Law 16 and your condo, in plain terms.
Law 16 reformed how divided co-ownership is run, and most of what is written about it is aimed at syndicates. Here is the part that actually matters when a condo is bought or sold.
Updated July 21, 2026
Law 16 (Bill 16) amended the Civil Code to tighten how divided co-ownership is governed. Most guides read it from the syndicate's chair: logbooks, studies, deadlines. Useful if you sit on a board, less so if you are the one buying or selling a unit.
So here is the buyer-and-seller version. The reforms create documents and obligations you can lean on, and a few you have to get ahead of. Knowing which is which is the whole game.
What Law 16 actually changed
Three pieces matter to a transaction. Each one is really a document the building now has to produce, which means it is a document you can ask to see.
- A reserve-fund study: a professional assessment of the major work a building will need over the coming decades and what it should be saving to pay for it. It turns the fonds de prévoyance from a guess into a plan, and it is updated on a schedule set by regulation.
- A maintenance logbook, the carnet d'entretien: a living record of the building, its systems, their age and the work done on them. A building that keeps one honestly is a building you can actually read before you buy.
- A stronger duty to inform: when a unit is sold, the syndicate has to hand the parties information about the co-ownership, its finances and its known issues, within a set delay. You are no longer relying on goodwill to see the real picture.
What it means when you're buying
The reforms exist to protect exactly your position. Ask whether the reserve-fund study has been done, when it was last updated, and whether the syndicate is actually funding to it. A building that has the study and follows it is telling you the big repairs are planned for. One that keeps putting it off is telling you something too.
Read the maintenance logbook the same way you would a car's service history. The point is not one entry, it is whether the building is being looked after or run to failure. Combine it with the minutes and the financials, and the special assessment that catches other buyers is usually visible to you well before you sign.
What it means when you're selling
For a seller, the same duty is a task to get ahead of. The syndicate has to provide information to a buyer on request, and that request has a clock on it. If your syndicate is slow or disorganised, that delay can stall your sale or spook a buyer at the worst moment.
So the move is to gather it before you list: the financial statements, the state of the reserve fund and its study, the logbook, the recent minutes. A seller who hands a clean, complete picture to a buyer removes the single biggest source of cold feet in a condo deal. I help my sellers assemble this up front.
Before you buy or list a condo under Law 16
Law 16 due diligence
- Ask if the reserve-fund study existsAnd when it was last updated. A building with no study is a building flying blind on major repairs.
- Read the maintenance logbookThe carnet d'entretien. Look for a building that is maintained on a plan, not patched when it breaks.
- Confirm the fund is funded to the studyA study nobody follows is just paper. The contributions have to match the plan.
- Request the co-ownership information earlyThe syndicate owes it, but producing it takes time. Start before your conditions expire.
- Cross-check against the minutes and financialsLaw 16 documents plus the meeting minutes together tell you what is really coming.
- Sellers: assemble the package before listingGather everything up front so a buyer's request cannot stall your closing.
Law 16 and Law 141 go together
Law 16 is the co-ownership governance reform. A separate reform, tied to Law 141, changed condo insurance: the syndicate's self-insurance fund and how deductibles are shared between the building and a unit owner. If you are buying, both affect what you are stepping into. Read my buying-a-condo guide alongside this one.
Frequently asked questions
What is Law 16 in Quebec?
Law 16, from Bill 16, is a reform that amended the Civil Code to improve how divided co-ownership is governed. For a buyer or seller, the practical results are a required reserve-fund study, a maintenance logbook, and a stronger duty for the syndicate to give information when a unit is sold.
Does Law 16 apply to my building?
The reforms apply to divided co-ownership, which is most standard condos, and they have been phased in through regulation. What matters for your purchase is not the legal detail but whether your specific syndicate has actually done the study and keeps the logbook. That is what we check on the building you are looking at.
What is the maintenance logbook?
The carnet d'entretien is a running record of the building, its major systems, their age and condition, and the work done on them. Think of it as the building's service history. A syndicate that keeps it well is giving you a real way to judge the building before you commit.
As a buyer, do I need to worry about Law 16?
Not worry, use it. The reforms create documents that exist to protect you: ask for the reserve-fund study, the logbook and the co-ownership information, and read them alongside the financials and minutes. Done early, that review is how you see a special assessment coming instead of inheriting it.
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This guide is general information to help you make sense of things, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules change and every situation is different, so confirm anything that affects a decision with the right professional, a notary, lawyer, accountant, or mortgage broker, or reach out and I'll point you the right way.
