Condo Status Certificate Review in Toronto: What to Check Before You Buy
A status certificate review by a real estate lawyer is one of the most important steps in any condo purchase in Ontario.
Services
Real estate services for Mississauga
Condos in the City Centre and along the lakeshore, family homes in Meadowvale, Erin Mills, Churchill Meadows and Streetsville, and houses with a second unit. Our real estate law page explains each service; wills, probate and immigration are on our Mississauga page.
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Buying a house or condo
Agreement review, title and execution searches, title insurance, your mortgage and registration on closing.
Fee by price — instant quote -
Condo status certificate review
Written notes on the reserve fund, special assessments and rules, within your condition period.
$250 + HST -
Selling
Mortgage payout and discharge, the buyer’s requisitions and your proceeds, all without a trip across the city.
Fee by price — instant quote -
Refinancing
Switching lenders, or borrowing to build or legalize a second unit.
Fee by mortgage amount — instant quote -
Pre-construction agreement review
A written review of a builder’s agreement, inside your cooling-off period.
$450 + HST -
Title transfers
Adding or removing an owner, including transfers between family members.
Quoted individually
Second units
Mississauga requires second units to be registered
If a Mississauga house is marketed with a basement apartment, whether that unit is registered with the City matters to you as the buyer, and the City lets you check.
Under the City’s Second Units Registration By-law, every second unit must meet the Ontario Building Code, the Fire Code and the zoning by-law, and must be registered. There is no fee to register. Registered units appear on the City’s Second Units Registry List, updated monthly, so you can look up an address before your conditions expire.
If the unit isn’t on the list
That doesn’t stop you buying the house, but the price, your lender’s view of the rental income and your insurance may all depend on it. Legalizing a unit usually needs a building permit and inspections, and sometimes significant work. Build that into your conditions, or into the price.
If there is a tenant
A tenant who stays after closing becomes your tenant, on the existing lease. The agreement should say clearly whether the unit will be vacant, and any notice to the tenant has to be given properly. A home that isn’t vacant on closing is priced beyond our standard fee. For disputes with a tenant after you own the property, we review the situation and refer you.
Building more
Mississauga now permits fourplexes as of right on detached, semi-detached and townhouse lots, depending on lot size, and garden suites and other additional units are allowed too. Each still needs a building permit. If adding units is why you are buying, talk to your lender and your designer before you firm up.
Why Wannes Law
A Toronto law firm that keeps you informed
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A licensed Ontario lawyer
Rosalie Wannes, licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, is responsible for your file from start to finish.
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Fees before you commit
Instant online quotes and published flat fees, so you know the cost before you retain us.
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Every step explained
Plain-language explanations of what happens, what you provide and what we handle, at every stage.
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Direct access
Reach your lawyer and law clerk directly by phone and email while your matter is underway.
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Sign in person or remotely
Meet at our Sheppard Ave E office in Toronto, or review documents by video and courier the originals.
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English, Armenian and Arabic
Talk through your matter in the language you are most comfortable with.
Condos
Buying a condo in the City Centre or on the lakeshore
A resale condo purchase should be conditional on reviewing the status certificate. The corporation must deliver it within 10 days of the request and payment, so order it the day your offer is accepted.
What we check
- The reserve fund study and whether contributions are on track
- Any special assessment, current or planned, and planned increases in common expenses
- Common expense arrears on the unit
- Lawsuits involving the corporation and its insurance
- Rules on leasing, pets, renovations and short stays
- Parking and locker: owned unit, exclusive use or licence
Before you rent it out
- Mississauga requires a short-term accommodation licence and allows short stays only in your own principal residence
- An investment unit can’t be let for stays of 30 days or less; a long-term lease is the usual route
- Condo rules may restrict short stays even in your own home
- Your insurer and lender should know the unit is tenanted
Our status certificate review is $250 + HST, with written notes and a call, and it’s complimentary if we close your purchase. For a new condo, you have 10 days under the Condominium Act, 1998 to cancel after signing.
Land transfer tax
Mississauga buyers pay half the land transfer tax of Toronto buyers
The City of Toronto’s municipal land transfer tax stops at the city limits. In Mississauga you pay Ontario’s tax only.
