Industry Insights
Blog
BC Condo Classroom Launched
We are pleased to share some genuinely good news for strata communities across the province. The Condominium Home Owners Association of BC (CHOA), in partnership with BC Housing and the Province of British Columbia, has launched the BC Condo Classroom — a free, online educational resource built specifically for strata councils, owners, and the professionals who serve them.
Parking Locker Allocations: An Explainer Recommendations
Few topics generate as much confusion—and as much heated correspondence—as parking stalls and storage lockers in strata corporations. Who owns what? Who assigned what to whom? And where, exactly, is the documentation to prove it? These are not trivial questions. The answers determine what appears on...
The 2026 BC Budget PST
The 2026 provincial budget proposed a significant expansion of BC's Provincial Sales Tax (PST) to cover a range of professional services for the first time. Since the announcement in February, our team, along with brokerages and industry associations across the Province, has been actively seeking cl...
The Increasing Complexity of Strata Management Part 4 – Record Keeping, Privacy The Document Request Deluge
In Parts 1 through 3 of this series, we explored how external pressures—from climate changed related legislation to the rising tide of "AI Slop" in disputes—are complicating the strata landscape. Today, we turn our lens inward to one of the most operationally demanding aspects of modern strata manag...
The Cost of Weak Controls: Why Strata Accounting Discipline Matters
Recent reporting on a major governance failure at a Coquitlam strata — including allegations of a “rigged election,” inappropriate reimbursements, chronically underfunded repairs, deficits, and drained accounts — highlights a very real risk that most strata corporations never confront, yet one that...
The FIFA World Cup Is Coming
With Vancouver confirmed as a host city for the FIFA World Cup, strata councils, (particularly those in and around the downtown core, transit corridors, and event precincts) are understandably asking what this means for day-to-day operations, bylaws, security, and governance. For many councils, this...
Carbon Emission Reporting in the City of Vancouver: What Strata Corporations Need to Know
As part of a broader effort to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the City of Vancouver has implemented mandatory carbon emission reporting requirements for large buildings. For many strata corporations, this represents yet another example of the increasing regulatory...
Three Quote Policies – A Nuanced Approach
It’s a somewhat common practice for strata councils to adopt a policy that requires three quotes for every project —big or small. On the surface, it sounds like good governance: more quotes mean better comparisons and could potentially lower your overall costs. But in practice, this kind of very rig...
The Increasing Complexity of Strata Management Part 3 – “AI Slop” and the Rise of Made-Up Arguments in Strata Disputes
As Strata Councils are aware, there has always been a healthy (and sometimes not-so-healthy) amount of correspondence from Owners who disagree with a Council decision. These communications often relate to bylaw enforcement, common property maintenance, or other matters where the Council is required...
Election Season
As election season is in full swing, strata corporations in British Columbia must be aware of their responsibilities to ensure that residents can fully participate in the democratic process. Whether it's a provincial, federal, or municipal election, legal obligations must be met to facilitate canvas...
Understanding Strata Corporation Earthquake Insurance Deductibles
Understanding Earthquake Deductibles in Strata Corporations British Columbia is located in a seismically active region, making earthquake insurance a crucial consideration for strata corporations and individual homeowners alike. One of the most significant aspects of earthquake insurance is the dedu...
Tariffs and the Looming Threat of a Trade War
"May you live in interesting times". We certainly never thought to be writing and sharing articles about a trade war with our American neighbours, and yet here we are. America is threatening to implement a new tariff regime which would upend decades of free trade between Canada, the USA and Mexico....
Move User Fee Reviews
Regular Review of Move Fees – A Recent Case Regarding Furnished Move Fees Under the Strata Property Act (SPA) , section 6.9 of the Strata Property Regulation specifically permits strata corporations to impose user fees for common property, common assets, or other services provided. However, such fee...
The Increasing Complexity of Strata Management Part 2 – Employees
Managing Employees in Strata Corporations: The Expanding Role of Strata Managers As we wrote about in Part 1 of this series , the role of a strata manager has never been more complex. The role of strata managers in British Columbia has significantly evolved, especially as employment laws and workpla...
The Increasing Complexity of Strata Management Part 1 – Climate Change Regulations
The Increasing Complexity of Strata Management: Navigating Climate Change Regulations This will be the first of several blog posts on the evolving landscape of strata management in British Columbia. As the industry changes, strata corporations and management companies face new challenges that are dr...
