What belongs on a condo annual planner: 120 tasks across 13 categories, marked for townhouse, low-rise and high-rise properties. Includes a free downloadable spreadsheet to build your own with your board and management team.
Ask ten condo boards for their annual planner and you will get ten different answers. A spreadsheet. Events scheduled in someone's email calendar. A binder from three managers ago. Sometimes a very organized person's memory.
All of them are better than nothing, but none of them can answer the question that matters most: did the work actually happen?
This guide covers the first half of that problem: what belongs on a condo annual planner in the first place. We compiled this list from years of working with condominium boards and management teams across Ontario, and from sitting on the board side ourselves. Because a townhouse condominium, a low-rise property and a high-rise tower run very different schedules year round, we have marked which items typically apply to each property type.
An annual planner is a 12-month schedule of the recurring work a condominium corporation must or should do: governance milestones, regulatory filings, inspection cadences, preventative maintenance, contract renewals and seasonal work. It's the board's and manager's shared map of the year.
What it isn't though, in most properties, is a record of what happened. A date in a spreadsheet says what should happen. It cannot say whether it happened, who did it, what results or where the vendor's report went. Keep that distinction in mind as you build your condo's planner. The planner is only the first step. The second step, which requires a tracker, is arguably even more important.
Every property is unique, so treat this as a starting point to tailor together as a board and management team. This isn't a compliance checklist and not a substitute for advice from your manager, consulting engineer or legal counsel. Frequency and timing for many items depend on your corporation's fiscal year-end, the size of your property, fire safety plan, reserve fund study and contracted services.
Throughout this planning guide, we note where items differ by property type: townhouse, low-rise and high-rise.
In Ontario, the AGM cycle applies to every property type and anchors the governance year. If you're in another Province or State, adjust these tasks based on your regulatory requirements.
Work backward from your meeting date or the deadline to hold your meeting, and schedule the following items in your annual planner:
The audit runs alongside your AGM planning. Ensure the corporation's unaudited financials are prepared shortly after year-end. Complete the auditor's questionnaire sign the engagement letter, then provide the corporation's year-end financials and answer any questions the auditor may have. Review the draft audited financials with the board before the AGM notice goes out. Confirm your corporation's specific timelines with your auditor, regularly.
All property types in Ontario must file their annual return with the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) and deliver periodic information certificates to owners on their corporation's cycle. These are dates with firm deadlines. They belong on the planner with an assignee indicated, not in someone's memory. Corporations must also file information certificate updates (ICUs) whenever there is a material change on the board, so it's prudent to schedule the submission of an ICU after your AGM, on an annual basis, because it's common for directors to change at an AGM.
Properties in different Provinces and States, including stratas in British Columbia or community associations in the United States, should fill in their regulatory filing dates as applicable, in their annual planners.
Budget preparation typically begins three to four months before a corporation's fiscal year-end, followed by board discussion, board approval and the mail-out to owners. The same section of the planner should carry the reserve fund study update on your study cycle, the insurance appraisal, rules and policies review and renewal, monthly financial statement reviews, and the annual audit selection (which can be added to the AGM section, if preferred).
Set the year's board meeting schedule up front, so that directors and your management team can plan around them. Add an annual review of policies, rules and regulations, and a refresh of the emergency contact list. Where your property has security or concierge staff, conduct a review of post orders. For the meetings themselves, we've written separately about what a board meeting package should include and how a good one keeps directors informed and decisions moving.
This is where property types diverge sharply. High-rise and most low-rise properties carry the full cycle: the annual fire inspection, fire safety plan review and implementation, in-suite inspections, fire panel testing, monthly extinguisher and emergency lighting checks, and the alarm monitoring contract. Townhouse condominiums often have a lighter common-element fire safety program, but rarely none at all. Your fire safety plan governs the frequency of everything in this section including who is responsible for what.
