One in eight Canadian households lived in a residential condominium dwellings, mostly located in a few census metropolitan areas according to Statistics Canada Condominiums exist throughout Canada, although condominiums are most frequently found in the larger cities. "Condominium" is a legal term used in most provinces of Canada. in British Columbia, it is referred to as "strata title" and in Quebec, the term "divided co-property" (French: copropriété divisée) is used, although the colloquial name remains "condominium".
With regular condominiums, the unit owner usually owns the internal unit space and a share of the corporation; the corporation owns the exterior of the building land and common area; in the case of a freehold condominium the owner owns the land and building and the corporation owns common shared roadways and amenities. The Canadian Condominium Institute is a non-profit association of condominium owners and corporations with chapters in each province and territory. The Condo Owners Association COA Ontario is a non-profit association representing condominium owners with divisions across the province and districts within the various municipalities.
Before 1981 condominiums made up less than ten percent of homes built in Canada.
Over a million people live in strata housing in British Columbia. Strata properties are a popular housing choice in B.C. because it is convenient, provides security and added amenities and is usually less costly than buying a single-family home.
As the price of single-family housing has soared to unprecedented levels in Vancouver, the number of new condominium sales has increased, along with prices. According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the benchmark price for a condo in July, 2016 was $510,600 in the region, up 27.4 per cent from the same month in 2015.
The Strata Property Act requires all stratas to maintain an insurance policy for a minimum of $2 million (property and liability) that covers the common elements and the units as originally buïlt.
There are over 1.3 million condo owners and/or residents living in more than 587,000 condominium units in Ontario. One-half of new construction in 2013 was condominium-related. In recent years, the condominium industry has been booming in Canada, with dozens of new towers being erected each year. Toronto is the centre of this boom, with 17,000 new units being sold in 2005, more than double second place Miami's 7,500 units. Outside of Toronto, the most common forms of condominium have been townhomes rather than highrises, although that trend may be altered as limitations are placed on "Greenfields" (see Greenfield land) developments in those areas (in turn, forcing developers to expand upward rather than outward and to consider more condominium conversions instead of new housing). Particular growth areas are in Kitchener/Waterloo, Barrie, and London. In fact, after Toronto, the Golden Horseshoe Chapter of the Canadian Condominium Institute is one of that organization's most thriving chapters.[3]