Understanding Depreciation Reports: What Every Strata Council Should Know
A depreciation report is one of the most important planning documents a strata corporation can have. Yet many councils don't fully understand what it contains or how to use it effectively.
New *Mandatory* Depreciation Report Requirements
The Provincial Government has announced Order in Council 204-2024 , which was deposited today (April 22, 2024). This new Order makes it mandatory for all but a small class of Strata Corporations to conduct Depreciation Reports every 5 years. Gone is the exemption made possible by the passing of a 3/...
WorksafeBC – Bullying Harassment Policies
We have written in the past about Court judgements reiterating the necessity for Employers to ensure their workplaces are free of harassment and bullying. There is no question that all workplaces must be entirely free of such behaviour. As an Employer, Stratawest has always taken our obligation to p...
Seminar Announcement: Dealing With an Aging Building (CCI BC)
From time to time, we try to share relevant seminars with our clients so that they can get a more in-depth analysis of major issues facing Strata Corporations. Our friends at CCI BC (of which we are a proud long time seminar) will be hosting a free webinar addressing what they descirbe as "Dealing w...
Our 13th Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive
Our 13 th Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive & Fundraiser for Harvest Project was a massive success this holiday season. We were able to provide 20 bikes through Obsession Bikes & Bikes for Tykes to Family Services of the North Shore along with carloads of toys delivered to the North Shore Christ...
Electric Vehicles – Strata Property Act Amendments
With the explosive growth of Electric Vehicles being sold over the last few years expected to continue well into the future, supported by a government ban on the sale of gasoline powered vehicles by 2035 , multi-unit residential buildings including Strata Corporations will face escalating pressures...
The Cassey Decision – Cassey v. The Owners, Strata Plan VR-326 – Council Decisions via Email
Earlier this year, the Civil Resolution Tribunal decided on a case that has notable implications for Strata Corporation operations here in the province of British Columbia. You can read more about the decision here , and the decision itself is available at the CRT website here . The case spins on th...
November 1 2023 – New CRF Requirements
In January 2023, the Provincial cabinet produced Order in Council No. 32 which amended portions of the Strata Property Act relating to the minimum contributions to the Contingency Reserve Fund (CRF). A phased approach was taken at the time, allowing Strata Corporations to amend their budgets accordi...
E-Bikes Growing Concerns About Fire Risks
Electronic Bikes (ebikes) are an increasingly popular consumer product, designed to assist cyclists by applying electrical energy to the cadence of pedaling- thus helping people up hills or on longer rides with a motor assist that adds to the power produced by turning the pedals with your feet. Thes...
Civil Resolution Tribunal – Owner to Owner Complaints
We take this opportunity to share with you the (known) details of an important case recently decided upon at the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT). CTV News summarized the case in their recent article , and the full text of the ruling can be found here . In the judgement, the CRT found that one neighb...
Noise Complaints – Free CCI Webinar
Stratawest is a proud member of the Canadian Condominium Institute , a national non-profit organization dealing exclusively with condominium (Strata here in BC) issues. The British Columbia Chapter of CCI is hosting an education Webinar on May 30th which we think many of our clients would benefit fr...
City of Vancouver – Accessible Parking Bylaw Amendment
With thanks to the good folks at Lawson Lundell LLP, we'd like to share this article regarding a City of Vancouver bylaw amendment requiring that accessible parking stalls be held in common, rather than assigned to individual suites. Note that this bylaw is not retroactive, meaning it only applies t...
Age Restriction Bylaws – New Exemptions for Spouses and Children
After a material public outcry, the provincial government has implemented Order In Council 276 which provides additional classes of exemptions for rental restriction bylaws, most notably spouses, partners and children. The Vancouver Island Strata Owners Association has put together a handy explainer...
Emergency Preparedness And Your Strata Corporation
From time to time, it is important to be reminded of resources available to us in preparing for emergencies- natural disasters and the like. There are a number of excellent resources already freely available and we don't seek to duplicate those (nor do we presume to speak as experts on this topic, t...
Insurance Brokers, Property Managers and Your Strata Corporation
The Insurance Council of British Columbia recently introduced a new Rule which explicitly prohibits insurance agencies from selling insurance to Strata Corporations when the agency has common ownership with the Strata Management company for that Strata Corporation. You can read more about the new ru...
