AI vs. the Human Experience
Who Is Reviewing Your Condo Documents in Alberta?
Artificial intelligence, known as AI, has quickly become one of today’s biggest tools. It is being used in what seems to be everything from customer service and marketing to financial analysis and real estate. Condo document reviews are no exception to using AI.
Condo document review services have existed for decades and have been done by humans with experience. But how many condo document review companies use AI now?
Would you trust an automated system (AI) OR an experienced human reviewer when making one of the largest purchases of your life? Do you think that AI is proven enough that you think it can make the same informed decisions as an experienced human?
Let’s take a look at local condo document review companies and how they position their use of AI for their condo document reports.
| Company | AI Written Reports | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Condo Co | No | Reports are prepared by Greg, an experienced reviewer. Buyers receive unlimited questions by email or a call with the reviewer included. |
| CondoScan (SandGrain AI Corp.) | Yes | Reports are produced using AI (LlamaIndex) with oversight by a team member.* |
| Condo Check | No | Promotes condo document reviews based on human knowledge and experience. |
| Eli Reports | Yes | Markets fast, AI-powered strata document analysis. |
| Strata Reports | Yes | Promotes AI-powered condo and strata document review services. |
| Condo Savvy | No | Provides condo document reviews completed by qualified professionals. |
| Condo IQ | No | A human professional completes reviews. |
The information above was gathered from websites, industry discussions, and internal knowledge. Company services and processes may change. The information is believed to be current as of October 12, 2026. *https://www.llamaindex.ai/blog/case-study-how-condoscan-is-simplifying-condo-purchases-with-llamaindex-and-llamaparse
Can AI Really Review Condo Documents?
AI might be able to scan large amounts of information, identify keywords, organize documents, and highlight topics that may require further attention. These tools may help speed up the review process.
However, a condo document review is not simply a search for certain words or dollar amounts.
Important information is often spread across multiple documents. A reserve fund study may recommend one level of funding, while the annual budget may show that the condominium corporation is contributing less. Meeting minutes may discuss a repair several times without clearly stating whether it was completed, delayed, or removed from consideration.
AI tools often miss the patterns, context, and governance issues that experienced human reviewers look for. A reviewer must understand how these details connect and what they may mean for a potential buyer.
Would you trust a reviewer to explain the report to you who did not look over all of the documents?
The Importance of Human Judgment
Every condominium corporation is different. Two properties may have similar reserve fund balances but different levels of financial risk depending on the age of the buildings, upcoming projects, current funding contributions, insurance claims, maintenance history, and previous special assessments.
Experienced human reviewers can consider the context of a situation as a whole rather than relying only on isolated numbers or statements, which AI usually tends to do.
Human experience is important when reviewing:
Reserve fund studies and funding levels
Budgets, financial statements, and operating deficits
Special assessments and corporation loans
Major repairs and recurring maintenance issues
Insurance claims, deductibles, and water losses
Legal disputes and outstanding claims
Bylaws affecting pets, rentals, parking, renovations, and owner responsibilities
Conflicting or incomplete information between documents
A qualified reviewer can also recognize when information is missing, unclear, or inconsistent and explain what questions the buyer should ask the seller and management before removing their condominium document review condition.
What Happens When AI Gets It Wrong?
AI systems depend on the information they receive and the way that this information is interpreted. Poorly scanned documents, missing pages, unusual accounting formats, unclear meeting minutes, or inconsistent terms can affect the accuracy of an automated report.
AI could also identify a statement without fully understanding its context.
For example, meeting minutes may mention that a special assessment was discussed. That does not necessarily mean one was approved. Similarly, a major project or special assessment may appear in a reserve fund study without being scheduled or authorized by the Board.
These items matter. A potential buyer needs to understand what has happened, what is planned, what remains uncertain, and what could affect future condo fees or assessments.
A company such as CondoScan uses an LLM (AI) called LlamaIndex*. They then state a team member will review the report with the client. Would you trust someone who didn’t read all of the documents?
When you use a human service condo document reviewer such as Steve at Condo IQ, he reviews all of the documents collected himself. Condo Check will also only use humans to review their documents, no AI is advertised. At The Condo Co, Greg will also personally review each document, prepare a detailed report outlining his findings, and provide additional insight and context to help buyers better understand the condominium's overall condition, financial standing, and potential issues.
Some companies will say that a human can’t review hundreds of pages of documents and make a report. However, has been done for decades and still continues to this day. At first, reviewing documents can seem intimidating, but most of the professional reviewers in this industry are great at what they do and the number of pages is no longer a worry.
The Human Experience
One thing worth thinking about is the value of human knowledge and experience. Many of the condo document review companies we know are run by great people who have spent years building their experience and understanding of the industry and condos. It is concerning to see AI slowly replacing that human element in condo document reviews and other industries.
As AI becomes more common in the industry, there is a risk that valuable knowledge, practical experience, and professional judgment will gradually be lost. AI will likely continue to grow, but we also need to ask ourselves how we can continue developing the industry and passing along the knowledge that comes from years of hands-on experience.
At the end of the day, condo document reviews are about more than just reading and summarizing information. They are about understanding the context, recognizing potential concerns, and applying real-world experience to help buyers make informed decisions. That is something we believe should remain at the heart of the industry.
How The Condo Co Fits In
At The Condo Co, our reports are prepared by an experienced human reviewer and not generated by AI. Greg, our Lead Reviewer, has 10+ years of real estate experience and 5+ years of experience on Condo Boards and as a property manager.
We believe condo document reviews require more than taking information and placing it into a template. They require professional judgment, condominium knowledge, and the ability to connect information across budgets, financial statements, reserve fund studies, meeting minutes, insurance documents, bylaws, and policies.
Our reviewers show the documents as a complete package and focus on the issues that may matter most to a potential buyer. This includes the condominium corporation’s financial position, upcoming projects, previous assessments, maintenance concerns, insurance history, legal matters, and rules that could affect how an owner uses their unit.
We also provide buyers with an opportunity to discuss the findings with the reviewer who actually wrote the report, not someone who did not look at all of the documents and only the AI report. This allows clients to ask questions, clarify concerns, and better understand what the documents may mean for their purchase.
Technology Can Help, but Experience Matters
Technology will continue to change how companies process and review information. AI may become a helpful supporting tool in many industries.
However, when reviewing documents connected to a major real estate purchase, speed is a nice-to-have, but accuracy, context, professional judgment, and accountability also matter.
Before selecting a condo document review company, buyers and real estate professionals should ask:
Is the report written by a human reviewer or generated by AI? How much of it is generated by AI?
How are the documents reviewed? Does a human look at all of them and understand the context?
What condominium and real estate experience do the owners have?
Are all documents reviewed together and cross-referenced?
Can the buyer speak directly with the person who prepared and wrote the report?
What happens when documents are incomplete or contain conflicting information?
At The Condo Co, we believe buyers deserve clear answers from experienced people at an affordable price.
No AI-generated reports, just experienced humans working for you.