Bill 16: Contingency Fund Study and Maintenance Log
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Condominiums · Bill 16
Since August 14, 2025, every condominium syndicate in Quebec must hold a maintenance log and a contingency fund study prepared by an independent professional. We prepare both from a site visit of the common portions, so the board knows what to maintain, when to plan replacements and how much to set aside.
For condominium syndicates, boards of directors and property managers in Greater Montreal.
- RegulationIn force since August 14, 2025
- HorizonPlanning over at least 25 years
- Written proposalScope, deliverables and timeline confirmed before the visit
I
What the law requires
Passed in 2019, Bill 16 changed the rules for divided co-ownership in the Civil Code of Québec. Its regulation, the Règlement établissant diverses règles en matière de copropriété divise, was published in the Gazette officielle on July 30, 2025 and has been in force since August 14, 2025. It sets out what the documents must contain, who can prepare them and how often.
Two documents follow from it. They do not answer the same question.
The maintenance log
What it describes: the building as it is.
- An inventory and description of the common portions and their components, and of the private elements the syndicate must maintain.
- For each element: maintenance done and to be done, repairs, contracts and warranties.
- The condition of each component, its remaining service life, and a plan of major repairs and replacements over at least 25 years, with an estimated year for each.
- Updated by the board at least once a year. Revised by a professional at least every 5 years.
Civil Code of Québec, art. 1070.2
The contingency fund study
What it establishes: the amounts to plan for.
- It is based on the log's planning and covers at least 25 years.
- The estimated cost of each major repair and each replacement.
- A recommendation of the amounts to hold in the fund and to pay into it each year, with the calculations explained.
- Renewed at least every 5 years, signed and dated by its author.
Civil Code of Québec, art. 1071
Contributions to the fund are then set from the study's recommendations, taking into account how the condominium is evolving and the amounts already available. The fund must be partly liquid and available in the short term, and its capital must be guaranteed.
II
Who must do it, and when
The board of directors has the log prepared and obtains the study. The regulation sets out who can prepare them and fixes the schedule.
Eligible professionals
| Profession | Maintenance log | Fund study |
|---|---|---|
| Engineer (OIQ) | Yes | Yes |
| Architect | Yes | Yes |
| Professional technologist | Yes | Yes |
| Chartered appraiser | Yes | Yes |
| Chartered professional accountant (CPA) | No | Yes |
Two conditions apply on top of that. The professional must practise mainly in real estate management, construction, renovation, appraisal or inspection. They must also be independent: they cannot sit on the board, manage the building, be a co-owner or occupant, or be connected to an interest in the building. For the log, they sign a declaration confirming that they inspected the premises and reviewed the documents.
The schedule
- August 14, 2025The regulation comes into force.
- Existing condominiumThe syndicate has three years to obtain its first log and first study, that is, by August 14, 2028 at the latest. The explanatory guide of the Société d'habitation du Québec gives August 15: plan for the 14th, the date that follows from the text of the law. If the developer still controls the syndicate, the developer must have them prepared.
- New condominiumThe developer hands over the documents within 30 days after the special transition meeting. Until the developer has obtained the study, contributions to the fund equal 0.5% of the building's reconstruction value.
- After receiptThe board makes the documents available to the co-owners within 60 days, or before the annual meeting if it comes sooner.
- Every yearThe board updates the log.
- At least every 5 yearsA professional revises the log, and a new study is obtained.
Revision every 10 years
The professional revision of the log can be done every 10 years if the building meets one of these conditions:
- 8 private portions or fewer
- No common portion located in a building
- No more than 3 storeys entirely above ground
This relief applies to the revision of the log. It does not exempt the syndicate from holding the log and the study.
III
Montreal condominiums
Montreal's condo stock is varied, and the log must describe the actual building, not a typical one. Three situations come up in our mandates.
The converted plex
Duplexes and triplexes turned into condominiums, with a few units and 2 or 3 storeys. They can often benefit from the 10-year revision, but they must still hold a log and a study. Items to watch closely: brick masonry, balconies and exterior stairs, flat roof, foundation.
Buildings of 5 storeys or more
Concrete towers and buildings with underground parking, membranes, windows and shared equipment. If a facade has 5 or more storeys above ground, or if there is a parking structure, the Safety Code inspections also apply. The visits can be coordinated, but each obligation keeps its own document.
See Bill 122 →Horizontal condominiums
Townhouses or semi-detached homes whose common portions are mostly outdoors: land, driveways, surface parking, utility networks. If none of the common portions is located in a building, the 10-year revision may apply.
Freeze and thaw cycles, de-icing salts and flat roofs are part of life in Montreal. A concrete balcony exposed to salt, or a flat roof membrane, does not age at the same pace everywhere. That is why we estimate remaining service life from the observed condition, not only from the component's age.