Privacy Guidelines for Strata Corporations – Updates
In May 2022, the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner updated their Guidelines for Strata Corporations on how to best achieve compliance with the Personal Information Privacy Act (“PIPA”). We wrote about this at the time and would like to take this opportunity to highlight other aspects...
The End of Rental Restrictions: Part 3 (along with Age Restrictions Electronic General Meetings)
We can now confirm that Bill 44 has been read through and proclaimed into law by the BC Legislature. As a reminder from our previous articles on the subject , the three main changes in the Strata Property Act arising from these amendments are: The end of rental restrictions – the provisions in SPA w...
The End of Rental Restrictions: Part 2 (along with Age Restrictions Electronic General Meetings)
In our previous article , we noted that the esteemed Strata legal community had not yet weighed in on the impact of Bill 44, designed to end Rental Restrictions in BC. We would like to take this opportunity to link you to an article from Lesperance Mendes , very astute Strata-focused lawyers here in...
Proposed Changes to the Strata Property Act: The End of Rental Restrictions
The BC Government has announced a major change to the Strata Property Act , which if passed through new legislation, will effectively end the ability of Strata Corporations to prohibit rentals. The proposed changes are being made as part of the Province's efforts to address the housing affordability...
Keeping Cool in Strata (and Rental) Properties
As we wrote about recently , subsequent to last year’s devastating and tragic “heat dome”, there is growing demand for heat pumps and other air conditioning units to be installed within Strata Corporations. These usually require some physical alterations to accommodate the associated electrical and...
"Strata Squeeze" – Inflation, Property Management Shortages, Derelict Properties and More
We take this opportunity to link this excellent article from Vancouver Magazine, "Strata Squeeze: Could Florida's Condo Collapse Happen in Vancouver?". The author highlights and expands upon several subjects we have been discussing on our blog for many years now. These topics include: The impacts of...
Heat Pumps and a Changing Climate
Our changing climate is prompting action by all levels of government address what is more and more being referred to as the "climate emergency". Rising temperatures, forest fires, flooding, increased migration and more are predicted for the Lower Mainland. We write today about the first and most obv...
Minimum Wage Increase – 2022 Edition
There are many inflationary pressures facing Strata Corporations as we exit the most acute phase of the pandemic. As we have been writing about , costs continue to soar for Strata Corporations- materials, services (such as insurance) and labour are all seeing dramatic increases. Most notably, the mi...
Privacy Guidelines for Strata Corporations
Please note that we are republishing our previous article on Privacy Guidelines for Strata Corporations as the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner has updated their Strata Guide, linked below. We have previously written on Access to Records requests that Strata Corporations routinely fa...
BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax / Vancouver Empty Homes Tax
Ownership of vacant properties in British Columbia is currently subject to the "BC Speculation and Vacancy Tax" (SVT), which is wholly separate and apart from the Vancouver Empty Homes Tax ( EHT ) which applies to properties in Vancouver proper. The provincial government has phased exemptions for th...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #24
Dear Strata Councils, Today, March 10 th , 2022, Dr. Bonnie Henry and the Province of British Columbia announced that the requirement to wear masks in indoor public spaces shall be lifted at 12:01am tomorrow (Friday March 11 th , 2022). Most of our clients have implemented their own mask mandates to...
Hard Now Obvious Truth: Everything is More Expensive and Everything Takes Longer
We write to relay a fairly straight forward message. We won't restate or rehash what you are all likely reading about in newspapers and seeing on the 6 o'clock news about the World, Canadian and British Columbian economies- you can find far better sources than our firm for this information. Briefly,...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #23
Dear Strata Councils, We hope this message finds you safe and healthy during the holiday season and that we have some clearer (if snowy) skies ahead soon. Please stay warm over the next few days. As you are aware, the Provincial Health Officer (PHO) has introduced additional province-wide restrictio...
BC's Guide Dog and Service Dog Announcement Impact to SPA
On December 3 rd , Minister Suzanne Anton announced that British Columbia’s new Guide Dog and Service Dog Act will come into force on January 18, 2016. As some of you may know, the Guide Dog and Service Dog Act was passed by the Legislature earlier this year. We have been informed that corresponding...
