Bill 16 has changed the rules for condo syndicates in Quebec, and most boards of directors do not yet realize what has landed on their plates. As of August 14, 2025, the maintenance logbook is mandatory. You have until August 14, 2028, to comply. If you sit on a board, or if you own a unit and are wondering why your fees went up, here is the real version: what the regulation requires word for word, and how a handyman fits into all of this without costing you a fortune.
What the law says, verbatim
The maintenance logbook is mandated by Article 1070.2 of the Civil Code of Québec. The regulation specifying its content (the Regulation establishing various rules regarding divided co-ownership, Order in Council 991-2025, «CCQ r. 8.01») came into force on August 14, 2025. The government summarizes it as follows:
«Condominium syndicates are required to have a maintenance log established and a contingency fund study produced. Syndicates have a period of three years and one day to have their maintenance log established and obtain an initial contingency fund study.»
Three years and a day. That is to say, August 14, 2028. We are not rushing you, but the countdown has begun.
What the logbook must contain (Articles 2 and 3 of the regulations)
I read the rules. Here is what a compliant notebook must really have, excerpted from the articles:
- An inventory of the common areas and the materials, devices, and equipment that comprise them.
- For each item: the installation date, the required maintenance work and its frequency, common repairs and their date, maintenance and warranty contracts, inspection reports, and manufacturer manuals.
- A separate section with an estimate of the condition and remaining lifespan of each component.
- The description of major repairs and replacements to be made over a minimum of 25 years, with a target year for each.
This is where a lot of consulting work hits a wall. Twenty-five years. The professional has to estimate when your roof, your boiler, and your underground parking lot will give out, and write down the expected year.
Who has the right to produce it
The regulations are strict. Only members of these orders may establish or revise the logbook: engineers (OIQ), architects, professional technologists (OTPQ), or chartered appraisers. And they must have no connection to the co-ownership (not a co-owner, not on the board, not a manager). Small buildings (8 units or fewer, 3 stories or fewer, or with no common elements in a building) can make do with a revision every 10 years instead of 5.
A useful detail: a building inspector can conduct the field survey, but under the supervision of an authorized professional. That is where a handyman like me comes in, not to sign the document, but to do the work that the logbook records.
Why this isn't just another form
I've walked into buildings where the only maintenance history was what the previous treasurer could remember. It all falls apart as soon as that person leaves the job. A logbook fixes that: it tells the next person exactly what was repaired, when, and by whom.
For the owner, the benefit is more discreet but real. A building with a true maintenance history sells faster and is cheaper to finance, because buyers and lenders see that the property has been cared for. A building without a record looks like a risk, and risk is reflected in the price and in your insurance premium.
The work that prevents nasty surprises
Most of what a logbook requires is small, repetitive work done on a schedule. Gutters cleaned before winter. Caulking redone before water gets in. Balconies and railings checked in the spring. Locks and doors adjusted so that emergency exits work. Nothing spectacular, and all of it prevents five-figure nasty surprises that blow up a budget.
The mistake property owners make is waiting for something to break. Emergency repairs cost more than planned work, and they never happen at the right time. A handyman on a seasonal schedule is cheaper than a crisis call at minus twenty.
How a handyman keeps your notebook up to date
This is the part that most unions forget. The law requires a living register, not just a document produced once. The board must update the logbook at least once a year (art. 4 of the regulation), and note scheduled work that was not done, along with the reason.
A handyman who visits on a regular schedule can fill out the «interventions» section as the work progresses: date, what was checked, what was repaired, and what to monitor next. This turns a compliance document into a useful daily log. And the person doing the work is the one logging it, so the entries are authentic.
Your free checklist
I have prepared a print-ready maintenance checklist aligned with regulatory requirements to help your board keep the logbook up to date without starting from scratch. It covers the routine maintenance schedule and the 25-year horizon for major repairs.
What this changes for your fees
Expect to see maintenance appear more clearly in your condo fees, because the law forces boards to plan for it. This is not a scam. It is the building finally being honest about what upkeep costs. A syndicate that properly funds its contingency fund rarely spares owners a fifty-thousand-dollar surprise.
If your council hasn't started the logbook yet, the most cost-effective approach is to start now with the seasonal work you already need, and keep the record up to date as you go. We can take care of it for you, at a fixed rate, without you having to manage each visit.