Up to $3,000,000, Toronto’s tax uses the same brackets as Ontario’s, so a Toronto buyer pays roughly double. Worked example: on a $600,000 Mississauga condo the tax is $275 + $1,950 + $2,250 + $4,000 = $8,475 (as of 2026); a qualifying first-time buyer, after Ontario’s refund of up to $4,000, pays about $4,475.
| Price | Mississauga (Ontario only) | First-time buyer, after refund | Toronto (Ontario + City) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $600,000 | $8,475 | $4,475 | $16,950 |
| $850,000 | $13,475 | $9,475 | $26,950 |
| $1,200,000 | $20,475 | $16,475 | $40,950 |
| $1,500,000 | $26,475 | $22,475 | $52,950 |
The tax is paid on closing from your own funds, not the mortgage. The refund requires that you have never owned a home anywhere in the world and move in within nine months, and it is claimed when the transfer is registered.
Not yet a permanent resident? Ontario’s 25% non-resident speculation tax applies everywhere in the province, including Mississauga. Permanent residents and some others are exempt, and a rebate may be available if you become a permanent resident within four years. Tell us your status before you make an offer; our Mississauga immigration page covers the status side.
The instant quote works out the tax for your price, with our legal fee.
How it works
A Mississauga closing, handled from across the city
Our office is in Toronto, so for Mississauga clients we plan on doing everything remotely from the start. You can still come in if you would rather sign in person.
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Step 1: Email us the agreement
As soon as your offer is accepted, with any amendments, the status certificate for a condo, and anything the seller gave you about a second unit or tenant. We flag what needs to be resolved before your conditions expire and tell you what to ask.
You provide
- Agreement of purchase and sale and amendments
- Status certificate, for a condo
- Registry listing or permits, for a second unit
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Step 2: See every number
Our fee comes from the quote. Before signing you see the statement of adjustments, the land transfer tax after any refund and the total you need to close, sent by email with time to ask questions.
The standard fee applies when we have the agreement and mortgage instructions at least five business days before closing.
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Step 3: Identity check and signing by video
We verify your identity, as Law Society rules require, then go through each document with you on screen while you sign on paper. You courier the signed originals back to our office; we tell you exactly what goes in the envelope.
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Step 4: Funds and final searches
You send your closing funds by wire or bank draft, after confirming our trust account details by phone on a number you already have for us. We run final title and execution searches and receive your mortgage advance.
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Step 5: Closing day
The transfer and mortgage are registered electronically, the tax is paid, funds go to the seller’s lawyer and your keys are released, usually through the listing agent. Your reporting letter, with the title insurance policy, follows.
Questions
Mississauga real estate questions
Do you have an office in Mississauga?
No. Our only office is at 3319 Sheppard Ave E, Suite 103, Toronto. Mississauga clients work with us remotely: we review the documents with you by video while you sign on paper, and you courier the originals back.
Is there a Mississauga land transfer tax?
No. Only the City of Toronto has a municipal land transfer tax. A Mississauga purchase pays Ontario’s tax only, about $8,475 on a $600,000 condo (as of 2026).
How do I check if a basement apartment in Mississauga is legal?
Look the address up on the City’s Second Units Registry List, and ask the seller for the building permit and registration. Do it before your conditions expire.
Can I build a fourplex on my Mississauga lot?
Mississauga permits fourplexes as of right on detached, semi-detached and townhouse lots, depending on lot size, with a building permit. Check your lot against the zoning before you buy on that basis.
Can I rent my Mississauga condo on Airbnb?
Only if it is your principal residence and you hold the City’s short-term accommodation licence, and only if the condo’s rules allow it. An investment unit can’t be used for short stays.
How much does a real estate lawyer cost for a Mississauga purchase?
The legal fee is calculated from your price in the online quote before you retain us. Disbursements, title insurance and land transfer tax are extra. Our guide to real estate lawyer fees in Ontario
We are buying our first home in Mississauga. What about wills?
A purchase is a good time to make them, especially with a mortgage and children. See wills for Mississauga families.
Guides
Guides for Mississauga buyers and sellers
Real Estate Lawyer Fees in Ontario (2026): A Transparent Breakdown
If you are buying or selling a home, real estate lawyer fees in Ontario are one closing cost you cannot skip — the law…
Real Estate Lawyer Disbursements in Ontario: What Each One Costs
Real estate lawyer disbursements are third party costs that your lawyer pays to complete your transaction. The legal fee covers the firm's own work.…
Related
Related pages
Areas We Serve
Real estate across Peel and the GTA
We act for buyers and sellers from Brampton and Vaughan to Toronto, York Region and Durham.
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Scarborough
Real estate lawyer for Scarborough clients. Our office is on Sheppard Ave E.
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North York
Real estate lawyer for North York clients.
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Markham
Real estate lawyer for Markham clients.
Here to help
See your fee and tax before you buy in Mississauga.
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Prefer to talk now? Call (647) 707-7718 · Service in English, Armenian and Arabic