High-rise buildings carry the heaviest mechanical calendar: seasonal AC and heating switchovers, in-suite fan coil maintenance, monthly HVAC inspection, CO system calibration where there is an enclosed garage, hot water systems, generator tests and diesel fuel tank inspections. Cooling towers, where present, have their own regulated maintenance cycle. In townhouses, much of this is an owner responsibility, which is worth stating explicitly in your planner so nobody assumes otherwise.
Backflow preventor testing, drain stack cleaning, sanitary line flushes and shut-off valve exercises apply to most multi-story buildings. Water tanks, treatment programs and domestic water pumps are largely high-rise items. Irrigation start-up and shut-down runs the other way. It is most common where there are landscaped grounds, which means townhouse and low-rise communities.
Every building type needs an annual exterior inspection and a roof inspection. In a townhouse condominium, the roofs are often the single largest asset the corporation maintains. High-rise items include roof anchors, elevator licensing and Category 5 testing, waterproof membrane testing and garage structural reviews. Balcony and railing inspections translate to decks, porches and fencing in townhouse communities.
For compliance purposes, boards and managers team may conduct routine Spring or periodic site and exclusive-use common element inspections to confirm unit owners and residents are following the rules. A condo's rules are created to preserve the value and appearance of a property, which inspections help enforce. Diarize these inspections in your condo's annual planner and track issues that arise to completion, in an appropriate project or task management tool.
Often the longest section of any planner: management, cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, waste, security, pest control, mechanical, window cleaning, fitness equipment, pool and shared facilities agreements, all require review and renewal each year or every few years. Two practical notes. First, record the renewal notice deadline, not just the expiry date, because a contract that requires 90 days' notice renews in March, not June. Second, tender snow removal and other seasonal work in the off-season, e.g., well before winter.
Corridor carpet cleaning, garbage chute and garage power washing, exterior window cleaning, elevator cab deep cleans and lobby floor polishing are mostly mid- and high-rise items. Townhouse communities carry the outdoor equivalents: pressure washing walkways, entries and shared surfaces each spring.
Fitness equipment maintenance, pool inspection, opening, weekly or monthly checks, sauna maintenance, BBQ set-up and storage, seasonal decorations, de-icing supply checks, spring and fall landscaping clean-ups and seasonal planting, are just a few of the seasonal and amenity specific items that will need to be scheduled and tracked. Mark the key dates based on what your property actually has, and skip the rest.
Resident communication updates and notice boards must be refreshed. Consider identifying common problem areas that occur annually, for instance, Christmas tree disposal, and schedule proactive communication campaigns to address these issues in advance. Schedule communication and responsibility for sending an annual resident satisfaction survey (if your board runs one), community events, and, in buildings with bike rooms, the annual bicycle audit.
Consider adding recycling program reviews, waste audits, energy audits and lighting replacement assessments in your annual calendar, either annually or every few years, to keep your property up to speed with energy and waste management best practices.
We have formatted all 120 items above as a spreadsheet, with a column for each property type and a blank column to enter your own dates, so you can sit down together as a board-manager team and build your property's planner in one pass.
Get the Condo Annual Planner Guide (free download)
A finished planner tells you what should happen this year. But it still can't remind anyone when a date passes, save the results of the work performed, hold the vendor's report when it comes back, or help a new director or manager catch up on what was actually done.
That is the gap Managemate's annual planner closes: the same schedule, on a central activity calendar with reminders, assignees and completion tracking. Each recurring task or event carries its own history of who completed it, when, with the supporting documents linked. The plan becomes a record as the year runs. The value of that shared record extends well beyond the planner itself, which is something we've explored in where the record should go when an incident happens at the property.
If you would like to see your annual planner running that way, book a 20-minute walkthrough. If you'd prefer to start with more resources like this one, you can subscribe to our newsletter.
Disclaimer: This guide is provided for informational purposes only. Each condominium corporation is unique, and the items listed should be tailored and supplemented to meet the specific operational and preventative maintenance needs of your condominium. Frequency of tasks may vary based on factors such as your condominium's fire safety plan and other regulatory requirements. This planner's regulatory and governance related tasks assume your condominium is in Ontario; adjust as needed for other Provinces or States. Always consult your condominium management company and qualified professional advisors for guidance tailored to your specific circumstances.
