BC strata buyers meet the same few Strata Property Act sections before subject removal. Here is what Form B, the bylaws, the rental and age rules, and special levies say.
Written by Hamidreza Etebarian on
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The Strata Property Act is the BC law that governs every condo, townhouse and bare land strata in the province, and it sets what a strata corporation can and cannot require of you as an owner. Metro Vancouver has 8,233 condo apartments and 4,107 townhouses listed for sale right now, at median asking prices of $639,900 and $1,000,000, and nearly every one of them comes with a strata corporation that answers to this Act. You do not need to read all 17 Parts. A buyer deals with a handful of sections, mostly in the weeks between an accepted offer and subject removal. This guide translates those sections into plain English and gives the section numbers so you can check each one yourself.
The Strata Property Act (SBC 1998, c. 43) creates the strata corporation, which is all the owners acting together, and makes it responsible for managing and maintaining the common property. The detail sits in the Strata Property Regulation (BC Reg 43/2000), which sets the fees, fine limits and forms the Act refers to. Together they decide what documents you get as a buyer, which bylaws you live under, what money you can be asked to pay, and where you can go when you disagree with council.
Three definitions in section 1 do most of the work. A strata lot is a lot shown on the strata plan, which is usually your unit. Common property is everything on the plan that is not part of a strata lot, including the pipes and wires inside the walls between units. Unit entitlement is the number in the strata plan's schedule that sets your share of the common expenses, which is why a larger unit usually pays a larger strata fee.
Most decisions that matter to a buyer need a 3/4 vote. Under section 1, that means at least three quarters of the votes cast by eligible voters present in person or by proxy when the vote is taken, not three quarters of all owners. A 3/4 vote is the threshold for residential bylaw changes, special levies split by unit entitlement, and significant changes to common property.
The Form B Information Certificate is the most useful single document in a strata purchase. Under section 59 of the Act, the strata corporation must provide it within one week of a request from an owner, a purchaser, or someone either of them authorizes, such as a realtor or lawyer. The fee is capped at $35 plus up to 25 cents a page for copies (Strata Property Regulation, s. 4.4, BC, current to October 15, 2026).
As of the date it is issued, the certificate must disclose:
The rules, the current budget and the most recent depreciation report must be attached (s. 59(4)). The disclosed information binds the strata corporation in its dealings with anyone who relied on the certificate and acted reasonably (s. 59(5)). The insurance summary is the exception: it is not binding when the strata got that information from its insurer or insurance agent (s. 59(5.1)). Read the pending resolutions line closely, because notice of a large special levy can appear there weeks before the vote.
Form B is a snapshot, and the strata's records explain how the building got there. Section 35 requires the strata corporation to keep minutes of general and council meetings, the bylaws and rules, budgets and financial statements, contracts, correspondence, legal opinions, decisions in disputes and any depreciation reports.
An owner, or a person the owner authorizes in writing, can inspect those records and get copies. The strata corporation must comply within two weeks, or within one week for the bylaws and rules (s. 36(3)). Inspection is free, and copies cost at most 25 cents a page (Strata Property Regulation, s. 4.2, BC, current to October 15, 2026). Until you complete, you are not an owner, so a buyer's access to the full records runs through the seller's written authorization. Read at least two years of council minutes.
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Every strata corporation must have bylaws (s. 119). If it never filed its own, the Standard Bylaws in the Schedule to the Act apply (s. 120). The Standard Bylaws limit pets to a reasonable number of fish or small caged mammals, up to two caged birds, and one dog or one cat. Most buildings have filed their own bylaws, so read the registered set rather than assuming the standard ones apply.
A bylaw cannot be enforced to the extent that it breaks the Act, the regulations, the Human Rights Code or any other law, or stops an owner from freely selling, leasing or mortgaging their unit (s. 121). A strata can regulate signs and open house times, but a bylaw cannot prohibit or unreasonably restrict a sale (s. 122). A new pet ban does not apply to a pet already living in a unit legally when the bylaw passed, and a bylaw banning or restricting pets does not apply to guide or service dogs (s. 123).
Changing a bylaw in a residential strata takes a 3/4 vote at a general meeting, and the change has no effect until it is filed in the land title office (s. 128). Rules work differently. Council can make rules about the use of common property, such as gym hours, but a rule lapses at the next annual general meeting unless owners ratify it by majority vote, and a bylaw wins any conflict with a rule (s. 125).
