Orillia condos for downsizers: buildings and what to check

Orillia's condos come in three kinds: waterfront apartment buildings on Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, smaller apartment buildings away from the water, and condo townhouse complexes. It is a short list, and each building has its own fee level, rules and financial history, so you cannot judge one by another.

Before you buy any of them, the same Ontario checks apply. Make a resale offer conditional on your lawyer reviewing the status certificate. Read the reserve fund numbers. Find out exactly what the monthly fee includes. And read the rules, because they decide whether your dog, your barbecue and your plan to rent the unit out one day are allowed.

This guide goes deeper on the condo part of the general downsizing guide. For the alternatives, see bungalows and adult communities.

What kinds of condos are there in Orillia?

Type	What it is	Suits you if	Watch for
Waterfront apartment building	Mid-rise building on Lake Couchiching or Lake Simcoe, usually with an elevator and indoor or assigned parking	You want one-floor living, a view and lock-and-leave	Higher fees, shoreline and building-envelope repairs in the reserve fund study
Non-waterfront apartment building	Smaller building downtown or in a residential area	You want one-floor living at a lower cost, close to shops	Whether there is an elevator, age of the building, what utilities are included
Condo townhouse	Row or cluster townhouse where the corporation looks after the grounds and often the exterior	You want your own front door and a bit more space	Stairs, and exactly which exterior items the corporation maintains

Freehold homes that share a private road or clubhouse through a common elements condominium are covered in the bungalows guide.

Where are the condo buildings in Orillia?

The buildings and complexes below appear in public condo directories and in multiple independent MLS® listings. Treat this as a map of where to look, not a ranking. Details such as unit counts come from the Condos.ca building pages and should be confirmed in the status certificate.

The waterfront buildings

Most of Orillia's waterfront condos are along Atherley Road and Orchard Point Road, with one on Cedar Island Road.

• Elgin Bay Club, 140 Cedar Island Road. A four-storey, 54-unit building registered in 2005. Condos.ca lists a rooftop deck and party room, with water and parking included in the fees.
• Panoramic Point, 354 Atherley Road. A mid-rise building registered in 2012. Listings describe it as backing onto Lake Couchiching beside the waterfront trail.
• Orchard Point Harbour, 80 and 90 Orchard Point Road. Two buildings off Atherley Road on Lake Simcoe. Condos.ca lists 80 Orchard Point Road as eight storeys and 88 units, with an outdoor pool, a gym and a rooftop deck.
• The Invermara Bay Club, 585 and 603 Atherley Road. Lakefront buildings farther east along Atherley Road.

Downtown and in-town apartment buildings

• Matchedash Lofts, 21 Matchedash Street South. A loft-style building in the downtown core. Listings put it a few minutes on foot from Couchiching Beach Park.
• Museum Drive. A group of condo addresses at 10, 20, 30, 40, 55 and 60 Museum Drive.
• 54 Fittons Road West and 67 Fittons Road East.
• Bond Street, Brewery Lane and Matchedash Street North. Smaller buildings close to downtown.

Condo townhouse complexes

Condo townhouses are spread around the city rather than clustered. Addresses that show up as condominium townhouses include 492 Laclie Street (Lakeridge) and 486 Laclie Street in the north ward, 12 Lankin Boulevard (Lankin Shores), 40 Victoria Crescent, 441 Barrie Road, 1 Olive Crescent, and the Village Green townhouses at 1095 Mississaga Street West.

Many of these are two-storey units. If stairs are the reason you are moving, ask for a bungalow-style unit or one with a main-floor bedroom and full bathroom, and check whether a stair lift is permitted.

For the areas themselves, see Orillia neighbourhoods.

What do condo fees cover, and why do they vary so much?

Condo fees are your share of the corporation's common expenses. The Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) describes them as paying for the upkeep of the common elements, services such as cleaning and security, and contributions to the reserve fund. Your share is set in the declaration. You pay for the amenities whether you use them or not.

The reason two Orillia buildings can have very different fees for similar-sized units usually comes down to four things:

• What utilities are included. Some fees include water only. Others include heat, hydro or cable. A fee that looks high may replace bills you would otherwise pay separately.
• Amenities. Pools, elevators, underground garages and waterfront structures all cost money to run and eventually replace.
• Age and size. Older buildings face bigger repairs sooner, and in a small building each owner carries a larger share of every repair.
• How well the reserve fund has been funded. A corporation that kept fees low for years may now be catching up.

When you compare two units, put the fee, the included utilities and your estimate of the excluded ones side by side.

What is in a status certificate, and how do I get one?

The status certificate is the single most important document in a resale condo purchase. According to the CAO's Condo Buyers' Guide, it contains copies of the governing documents (declaration, by-laws and rules), the budget for the current fiscal year, a statement on the most recent reserve fund study, information about condo fees, proof of insurance for each current policy, whether any special assessments have been or will be levied, and whether the corporation is party to any litigation. It reflects the position on the day it is issued, so make sure the one you review is current.

Anyone can request one. The corporation can charge up to $100, including taxes, and must provide it within 10 days of receiving the request and the payment. Some corporations offer a faster rush service for a higher fee, but the CAO says the $100, 10-day option must be available.

There is no cooling-off period on a resale condo in Ontario. Your protection is a condition in the offer that gives your lawyer time to review the certificate. See how offers and conditions work.

How do I judge the reserve fund and the risk of a special assessment?

Every Ontario condo corporation must keep a reserve fund used only for major repairs and replacements of the common elements: roofs, windows, elevators, parking structures, paving, boilers.