IV
Our method
- Document collectionDeclaration of co-ownership, plans, previous reports, invoices, maintenance contracts, warranties, minutes that mention work. The board or the manager can save a lot of time at this stage.
- Visit of the common portionsRoof, envelope, masonry, windows, balconies, accessible structure, parking, drainage and shared equipment. Each component is observed, measured in actual quantities and photographed.
- Inventory and actual conditionFor each component: the observed condition, the estimated remaining service life and the work to plan. Two roofs of the same age are not necessarily at the same point.
- Planning and studyA schedule of major repairs and replacements over at least 25 years, estimated costs, then contribution scenarios and a recommendation of the amounts to pay into the fund.
- Presentation to the boardWe explain the results to the board and, if you wish, at the general meeting: assumptions used, priorities, and the effect of each scenario on the fund.
V
What the syndicate receives
- The maintenance log: inventory, condition and planning over at least 25 years, with the professional's declaration required by the regulation.
- The contingency fund study, signed and dated, with the calculations explained and a recommendation of the amounts to hold and to pay in each year.
- Contribution scenarios, year by year, to prepare the budget.
- A structured log that the board can update on its own every year.
- A plain-language summary for the co-owners' meeting.
Bill 16 file · Condominium syndicate
- Maintenance logInventory, condition, 25-year planning
- Contingency fund studyCosts, recommended amounts, calculations
- Contribution scenariosEffect on the fund, year by year
- Summary for the meetingIn plain language
What these documents do not replace
We prepare the log and the study according to the content the regulation requires. They do not replace a review of your declaration of co-ownership by a notary or a lawyer. If the visit reveals a problem that needs a closer analysis (balcony, foundation, parking slab), we tell you and explain why before any additional mandate.
Building inspection →VI
Frequently asked questions
Our condo is small. Does the law apply to us?
Yes. Every divided co-ownership must hold a maintenance log and a contingency fund study, whatever its size. What can change is how often the log is revised: every 10 years instead of every 5 if the building has 8 private portions or fewer, if none of its common portions is located in a building, or if it has no more than 3 storeys entirely above ground.
What is the difference between the maintenance log and the contingency fund study?
The log describes the building: its components, their condition, the maintenance to be done and the replacement schedule. The study starts from that schedule to price the work and recommend how much to set aside each year. Without an up-to-date log, the study rests on assumptions.
Who can prepare these documents?
A member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, the Ordre des architectes du Québec, the Ordre des technologues professionnels du Québec or the Ordre des évaluateurs agréés du Québec whose practice is mainly in real estate. A CPA can also prepare the study. In every case, the professional must be independent: not a director, manager, co-owner or occupant of the building.
Our syndicate already has a recent study. Do we need a new one?
Not necessarily. The regulation provides that a log or study obtained shortly before it came into force can be recognized under certain conditions. Send us the document: we will tell you what it contains, what is missing under the regulation and what would need to be completed.
I am buying a unit. Which documents should I ask for?
The syndicate's certificate, which the syndicate gives the seller within 15 days of the request and which the seller then passes on to the prospective buyer. Also ask for the latest contingency fund study and the maintenance log. Compare the fund balance with the amounts the study recommends: a large gap can signal higher condo fees or a special assessment.
What must the board do once it receives the documents?
Make them available to the co-owners within 60 days, or before the annual meeting if it comes sooner. Then set the contributions to the fund based on the study's recommendations. Update the log every year, and plan its revision and a new study at least every 5 years (or a revision of the log every 10 years if the building qualifies).
Further reading
Articles and pages by our team to explore the topic in more depth.
Bill 16: Understanding the Contingency Fund Study and the Maintenance Log
The documents required, how a 25-year projection is built and the mistakes to avoid.
Read the article →Bill 122: facade and parking structure inspection
Does your building have 5 storeys or a parking structure?
See the page →Balconies and Guardrails: Warning Signs, Inspection and Repair
The signs that should alert you, and when to repair rather than replace.
Read the article →Next step
Does your syndicate need to comply with Bill 16?
Tell us the address, the year of construction, the number of units and the documents you already have. We will reply with a service proposal suited to your building.
- Firm
- GC4I Inc., structural engineers
- Office
- 8350 Christophe-Colomb Avenue, Suite 18, Montreal
- Service area
- Montreal, Laval, South Shore, North Shore and West Island
- contact@gc4i.ca
The maintenance log and the contingency fund study are signed by their author. References: Civil Code of Québec, art. 1070.2 and 1071; Règlement établissant diverses règles en matière de copropriété divise; explanatory guide of the Société d'habitation du Québec. This text presents the framework in force in Quebec in October 2026. It does not replace a review of your declaration of co-ownership or legal advice.
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- Engineers who are members of the OIQOrdre des ingénieurs du Québec.
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