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Thinking of Running for Condo Board? What You'd Actually Be Responsible for in 2026

Writer: City Sites Property Management
City Sites Property Management
Apr 15
3 min read

Running for a condominium board means taking on governance responsibilities for the corporation. The role can include financial, maintenance, safety, and compliance decisions, but personal liability is not automatic simply because someone becomes a director. The legal exposure depends on the applicable statute, the director's conduct, and the facts.


Three coworkers in a modern office meeting, an older woman speaking while others listen, with laptop and tablet on the table.

In City Site’s podcast “Ontario Fire Code Changes Condo Boards Need To Know in 2026” with Sam Soltani of The Trace Group, we discuss exactly what prospective directors should understand about their 2026 fire safety responsibilities, alongside other governance, oversight, and informed decision-making. The podcast is a useful orientation for anyone considering board service because it turns broad legal responsibility into concrete oversight questions.


It also shows how directors can contribute without being technical specialists themselves. Check out more information about this podcast here: #WeSpeakCondo podcast


The Compliance Portfolio a New Director Inherits

A new director joins a corporation with ongoing obligations. An applicable fire safety plan must be reviewed at least every 12 months and revised as necessary. Fire-drill frequency depends on the building, fire-alarm inspection and testing follows the applicable Fire Code and CAN/ULC-S536-2019, and smoke-control obligations are building-specific. Directors do not need to perform technical work themselves, but they should understand the governance questions to ask and when qualified advice is needed.


Useful board skills include reviewing records, tracking deficiencies and decisions, supporting required plan reviews, and knowing when to obtain independent technical advice. The time needed to learn these tasks varies by director and corporation.


The Liability Question, Honestly

Under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, directors are not automatically personally guilty because a corporation contravenes the Fire Code. The Act contains specific director and officer offence provisions, including knowledge-based provisions. Separately, the Condominium Act requires directors to act honestly and in good faith and exercise the care, diligence, and skill a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances.


Good governance practices include staying informed, documenting decisions, communicating appropriately with authorities, and obtaining qualified professional advice. Those practices can be relevant to the Condominium Act standard of care, but they do not guarantee a particular enforcement or insurance outcome. D&O coverage depends on the corporation's actual policy and circumstances.


What Makes Boards Manageable

Boards can delegate technical work to qualified professionals while retaining governance responsibility for the corporation's decisions. Directors are generally expected to make informed decisions, not to personally become HVAC specialists or fire-protection engineers. Clear consultant scopes and accessible records can make that role more manageable.


Is It for You?

Board service requires time for meetings, document review, and decisions, but the workload varies widely by corporation and current projects. Directors influence the building's finances, operations, and quality of life, and strong directors are often those who prepare, ask questions, and participate consistently.


Businesspeople review and sign documents around a laptop at a white conference table, focused and professional.

If you are entitled to attend the corporation's owners' meeting, attending an AGM can help you understand the corporation's business and ask your management team, perhaps the one at City Sites Property Management, what the current board's workload actually looks like. You can also review information available to you as an owner or resident and ask management about the board's current workload. Access rights depend on your status and the Condominium Act, governing documents, and corporation procedures.


A Learnable Job, Not a Leap of Faith

Board membership carries real responsibilities, but liability depends on the law and facts. Directors can reduce governance risk by staying informed, documenting decisions, obtaining qualified advice, and acting in accordance with their statutory duties.


For a deeper discussion of what prospective directors should understand about their 2026 fire safety responsibilities, listen to the full #WeSpeakCondo episode with Sam Soltani of The Trace Group. The conversation adds a useful perspective on governance, oversight, and informed decision-making, and is a helpful companion to this article.



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