Buying a condo or townhome in BC

A certificate from the strata corporation about the unit and the strata: the monthly fees and anything owing, approved special levies, the contingency reserve fund balance, proposed bylaw changes, lawsuits or tribunal claims, the parking and storage assigned to the unit, and its insurance.

The rules, the current budget, the latest depreciation report and any electrical planning reports come attached. The strata must provide it within 7 days, for at most $35 plus 25 cents a page for copies.¹

The minutes of council meetings and annual and special general meetings, the bylaws and rules, the financial statements and the repair records. An owner, or someone the owner authorizes in writing, can ask for them.²

Since 1 July 2024, a strata of five or more units must have one every five years, and owners can no longer vote to skip it.

Outside Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Capital Regional District, a strata with none, or only one from before 2021, has until 1 July 2027.³

Since 1 November 2023, at least 10 percent of the operating budget each year. The fund pays for major repairs that do not come up every year.⁴

Not long term: since 24 November 2022 a strata cannot restrict or ban residential rentals, and older rental bylaws are invalid.

It can limit or ban short-term rentals (under 90 days) by a three-quarter vote, with fines up to $1,000 a day. Lake Country, Vernon and Coldstream are also under the Province's principal residence requirement; Kelowna and West Kelowna are exempt from it.⁵

Only age bylaws of 55 and older are valid, and even those must allow live-in caregivers, younger spouses, some children of residents and anyone who lived there before the bylaw passed.⁶

A special levy needs a three-quarter vote. If it is approved before completion, the seller pays the part due before the completion date and the buyer the part due on or after it.⁷

By unit entitlement, a number each unit is given, usually from its habitable area (not patios, balconies, parking or storage). The approved budget is split among the units by it, and so are special levies.⁸

Yes. Bylaws can ban pets or limit their number and kind; the Standard Bylaws allow one dog or one cat. A pet living there when a bylaw passes can stay, and certified guide and service dogs are always allowed.⁹

The strata insures the buildings and common property at full replacement value, with at least $2 million of liability cover.

If a loss starts in your unit and you are responsible, the strata can charge you its deductible, which can run from $100,000 to $750,000 or more; the Province notes that owner insurance can cover some or all of it.¹⁰

At the Civil Resolution Tribunal, BC's online tribunal, which hears strata disputes such as unpaid fees, bylaw enforcement and who pays for repairs.¹¹