How to Get a Condo Manager’s Licence

by: Rod Escayola | August 23, 2017

We are getting lots of calls from condo managers asking for guidance on how to apply for their Manager’s licence. The November 1st deadline is indeed fast approaching! Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how to apply for your CM licence.

When to apply for a licence?

As of November 1, 2017, the Condo Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO) will begin licensing condo managers.

The good news is that existing managers will not turn into pumpkins on that day. Eligible existing managers will automatically receive a Deemed Transitional Licence. This licence will only be valid for 90 days or until the CMRAO has decided on your licence application.

All managers will then have 90 days to apply for a “real” licence. This means that your application must be received on or before January 29, 2018. Unless you have applied for a licence by then, it will be illegal to continue to provide CM services thereafter.

Expect this application to cost $150. See the end of this post on how to apply.

What licences are available?

When you apply, you will have to choose between one of the following 3 licences:

The General Licence (if you have 2 or more years of condo management experience and have completed the educational requirements)
The Transitional General Licence (if you have 2 years or more of condo management experience but have not yet completed the educational requirements)
The Limited Licence (if you have less than 2 years of condo management experience)

More details on each of these licence below.

The General Licence:

To apply for a General Licence, you need :

2 years or more of condo management experience;
You need to have provided condo management services in the 90 days preceding November 1st (so anytime between August and November 1st);
You need to have completed the education requirements;

Experience required

For your manager’s experience to be recognized as valid, it needs to include:

Planning/participating in board meetings and AGMs;
Preparing budgets;
Interpreting financial statements;
Presenting to boards;
Overseeing the maintenance and repairs of units, common elements, assets.

Educational requirements

To satisfy the educational requirements, you need to have met one of the following:

Option A: You need to have successfully completed the following courses:

(i) Condominium Law,
(ii) Physical Building Management,
(iii) Financial Planning for Condominium Managers, and
(iv) Condominium Administration and Human Relations.

Option B: You have successfully completed ACMO’s RCM’s exams.

Option C: You need to have successfully completed ACMO’s 4 challenge exams. [Apparently this option is only available if you have 5 years or more of condo management experience. On this, see the Minister’s designation of July 20, 2017]

You can take these courses with any college of applied arts and technology (such as Mohawk College, Humber college, George Brown College…. ). You can also take these courses with any condo management provider (ie a management firm) you are employed by and that is authorized by ACMO to offer such courses.

Please also note that, in place of the 4 courses listed above, the Registrar may recognize as equivalencies :

Prior completion of programs of study, training programs, internship, courses, seminars…
Prior successful completion of examinations or tests
Prior work experience.

So, if you have the above, you can apply for the General Licence. You’ll have to renew this licence on a yearly basis. This licence is expected to cost $607/year.

Courses and exams by ACMO

ACMO is offering the following refresher courses:

In Toronto: September 7 -8, 2017 and on November 23-24, 2017
In Ottawa: October 12 and 13, 2017

ACMO is also conducting RCM Exams on the following dates:

In Toronto: September 12, 2017 and on November 28, 2017
In Ottawa: October 17, 2017

For more information on how to become an RCM, you may want to consult the ACMO page on the subject. There are different requirements depending on your level of experience (less than 5 years, between 5 and 10 years and more than 10 years).

The Transitional General Licence:

If you have 2 years or more of condo management experience but have not yet completed the educational requirement, you can apply for a Transitional Licence. Under this licence, you will be allowed to do the same work as under a General Licence but only for a period of up to 3 years.

You will have up to 3 years to complete the education requirement and apply for a General Licence. To satisfy the education requirement, you need to complete one of the following:

Option A: Successfully complete the 4 ACMO course (see above)

Option B: Successfully complete the ACMO 4 Challenge exams

You will have to renew this licence on a yearly basis. This licence is expected to costs $607/year.

The Limited Licence:

If in the last 5 years you have accumulated less than 2 years of CM experience, you will be able to apply for a Limited licence. As soon as you have 2 years or more of condo management experience and as soon as you meet the education requirements, you will be able to apply for a General Licence.

Managers with a Limited Licence will need to work under the supervision of a manager with a General or with a Transitional Licence. There will also be limitations to what a Limited Manager can do. See our earlier blog post on this.

You will have to renew this licence on a yearly basis. This licence is expected to costs $379/year.

How to apply?

All applications will be done online through the CMRAO website. You will have to create an account, select the licence you wish to apply for, complete the application forms and pay the application fee. Expect each application to cost $150.

Once your application is received, it will be reviewed by CMRAO staff to ensure that you meet all requirements of the licence you are applying for. If you meet these requirements, you will be advised to log back in and pay your annual licence fee. Upon receipt of the required payment, you will receive your licence by email.

UPDATE to this post:

In the morning of November 1st, 2017, the Condo Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (the CMRAO) opened its online portal allowing condo managers to apply for their management licence. To access the licensing portal, visit the CMRAO Licensing page. Then click on the licence you wish to apply for. It’ll lead you to the licensing portal. You will need to have created a profile with the CMRAO.

Be the first to know more

These are very exciting times, with lots of changes ahead. Be the first to know by subscribing to Condo Adviser.

More info on the CMRAO website

I suggest you regularly visit CMRAO’s website. They will be the authority overseeing Condo Managers (CM) and Management firms. They will be your best and most reliable source of information (… right after Condo Adviser…. ). Eventually, CMRAO should also publish various forms to be completed and add information to their website.

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