Fines are capped at $200 per bylaw contravention and $50 per rule contravention, imposed at most every seven days for a continuing breach (Strata Property Regulation, s. 7.1, BC, current to October 15, 2026). Before it fines anyone, the strata corporation must receive a complaint, give the owner or tenant the particulars in writing, and offer a chance to answer, including a hearing at a council meeting if requested (s. 135).
Since November 24, 2022, section 141 has said that a strata corporation must not screen tenants, require approval of tenants, insert terms into tenancy agreements or otherwise restrict the rental of a strata lot. Rental restriction bylaws are no longer valid in any BC strata, and the sections that used to allow them (ss. 139, 140 and 142 to 145) are repealed.
Short-term rentals are treated differently. The Province of BC classes accommodation for less than 90 consecutive days as commercial use rather than a residential tenancy, so a strata corporation can still limit or ban short-term rentals with a bylaw passed by a 3/4 vote (Government of BC, strata short-term rental bylaws, 2026). A short-term rental bylaw can carry a fine of up to $1,000 per contravention, imposed as often as daily (Strata Property Regulation, s. 7.1, BC, current to October 15, 2026). Our guide to BC short-term rental rules covers the provincial rules that apply on top of any strata bylaw.
If you buy to rent long term, section 146 still applies to you as a landlord. Before the tenancy starts you must give the tenant the current bylaws and rules and a Form K Notice of Tenant's Responsibilities, then give the strata corporation a copy signed by the tenant within two weeks. If you skip it, the tenant can end the tenancy within 90 days of finding out, and you pay their reasonable moving costs up to one month's rent.
A strata bylaw can no longer restrict the age of residents, with one exception. Section 123.1 allows a bylaw requiring one or more residents of a unit to be at least 55. Bylaws with a lower age limit, such as 19+, stopped being valid on November 24, 2022 (Government of BC, changes to strata legislation, 2026).
Even in a 55+ building, the age bylaw does not apply to these residents (s. 123.2 and Strata Property Regulation, s. 7.01):
A 55+ bylaw controls who lives in the unit. If you plan to rent the unit out, your tenant has to meet the age requirement too.
Strata fees pay into two funds (s. 92). The operating fund covers costs that come up once a year or more often. The contingency reserve fund covers costs that come up less often, like a roof or an elevator. Each year's contribution to the reserve must be at least 10% of the operating fund contribution (Strata Property Regulation, s. 6.1, BC, in force since November 1, 2023).
When the reserve is not enough, the strata corporation can raise a special levy (s. 108). A levy split by unit entitlement needs a 3/4 vote, and the resolution must state the purpose, the total, each unit's share and the payment dates. Money left over after the work is done goes back to owners in proportion to what they paid, unless no owner would get more than $100, in which case the strata can put it into the reserve fund.
Section 109 decides who owes a levy when a unit sells. If the levy was approved before the sale completes, the seller owes the instalments due before the completion date, and the buyer owes everything due on or after it. Line up the levy dates on Form B against the completion date in your offer. Our special levy guide covers the warning signs that a levy is coming.
A depreciation report estimates the repair and replacement cost and the expected life of a strata's major components (s. 94). Since July 1, 2024, strata corporations with five or more lots must get one at least every five years, and owners can no longer vote to skip it (Strata Property Regulation, ss. 6.21 and 6.22, BC). Older stratas in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Capital Regional District that had no report since December 31, 2020 had to get one before July 1, 2026. Stratas elsewhere in BC have until July 1, 2027. Our depreciation report guide explains how to read one.
Owners holding at least 20% of the votes can demand a special general meeting, and the strata corporation must hold it within four weeks (s. 43). Many strata disputes, including unpaid fees, fines and repair disagreements, can go to the Civil Resolution Tribunal, BC's online tribunal, under section 121 of the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act. For a strata decision that is significantly unfair to an owner or tenant, section 164 of the Strata Property Act lets that person ask the BC Supreme Court for an order.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For a specific bylaw, levy or dispute, speak with a BC real estate lawyer.
The Strata Property Act gives a BC buyer more disclosure rights than most people use. Before you remove subjects, check these documents:
Our strata due diligence checklist walks through the full document review, and our guide to what a strata is in BC covers the basics of strata ownership. You can look up more than 14,000 BC strata buildings in the Zealty Strata Browser, with building data powered by StrataReports, and follow current prices on the Metro Vancouver RD housing market page.
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