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The first 20 companies have been certified under a new set of standards for condominium managers in Ontario.

As the construction of new condo suites booms in the Greater Toronto Area, the Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario has set up what it calls its ACMO 2000 certification to promote service excellence, professionalism and expertise among building property managers.

The ACMO 2000 designation was intended to provide condominium corporations with "the knowledge that the management firm they select is going to consistently provide the quality and level of services that they signed up for," association president John Damaren said.

The designation is modelled on that of the International Organization for Standardization program, which is widely recognized as a seal of service quality. ACMO 2000 provides an industry-specific quality standard that requires a management company to demonstrate measurable processes in nine core operational areas. A company has to be audited by the Business Development Bank of Canada and undergo a final review by the Condominium Management Standards Council in order to be considered for certification.

To retain certification, each organization must undergo an audit every three years.

There currently are about 6,000 condominium corporations representing more than a half million residential units across Ontario, Mr. Damaren said. The corporation boards, made up of residents, rely on property managers for guidance and expertise in the day-to-day management of finances, suppliers and maintenance.

The ACMO 2000 certification has been designed to complement the existing Registered Condominium Manager designation that ensures education and training levels for condo managers.

"Our goal as an organization is to continually raise the bar for professional and management standards across the industry," Mr. Damaren said.