or enforcement has started, get licensed Ontario legal advice promptly.

I paid the condo lien. When must it be discharged?

After full payment, the corporation must prepare and register a discharge and advise you in writing. The verified legislation does not give a simple fixed number of days, so ask for the registered discharge details and verify title rather than relying on an invented deadline.

Condo Lien Notice Ontario Explained

A condo corporation's lien rights are stronger than most other creditors'. Here is what a notice actually means.

A lien right and a registered certificate of lien are related but not identical. The lien right arises from a default in common expenses. Registration preserves that lien beyond the three-month period and places it on title.

The lien can cover the unpaid common expenses, interest, and reasonable legal costs and expenses incurred to collect or try to collect them. That collection-cost rule is different from a compliance lawyer-letter charge, which is not automatically chargeable to an owner.

Before you pay or reply: how to read the lien notice

1Find the date of default and the notice date, and calculate the three-month registration deadline from the default date. That is the clock everything else runs on.
2Confirm the written notice gives you at least 10 days before a certificate of lien can be registered.
3Ask for the unit ledger and an itemized statement that separates the underlying arrears, interest, and reasonable collection costs, so you can see what each amount actually is.
4Check what produced the amount. If the lien grew from a chargeback, legal-fee claim, or repair bill, that underlying charge needs its own authority and evidence.
5Respond in writing, keep proof of delivery, and get licensed Ontario legal advice promptly if a certificate has been registered or a deadline is close.

If the wording of the notice itself is the problem, the Free Notice Decoder gives you an automated plain-language explanation of what a condo notice or letter appears to say, which can help you decide what to confirm first.

Ontario condo lien process

Stage	What the law says	What the owner should confirm
Common-expense default	A lien right arises when an owner defaults in the obligation to contribute to common expenses.	The date and amount of the default, and whether the underlying amount was lawfully added to common expenses.
Owner notice	The corporation must give written notice at least 10 days before registering a certificate of lien.	The notice date, delivery details, amount claimed, and the earliest registration date.
Certificate registration	The lien expires three months after the default unless a certificate is registered within that period.	Whether a certificate was registered, on what date, and for which default.
Lender or encumbrancer notice	The Act requires notice to registered encumbrancers. Priority effects can be technical and depend on the statutory steps.	Whether a mortgage lender or other registered interest holder was notified and what it now requires.
Enforcement	A preserved lien may be enforced in the same manner as a mortgage.	Any sale, court, redemption, or other deadline in the documents.
Full payment and discharge	After the full amount secured by the lien is paid, the corporation must prepare and register a discharge and advise the owner in writing.	Written confirmation of payment, proof of discharge on title, and the corporation's written notice.

Before the certificate is registered

Use the notice period to identify exactly what went unpaid and whether the amount is common expenses. Ask for a unit ledger and an itemized statement separating principal, interest, and reasonable collection costs.

If the lien grew from a chargeback, legal-fee claim, repair bill, or rule dispute, check that underlying issue too. CAT jurisdiction depends on the issue that produced the charge. Repair and damage disputes are generally outside CAT's jurisdiction.

Confirm the date of default and calculate the three-month registration deadline from that date.
Confirm that the written notice provides at least 10 days before registration.
Respond in writing and keep proof of delivery.
Get licensed Ontario legal advice promptly if registration, court enforcement, sale, title, or a close deadline is involved.

Paying while you dispute: what it does and does not settle

Paying and disputing are not opposites. Owners often assume they must choose, and the choice is usually about which parts of the bill to pay now and what to put in writing while the rest stays open.

The practical point is that the lien clock runs on the default, not on the disagreement. While a valid common-expense amount stays unpaid, interest and reasonable collection costs can keep being added and the registration deadline keeps running. Paying the part that is clearly common expenses can stop that growth without ending your questions about the rest.

If you pay an amount you do not accept is owed, say so in writing at the time you pay, in a separate note rather than only in the memo line, and keep a copy. Whether that written reservation preserves any particular right depends on the charge, the documents and the timing, so get licensed Ontario legal advice before relying on it. The fuller decision table, including sample reservation wording, is in the chargeback letter guide.

Separate the amount that is clearly common expenses from the amount you are questioning, using the itemized statement.
Ask in writing what authority each disputed line relies on, before paying that line.
If you pay under protest, state in writing what you are paying, what you do not accept, and that you are continuing to dispute it.
Keep proof of payment, proof of delivery of the written reservation, and the corporation's reply together.
Do not stop paying ordinary monthly common expenses while a separate charge is in dispute.
Get licensed Ontario legal advice before treating payment or non-payment as a strategy, especially once a certificate has been registered.

If your mortgage lender was notified

Do not ignore a lender notice. Ask the lender what document or payment it requires, and ask the corporation for a current itemized payout statement. Lender involvement can affect the mortgage and may create separate deadlines or costs.

Priority rules under section 86 are technical. If a lender has acted, or the amount or registration is disputed, obtain licensed Ontario legal advice rather than relying only on general information.

After payment and discharge

Once the full amount secured by the lien is paid, the corporation must prepare and register a discharge of the certificate of lien and advise the owner in writing. Those are the corporation's obligations, and they are what you follow up on.

Your own step is to verify rather than assume. Ask for the registration particulars of the discharge and confirm directly that title has been cleared, instead of relying on a verbal confirmation that the account is settled.

The verified legislation does not state a simple fixed number of days for registration of the discharge after payment. Do not rely on an invented deadline. Follow up in writing and get legal help if the discharge is not being completed or a sale or refinancing depends on it.

Keep proof that the full amount secured by the lien was paid, and what it was applied to.
Ask in writing for the registration particulars of the discharge.
Confirm on title that the certificate of lien has been discharged.
Keep the corporation's written notice with the payment record.
Act sooner, not later, if a sale, refinancing or lender requirement depends on the discharge.

Official Ontario sources

Ontario Condominium Act, 1998Sections 85 and 86 cover the lien right, notice, registration, enforcement, discharge, and notice to registered encumbrancers.
Condominium Authority of Ontario: LiensPlain-language explanation of the lien process, payment, discharge, and dispute routes.
Condominium Authority of Ontario: CAT jurisdictionCAT can only deal with issues within its legal jurisdiction.

What to check first

1Read the notice for the exact amount claimed and what it says the amount includes.
2Request an itemized statement breaking down arrears, interest, legal costs, and collection costs.
3Compare the underlying charge to any original chargeback letter or invoice you received.
4Ask for the legal and document basis for treating the underlying amount as common expenses.
5Get any payment plan offer in writing before relying on it.
6Confirm exactly what the response deadline is and calendar it.
7Keep a complete written record of every communication about the lien.

Common mistakes owners make

Assuming the notice will resolve itself if ignored.
Paying the full invoiced amount without requesting an itemized breakdown first.
Treating every legal-fee claim as a collection cost without checking why the lawyer was engaged.
Relying on a verbal payment plan rather than getting it in writing.
Waiting until a power-of-sale step is underway before responding at all.

Documents to gather

The lien notice and any registered certificate of lien
An itemized statement of the arrears claimed
The original chargeback letter or invoice
All correspondence with the board or manager
Any notice sent to your mortgage lender or another registered encumbrancer
Proof of any payments already made

When to get a closer look

A lien has already been registered against your title.
The amount claimed is disputed or doesn't match your records.
Your mortgage lender has been notified of the lien.
The response deadline is close and you haven't yet replied.

Notice of Lien on Your Condo Unit: What It Means and What to Do