Renovation/Alteration Fees – Recent CRT Decision
The practice of charging renovation fees is becoming more prevalent within Strata Corporations, at least according to our observations within our own portfolio and our discussions with other brokerages. We do not take a position on whether or not these charges are appropriate, each community is diff...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #22
Dear Strata Councils, It has been an eventful few days with important developments in the fight against COVID-19. We hope this message finds you safe and sound in this challenging summer season, which has seen multiple crises facing British Columbians and others around the world. We understand that...
Wildfire Season
On Tuesday July 20 th , the Province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency to allocate additional resources in the fight against wildfires. This is the third such state of emergency in the last 6 years, a truly unprecedented phenomenon. We are fortunate to live near the beautiful coastal...
Surfside Florida Structural Inspections
With heavy hearts, we have followed the news out of Surfside Florida after a condominium building partially collapsed, leading to many deaths. It is too early to speculate on the cause(s) of the collapse, but there is no more timely a reminder of the importance of ensuring the structural integrity o...
Important Insurance Updates Legislation Changes
As noted in recent media reports , the Province has announced (and is enacting) a number of legislative measures that the government intends to mitigate the dramatic increase in insurance premium costs and related deductibles being borne by Strata Corporations since approximately November of last ye...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #21
Dear Strata Councils, We are now into Phase 2 of the Province’s Restart Plan. We know that you are as excited as we are to see friends, family and to re-engage in activities we have all missed. We’d like to help support your efforts by providing the latest updates we have on various matters impactin...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #20
Dear Strata Councils, It has been a while since our last update as there have been few policy developments with respect to COVID-19 for a number of months. However, with reopening on the horizon (the Province is set to announce a Reopening Plan today, May 25) we wanted to update you on some of the c...
Restricted Proxies Electronic Meetings – The Story of the Invalidated AGM Continues...
Stratawest Management is a proud member of the Strata Property Agents of BC (SPABC) and the Professional Association of Managing Agents (PAMA) with principals of the company sitting on both Boards for nearly 10 years, volunteering time and energy to better our industry and improve the quality of str...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #19
Dear Strata Councils, As we post our 19 th Covid-19 update there are many reasons for wider optimism regarding the pandemic and we are all thrilled for some better news coming in. That said, there are obviously still reasons to be concerned about the next few months and beyond. Delays with vaccine d...
10th Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive
Done for another year! The results are in and they are… pretty incredible. Lots of toys and gift certificates delivered to the North Shore Christmas Bureau last week, a truck load of new bikes picked up by our good buddy James at Obsession Bikes & Bikes for Tykes and, wait for it… $16,250 raised so...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #18
Dear Strata Councils, This week was very challenging for many of you, with rising case numbers of COVID-19, increased isolation and the turning of the weather. You are no doubt weary of Strata Corporation matters being placed before you. However, we are compelled to write to you with important infor...
AGMs and Restricted Proxies – Another Look
Recently, we wrote about the Shen decision which is causing a fair bit of consternation for Owners and Councils at Strata Corporations. As we indicated in our post, we believe that meetings held in person to comply with the Strata Property Act and encouraging Owners to submit proxies (restricted or...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #17
Dear Strata Councils, We write to you to provide updates on two of the most pressing, and nearly universal challenges being faced by Strata Corporations in the era of COVID-19. Annual/Special General Meetings A recent Civil Resolution Tribunal decision invalidated the results of a Special General Me...
A Strata Corporation's Responsibility To Repair Maintain Strata Lots
We are once again taking the opportunity to republish one of our more popular articles (originally published October 16, 2014) currently with more than 50,000 views. We refer clients (both Strata Council members and Owners) to this guidance on a regular basis and we feel it important to re-post from...
Fall Update – Budgets and More
Budget Considerations – Most Strata Corporations have year-ends that occur in the months of November, December and January which is by far the busiest time of year for our firm when it comes to Annual General Meeting and budget preparation. While we have written a great deal about the COVID-19 relat...
