Earthquake Insurance in BC: Strata Deductibles, Your Share

The other deductibles on a strata policy are set dollar amounts, and the Province gives $50,000 as an example. Earthquake deductibles are different. The same BC government page (checked November 12, 2026) says they are typically shown as a percentage of the property's value, which can range from 10% to 20% of the building's full replacement value, not the amount of the loss.

The percentage applies to the building's insured value, so the deductible is the same whether an earthquake causes a little damage or a lot. If the damage costs less than the deductible, the strata pays for all of it and nothing comes from the insurer.

Here is the arithmetic with hypothetical numbers, for illustration only. A 100-unit building insured at a full replacement value of $40,000,000 with a 10% earthquake deductible has a $4,000,000 deductible. If every unit has the same unit entitlement, each owner's share is $40,000. At 20%, it is $80,000.

The Province notes that some stratas include a table showing each unit's share of the earthquake deductible with the AGM notice and insurance updates. Your real numbers come from two places: the insurance summary, which shows the replacement value and the earthquake deductible, and the strata plan's Schedule of Unit Entitlement, which shows your unit's share of the total.

How a Deductible Gets Charged Back to BC Strata Owners

Under section 158(1) of BC's Strata Property Act, the deductible on a claim against the strata's insurance is a common expense, shared through strata fees calculated under section 99 (by unit entitlement) or under a different formula approved under section 100. Section 158(3) lets the strata pay a deductible from the contingency reserve fund or by special levy without the usual owner approval, unless the owners have voted under section 159 not to repair or replace the damage.

After a damaging earthquake, that means the strata council can issue a special levy for the deductible without waiting for a 3/4 vote, and your bill follows your unit entitlement. Our special levy guide explains how levies are approved and paid in other cases, and the strata fees guide covers how unit entitlement sets your monthly fees.

Section 158(2) also keeps the strata's right to sue an owner for the deductible if that owner is responsible for the loss, and many strata bylaws add their own chargeback rule. The Province's guidance says an owner does not have to be negligent to be held responsible.

Chargebacks usually come up with water damage that starts in one unit. Ground shaking doesn't start in one owner's unit, so an earthquake deductible is normally shared by all owners. Read the bylaws anyway, because the exact wording of a chargeback bylaw decides what it can reach. Our plain-English guide to the Strata Property Act explains how bylaws and the Act fit together.

Section 154 of the Act requires the strata to review its insurance every year, report on it at each annual general meeting, and tell owners and tenants as soon as feasible about any material change in coverage, including an increase in a deductible.

What to Read on the Strata's Insurance Before You Buy

Under section 59 of BC's Strata Property Act, the strata must give an owner or a purchaser a Form B Information Certificate within one week of a request, and the certificate must include a summary of the strata corporation's insurance coverage (section 59(3)(l.2), current to November 10, 2026). Read that summary, and the full insurance certificate if the strata manager will send it, for these items:

• Earthquake cover: confirm earthquake is listed as an insured peril. If it isn't, the owners carry the full cost of earthquake damage to the building.
• The earthquake deductible: write it down as a percentage and as a dollar amount.
• The replacement value: check the figure the percentage is applied to and the date of the last insurance appraisal.
• Your unit entitlement: take it from the Schedule of Unit Entitlement and work out your share of the deductible.
• Other deductibles: note the water damage deductible too, since that is the one most often charged back to a single owner.
• Recent changes: read the last two years of AGM minutes and any insurance notices for deductible increases or lost coverage at renewal.
• The contingency reserve fund: the Form B shows the balance, and a strata can draw on it for a deductible.

Make your offer subject to a review of the strata documents and send the insurance summary to your own broker before you remove subjects. Our guide to subject removal in BC covers timing, and the condo building checklist covers the rest of the strata review. You can also look up a building in the Zealty Strata Browser before you book a showing.

How a Condo Policy Can Cover Your Share

Section 161 of BC's Strata Property Act lets an owner insure against perils the strata does not cover and for amounts above what the strata insures. The Province's strata owner and tenant insurance page (checked November 12, 2026) says strata insurance does not pay the strata corporation's deductible on an owner's behalf, and that an owner's policy can cover some or all of it. It advises owners to discuss two things with a broker: the deductible on their own earthquake coverage, and their share of the strata corporation's earthquake deductible.

Insurers often call this deductible assessment or loss assessment coverage. Before you buy a policy, ask the broker these questions:

• Does the assessment coverage pay toward an earthquake deductible, or only toward deductibles for other perils?
• Do I need an earthquake endorsement on my own policy for the assessment coverage to apply to an earthquake?
• Is the limit at least as high as my share of the strata's earthquake deductible?
• What deductible applies to my own earthquake claim for contents and improvements?

The Insurance Bureau of Canada lists earthquake as an optional condo or strata coverage that pays for contents and additional living expenses while your home is repaired. For the rest of a condo or house policy, such as liability, water damage and how premiums are set, see our BC home insurance guide. This article is general information, not insurance or legal advice. A licensed BC insurance broker can tell you what a specific policy covers.

Earthquake Insurance for Detached Homes and Bare Land Strata

For a detached house, the Insurance Bureau of Canada says earthquake damage isn't included in a standard home insurance policy and can be bought as an optional add-on. IBC also notes that fire or explosion caused by earth movement is covered on a standard home policy even though the shaking itself is not. Zealty showed 7,308 detached houses for sale in Metro Vancouver on November 12, 2026, at a median asking price of $1,899,000, and none of them comes with earthquake cover by default. When you get a quote, ask for the earthquake deductible as a percentage and as a dollar amount, and ask what amount the percentage is applied to.

In a bare land strata, section 161(2) of BC's Strata Property Act lets each owner insure the buildings on their own lot, and section 149(3) takes owner-developer fixtures on those lots out of the strata's duty to insure. The Province recommends that bare land strata owners consider a bare land endorsement on their home policy. If you are buying a townhouse or house in a bare land strata, the earthquake decision on your own building is yours, not the strata's. Our bare land strata guide explains what the strata does and doesn't insure.

Earthquake Insurance in BC: What to Check Before You Buy

For a condo or townhouse in BC, three figures decide your earthquake exposure: whether the strata insures for earthquake, the deductible percentage and the replacement value it applies to, and your unit entitlement. Multiply them out before you remove subjects, then make sure your own policy covers the result. Browse Metro Vancouver condos and townhouses on Zealty with live MLS® data updated throughout the day, and check each building's strata documents before you write an offer.