Condominium Landlords Can Be Held Responsible for their Tenants

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled in York Condominium Corporation No. 187 v. Sandhu that a condominium corporation can hold a unit owner financially responsible for legal proceedings initiated against the corporation by their tenant. This applies even in cases where the owner did not authorize the lawsuit. The case involved a tenant who sued the condominium corporation for damages totaling over 5 million dollars. The owner did not pay the costs, and the corporation registered a lien against the unit to recover the amounts. The Court found that the condominium corporation was entitled to recover all its costs in this matter as additional common expenses against the unit, and rejected the owner's argument that holding her financially responsible for her tenant's actions would breach principles of fundamental justice. Unit owners may be responsible for the actions of their tenants, including costs incurred by the condominium corporation if the tenant sues the corporation without justification.