The CAO sets out how the fund is tested. A reserve fund study looks at every component expected to need major work within 30 years and projects a funding plan over at least 30 years. After the first comprehensive study, the corporation must update it at least every three years, alternating between an update with a site inspection and one without. The board then has to propose a funding plan and send owners a notice summarizing the study and the plan.

A special assessment is an extra one-time charge on top of regular fees when the corporation cannot cover its costs. The CAO notes that lawsuits involving the corporation can also lead to one.

Questions to put to your lawyer once the certificate arrives:

• When was the last reserve fund study, and is the board following its funding plan?
• What is the reserve fund balance compared with what the study said it should be this year?
• What major projects are scheduled in the next five years, and are they funded?
• Has there been a special assessment in the past, and is one planned or being discussed?
• Is the corporation involved in any lawsuit, and how much have fees gone up in recent years?

What can I look up for free before I even book a showing?

The CAO runs a free online condo registry at condoauthorityontario.ca. Search by address or corporation name and you can see the corporation's legal name, address for service, number of voting units, the names of the board directors, and the condo manager or management company. The information is updated when corporations file their annual returns and notices of change.

It will not tell you about the finances. That is what the status certificate is for.

What rules should a downsizer read before buying?

Owners must follow three sets of documents: the declaration, the by-laws and the rules. The declaration can limit how units and common elements are used. The rules govern day-to-day living. Read them for:

• Pets. Number, size or type limits, and whether an existing pet is grandfathered if rules change.
• Rentals. Minimum lease terms and whether short-term rentals are banned.
• Smoking and cannabis. Whether smoking is banned in units, on balconies or across the property.
• Renovations. Whether you need board approval to change flooring, move plumbing or install a walk-in shower.
• Barbecues, guests and visitor parking.

What should I check in the building itself?

These practical items decide whether a condo still works for you in 15 years.

Elevators and accessibility

Ask how many elevators the building has and what happens when one is out of service. Check the route from your parking space to your door for steps and heavy doors, and whether the bathroom could take grab bars or a barrier-free shower under the renovation rules.

Parking and lockers

Ask whether the parking space and locker are owned with the unit or assigned for your exclusive use; your lawyer can confirm from the status certificate and the legal description. Ask whether the space is indoor, how far it is from the elevator, and whether a second space can be rented.

Electric vehicle charging

If the building has no chargers, Ontario's condo regulation gives you a route. You submit a written application with drawings and specifications. The corporation has 60 days to respond and can reject it only if a qualified professional's report shows the installation would break the law, harm the structure or pose a health and safety risk. If approved, you and the corporation sign an agreement within 90 days, and unless it says otherwise you generally pay for the installation.

Heating, metering and property tax

Find out the heating type (electric baseboard, gas boiler, heat pump, fan coil), who maintains the equipment inside your unit, and whether heat, hydro and water are in the fee or metered to you.

Property tax is separate from condo fees and is billed to you as the unit owner. Ask for the current tax bill for the unit and budget for it alongside the fee. For Orillia's tax picture, see the Orillia town page.

In the lakefront buildings, also ask who maintains the shoreline and docks, and whether a boat slip comes with the unit, is owned separately or is rented.

What insurance do I need in a condo?

Two policies protect a condo, and they cover different things.

The corporation must insure the units and common elements against major perils such as fire, and carry liability coverage. But the CAO explains that the corporation's policy covers only the "standard unit" as defined in its governing documents. Improvements, fixtures, furnishings and your personal property generally fall outside it.

You insure the rest: your contents, any upgrades made to the unit by you or a previous owner, and your own liability. The CAO also points out that a corporation's by-laws can make an owner responsible for the corporation's insurance deductible in some situations. Ask your lawyer what the building's standard unit by-law and deductible by-law say, then give that to your insurance broker so the policy matches.

What is different about buying a new-build condo?

Buying from a developer comes with protections that resale does not, and some costs that surprise people.

• 10-day cooling-off period. The Government of Ontario says you can cancel within 10 days of receiving the fully signed agreement, the disclosure statement and the Condo Buyers' Guide. You get another 10 days if you are told of a significant change to the disclosure statement.
• Disclosure statement. It includes the proposed declaration, by-laws and rules and the budget for the corporation's first year. First-year budgets are estimates, and fees often change once the building is running.
• Interim occupancy. You may be required to move in, or at least start paying, before the condo corporation is registered and you get title. The CAO says the interim occupancy fee cannot be more than the total of monthly interest on the unpaid balance of the price, the estimated monthly municipal taxes for the unit and the projected common expenses. It is not a mortgage payment and does not reduce what you owe.
• Deposits. Developers must hold condo deposits in trust. If a deposit is not returned when it should be, Tarion's deposit protection for condominium units is up to $20,000.
• Warranty. New condos are covered by the statutory warranties Tarion administers, with one-year, two-year and seven-year coverage for different kinds of defects, plus delayed occupancy coverage.

Is there HST on a new condo?

The Canada Revenue Agency's new housing rebate guide covers new homes bought from a builder, including condominium units, and buyers who will live in the home as their primary residence may qualify for a rebate of part of the HST. How the tax and rebate are built into the price depends on your agreement, especially if you might not move in yourself. Have your lawyer confirm it before the cooling-off period ends.

For the other costs on closing day, see closing costs and the land transfer tax calculator.

How Jordan can help

Jordan Rossman is a REALTOR® with Real Broker Ontario Ltd., Brokerage, and has worked in Orillia real estate since November 2014. He can show you how the buildings compare on location, layout and what the fees include, write the status certificate condition into your offer, and time the purchase against the sale of your current home. For the legal review of the certificate, you will want a lawyer who handles condos regularly. Call 705-345-0797.