August 10, 2026
Ask ten condo boards for their annual planner and you will get ten different answers. A spreadsheet. Events scheduled in someone's email calendar. A binder from three managers ago. Sometimes a very organized person's memory.
All of them are better than nothing, but none of them can answer the question that matters most: did the work actually happen?
This guide covers the first half of that problem: what belongs on a condo annual planner in the first place. We compiled this list from years of working with condominium boards and management teams across Ontario, and from sitting on the board side ourselves. Because a townhouse condominium, a low-rise property and a high-rise tower run very different schedules year round, we have marked which items typically apply to each property type.
An annual planner is a 12-month schedule of the recurring work a condominium corporation must or should do: governance milestones, regulatory filings, inspection cadences, preventative maintenance, contract renewals and seasonal work. It's the board's and manager's shared map of the year.
What it isn't though, in most properties, is a record of what happened. A date in a spreadsheet says what should happen. It cannot say whether it happened, who did it, what results or where the vendor's report went. Keep that distinction in mind as you build your condo's planner. The planner is only the first step. The second step, which requires a tracker, is arguably even more important.
Every property is unique, so treat this as a starting point to tailor together as a board and management team. This isn't a compliance checklist and not a substitute for advice from your manager, consulting engineer or legal counsel. Frequency and timing for many items depend on your corporation's fiscal year-end, the size of your property, fire safety plan, reserve fund study and contracted services.
Throughout this planning guide, we note where items differ by property type: townhouse, low-rise and high-rise.
In Ontario, the AGM cycle applies to every property type and anchors the governance year. If you're in another Province or State, adjust these tasks based on your regulatory requirements.
Work backward from your meeting date or the deadline to hold your meeting, and schedule the following items in your annual planner:
The audit runs alongside your AGM planning. Ensure the corporation's unaudited financials are prepared shortly after year-end. Complete the auditor's questionnaire sign the engagement letter, then provide the corporation's year-end financials and answer any questions the auditor may have. Review the draft audited financials with the board before the AGM notice goes out. Confirm your corporation's specific timelines with your auditor, regularly.
All property types in Ontario must file their annual return with the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) and deliver periodic information certificates to owners on their corporation's cycle. These are dates with firm deadlines. They belong on the planner with an assignee indicated, not in someone's memory. Corporations must also file information certificate updates (ICUs) whenever there is a material change on the board, so it's prudent to schedule the submission of an ICU after your AGM, on an annual basis, because it's common for directors to change at an AGM.
Properties in different Provinces and States, including stratas in British Columbia or community associations in the United States, should fill in their regulatory filing dates as applicable, in their annual planners.
Budget preparation typically begins three to four months before a corporation's fiscal year-end, followed by board discussion, board approval and the mail-out to owners. The same section of the planner should carry the reserve fund study update on your study cycle, the insurance appraisal, rules and policies review and renewal, monthly financial statement reviews, and the annual audit selection (which can be added to the AGM section, if preferred).
Set the year's board meeting schedule up front, so that directors and your management team can plan around them. Add an annual review of policies, rules and regulations, and a refresh of the emergency contact list. Where your property has security or concierge staff, conduct a review of post orders. For the meetings themselves, we've written separately about what a board meeting package should include and how a good one keeps directors informed and decisions moving.
This is where property types diverge sharply. High-rise and most low-rise properties carry the full cycle: the annual fire inspection, fire safety plan review and implementation, in-suite inspections, fire panel testing, monthly extinguisher and emergency lighting checks, and the alarm monitoring contract. Townhouse condominiums often have a lighter common-element fire safety program, but rarely none at all. Your fire safety plan governs the frequency of everything in this section including who is responsible for what.
High-rise buildings carry the heaviest mechanical calendar: seasonal AC and heating switchovers, in-suite fan coil maintenance, monthly HVAC inspection, CO system calibration where there is an enclosed garage, hot water systems, generator tests and diesel fuel tank inspections. Cooling towers, where present, have their own regulated maintenance cycle. In townhouses, much of this is an owner responsibility, which is worth stating explicitly in your planner so nobody assumes otherwise.
