Fee transparency

What Trellis costs — and what that includes

Nearly every competitor in Ontario property management hides their pricing behind a sales call. We do not. This page publishes our fee structure, a complete list of what the base fee covers, what costs extra, and worked examples at three building sizes. If a proposal from another firm looks cheaper, compare it line by line against what is actually included.

How we price

Per unit, per month

Trellis charges a single management fee calculated on a per-unit, per-month basis. There is no separate administrative levy, no hidden technology surcharge, and no annual fee increase buried in the fine print. The rate for your building depends on three factors.

Unit count determines how fixed costs — your named manager, financial reporting, AGM preparation, board meeting attendance — are distributed. A 40-unit building and a 200-unit building require similar management effort; the per-unit rate reflects that difference.

Building age affects the volume of maintenance coordination, vendor management, and reserve fund activity. Older buildings with deferred capital work require more manager time than a well-maintained newer property.

Services scope covers what your corporation actually needs managed — the number of active vendor contracts, amenity complexity, on-site staff coordination, and whether you operate under the Condominium Act or the Co-operative Corporations Act. We scope this before we quote, not after you sign.

Base fee

What is included

The following services are covered by the base management fee for every corporation in our portfolio. They are not add-ons, not optional modules, and not subject to hourly billing unless explicitly noted elsewhere on this page.

Named manager: Every corporation in our portfolio is assigned a CMRAO-licensed General Licence holder by name — not a team inbox, not a rotating duty manager. Your board knows who is accountable, and so do your owners. That manager attends your board meetings, signs off on financial reports, and is the first point of contact for directors.
Response-time commitment: We publish our response times and report against them quarterly. Routine owner inquiries are acknowledged within one business day and resolved or escalated within three. Urgent building issues — a burst pipe, a security failure, a lift outage — are acknowledged within two hours during business hours and routed to the appropriate vendor or on-call contact immediately.
AGM support: Full preparation and facilitation of your annual general meeting: notice drafting compliant with the Condominium Act or Co-operative Corporations Act, proxy form preparation, agenda assembly, attendance recording, and minute-taking. We coordinate with your auditor on the financial presentation and manage the Q&A period so the meeting stays on schedule.
Reserve fund review: An annual review of reserve fund adequacy against your most recent reserve fund study, with a written summary for the board flagging any projected shortfall, recommended contribution adjustments, and upcoming major expenditures. We do not replace the engineer who prepared the study — we make sure the board understands what it says and acts on it.
Vendor oversight: Contract administration for all recurring service agreements — cleaning, landscaping, mechanical maintenance, security, and similar. We obtain competitive quotes before renewals, track performance against scope, and escalate underperformance to the board in writing. No vendor contract is renewed without board approval unless the agreement explicitly permits automatic renewal.
Financial reporting: Monthly financial statements prepared on a cash and accrual basis, with operating and reserve fund accounts maintained separately. Budget variance commentary on every report — not just numbers, but an explanation of why a line item is over or under. Year-end packages prepared for your auditor, including reconciliations, invoice coding summaries, and supporting documentation.
Board meeting attendance: Your named manager attends every regular board meeting — in person where geography permits, by video otherwise. We prepare the agenda in consultation with the board chair, distribute board packages at least five business days before each meeting, and provide draft minutes within ten business days of the meeting date.
Status certificate delivery: Processing and delivery of status certificates within the ten-day statutory window under the Condominium Act. We maintain a current certificate template updated after every AGM, budget change, or material alteration to common elements, so requisitions are not delayed by outdated information.
After-hours emergency line: A dedicated 24/7 emergency line for genuine building emergencies — flooding, fire alarm failures, security breaches, elevator entrapments, and similar events that cannot wait until the next business day. The line is answered by a live operator who contacts your on-call manager and the appropriate emergency vendor. Non-emergency calls are logged and returned the next business day.

Beyond the base fee

What costs extra

These services are not included in the base management fee. Each is scoped and quoted before work begins — your board approves the cost before we incur it. Specific rates appear in your written proposal so you can compare on a like-for-like basis.

Special project management: One-off projects outside routine operations — a lobby renovation, a parking garage remediation, a by-law rewrite, a transition from developer control. Scoped and quoted before work begins, billed at an hourly rate or as a fixed fee depending on the project.
Capital project oversight: Dedicated oversight of major capital expenditures — tender management, contractor coordination, progress reporting, and lien holdback administration for projects above the board's delegated spending authority. Priced as a percentage of project value or at an hourly rate for smaller scopes.
Additional unit owner correspondence: Letters, notices, or individual communications to owners beyond the standard monthly newsletter and statutory notices included in the base fee — for example, a building-wide communication about a specific enforcement action or a targeted notice to a subset of owners. Billed per letter, plus printing and postage at cost.
Legal liaison beyond standard: Coordination with your corporation's legal counsel on matters outside routine governance — collections beyond the standard arrears process, litigation support, by-law drafting review, or responding to owner requests for records under the Condominium Act. Billed at an hourly rate; legal fees themselves are billed by your counsel directly.
After-hours calls that are not emergencies: Calls to the emergency line that do not meet the definition of a building emergency — noise complaints, parking disputes, requests for information available during business hours. These are logged, not dispatched, and billed per call if the caller insists on immediate handling, at the board's discretion.

Worked examples

Three buildings, three profiles

These are illustrative scenarios, not quotes. Your building's rate depends on the factors described above. Request a proposal for a line-item fee schedule specific to your corporation.

Small

Under 50 units

A 38-unit townhouse condominium in Durham Region, built in 2005, with a single common-element parking area and no on-site staff. Standard scope — no pool, no concierge, no extensive amenity programming.

How pricing typically compares: Typically the highest per-unit rate in our portfolio. Fixed overhead — the named manager, financial reporting, AGM preparation — is spread across fewer units.

Mid-size

50–150 units

A 92-unit mid-rise in the GTA, built in 1998, with underground parking, a fitness room, and a part-time concierge. Includes reserve fund study coordination and three active service contracts.

How pricing typically compares: A moderate per-unit rate. Unit count brings the rate down, but building age and amenity scope keep it above what a large, simpler building would pay.

Large

150+ units

A 210-unit tower in Toronto, built in 2015, with underground parking, a pool, a party room, and full-time concierge staff. Multiple vendor contracts and a complex reserve fund schedule.

How pricing typically compares: Typically the lowest per-unit rate, though amenity scope and vendor complexity can offset some of the savings from higher unit count.

We will not undercut on the base fee and recover it through undisclosed extras. If a proposal looks cheaper than ours, ask them to list what costs extra.

A lower per-unit rate that excludes AGM preparation, status certificate processing, or after-hours emergency response is not a lower price — it is an incomplete one. Compare the full scope, not the headline number.

Request a proposal

Send us your building details and we will respond with a written proposal — a named manager, a line-item fee schedule based on your unit count and scope, and a complete list of what costs extra. No sales calls unless you ask for one.

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