Backflow preventor testing, drain stack cleaning, sanitary line flushes and shut-off valve exercises apply to most multi-story buildings. Water tanks, treatment programs and domestic water pumps are largely high-rise items. Irrigation start-up and shut-down runs the other way. It is most common where there are landscaped grounds, which means townhouse and low-rise communities.
Every building type needs an annual exterior inspection and a roof inspection. In a townhouse condominium, the roofs are often the single largest asset the corporation maintains. High-rise items include roof anchors, elevator licensing and Category 5 testing, waterproof membrane testing and garage structural reviews. Balcony and railing inspections translate to decks, porches and fencing in townhouse communities.
For compliance purposes, boards and managers team may conduct routine Spring or periodic site and exclusive-use common element inspections to confirm unit owners and residents are following the rules. A condo's rules are created to preserve the value and appearance of a property, which inspections help enforce. Diarize these inspections in your condo's annual planner and track issues that arise to completion, in an appropriate project or task management tool.
Often the longest section of any planner: management, cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, waste, security, pest control, mechanical, window cleaning, fitness equipment, pool and shared facilities agreements, all require review and renewal each year or every few years. Two practical notes. First, record the renewal notice deadline, not just the expiry date, because a contract that requires 90 days' notice renews in March, not June. Second, tender snow removal and other seasonal work in the off-season, e.g., well before winter.
Corridor carpet cleaning, garbage chute and garage power washing, exterior window cleaning, elevator cab deep cleans and lobby floor polishing are mostly mid- and high-rise items. Townhouse communities carry the outdoor equivalents: pressure washing walkways, entries and shared surfaces each spring.
Fitness equipment maintenance, pool inspection, opening, weekly or monthly checks, sauna maintenance, BBQ set-up and storage, seasonal decorations, de-icing supply checks, spring and fall landscaping clean-ups and seasonal planting, are just a few of the seasonal and amenity specific items that will need to be scheduled and tracked. Mark the key dates based on what your property actually has, and skip the rest.
Resident communication updates and notice boards must be refreshed. Consider identifying common problem areas that occur annually, for instance, Christmas tree disposal, and schedule proactive communication campaigns to address these issues in advance. Schedule communication and responsibility for sending an annual resident satisfaction survey (if your board runs one), community events, and, in buildings with bike rooms, the annual bicycle audit.
Consider adding recycling program reviews, waste audits, energy audits and lighting replacement assessments in your annual calendar, either annually or every few years, to keep your property up to speed with energy and waste management best practices.
We have formatted all 120 items above as a spreadsheet, with a column for each property type and a blank column to enter your own dates, so you can sit down together as a board-manager team and build your property's planner in one pass.
Get the Condo Annual Planner Guide (free download)
A finished planner tells you what should happen this year. But it still can't remind anyone when a date passes, save the results of the work performed, hold the vendor's report when it comes back, or help a new director or manager catch up on what was actually done.
That is the gap Managemate's annual planner closes: the same schedule, on a central activity calendar with reminders, assignees and completion tracking. Each recurring task or event carries its own history of who completed it, when, with the supporting documents linked. The plan becomes a record as the year runs. The value of that shared record extends well beyond the planner itself, which is something we've explored in where the record should go when an incident happens at the property.
If you would like to see your annual planner running that way, book a 20-minute walkthrough. If you'd prefer to start with more resources like this one, you can subscribe to our newsletter.
Disclaimer: This guide is provided for informational purposes only. Each condominium corporation is unique, and the items listed should be tailored and supplemented to meet the specific operational and preventative maintenance needs of your condominium. Frequency of tasks may vary based on factors such as your condominium's fire safety plan and other regulatory requirements. This planner's regulatory and governance related tasks assume your condominium is in Ontario; adjust as needed for other Provinces or States. Always consult your condominium management company and qualified professional advisors for guidance tailored to your specific circumstances.