Insurance Markets Update – Fall 2020
In November 2019 we began publishing a series of articles on our blog regarding significant increases in insurance premiums and deductibles for strata corporations across the Lower Mainland. We wrote several follow-up articles in December 2019 and then again in June 2020 . Since our initial article,...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #16
Dear Strata Councils, We are half-way through August and into the home stretch of summer. While there is thankfully less day-to-day urgent information to pass along as the industry gets acclimatized to the challenges being faced by Strata Corporations, we remain involved with various working groups...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #15
Dear Strata Councils, We hope you are managing to enjoy the summer despite the unusual circumstances we all find ourselves in. We’d like to offer the follow important update on the latest developments around COVID-19 and how they impact your Strata Corporation: Electronic Annual General Meetings Our...
Insurance Markets Update – June 2020
BFL Canada, a major broker of Strata Corporation insurance policies has published their latest Market Insights, which you can find here . BFL summarizes the major issues facing insurers providing coverage in the Lower Mainland, the challenges with keeping rates low, and impacts COVID-19 has had on s...
We Are All In This Together
Stratawest has been a locally owned and operated business for almost 30 years. In the nearly 9 years since Jason Kurtz and I bought the company, we have been proud to support many worthwhile causes in an effort to improve the communities we live in (including Harvest Project , Music Heals and Family...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #13
Dear Strata Councils, We’re pleased to say that there have not been many COVID-19 related developments over the past week- with any luck, as restrictions ease we will all get back to something a little more closely resembling “normal” over the summer. We must continue to be vigilant, especially when...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #12
Dear Strata Councils, With Phase II coming into effect over the past several weeks, we have seen the easing of many restrictions around the Lower Mainland and within our portfolio of properties. Of course, even with restrictions being lifted new challenges are being presented and with that in mind w...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #11
Dear Strata Councils, Below we write to you with more updates on Strata Corporation operations and the implications of COVID-19, particularly on meetings and Annual General Meetings and growing concern about the economic impact on Strata Corporation finances: Late Penalties – Strata Councils should...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #10
We hope that you are all enjoying a relaxing Victoria Day long weekend, and that some of you have begun to see family members and others that you have been separated from these past 2 months. We write to you today with a number of important updates on COVID-19, our firm’s operations and your Strata...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #9
Dear Strata Councils, It is with great relief that we can finally write to you with some optimistic news. As you are likely already aware, the Province has announced lifting of certain restrictions which will have significant impacts on you, your families, and of course your Strata Corporations. Eas...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #8
Dear Strata Councils, It has been seven weeks since our first blog post about COVID-19 , and a great deal has changed since that time. Below are the latest material updates on COVID-19 and Strata Corporations: Electronic Annual General Meetings Part 1 – As we wrote about in Update #7 , the Province...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #5
Since we last wrote to you, a number of developments have occurred that we would like to update you on: Stratawest website – for those not yet aware, our client facing website has a section intended to be a resource for strata focused COVID-19 information and you can visit it at https://www.stratawe...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #4
It is clear this situation will require Strata Councils and Owners to be far more involved in the day-to-day operations of your Strata Corporation in order for things to run as well as possible under the circumstances and for the health and safety of everyone. There is more information to pass along...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #3
The past week has been incredibly trying for all of us, but we are also extremely proud of what we have accomplished in such a short time as circumstances continue to shift rapidly. Below is an update that includes a summary of what you can continue to expect from our team as well as some action ste...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #2
We recognize that some of you are wrestling with important and urgent decisions around general meetings, pending CRT actions, finances and other items. While we are preparing another memo to you on a variety of matters, we are trying not to inundate you with information all at once. Below are a few...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) – Update #1
We will be posting updates based on information we receive from the authorities on any developments with COVID-19 that are relevant to Strata Corporations and our firm. Below is our first update. Actions Stratawest and your Strata Corporation are currently taking: Closely monitoring the situation an...
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Planning
With the recent novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, global populations are on alert causing reactions among general populations from lower risk countries including Canada. Currently, public health authorities in BC and Canada are not recommending testing or assessment for individuals who have not...
9th Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive
With continued incredible support from our staff and industry colleagues alike, Stratawest is delighted to have made significant contributions to the North Shore Christmas Bureau for the 9 th year running and to Harvest Project in our 4 th year of involvement with their fantastic program – extending...
Insurance Renewals – Continued
Further to our article from last week, linked here , the issue of Strata Insurance premium and deductible increases has started to appear in the media. Here is an article and video from Global TV news , including information from the Condominium Home Owners Association on the subject.
2019-2020 Insurance Renewals
We regret to be the ones to share this bad news if you are not already aware, so please try not to shoot the messenger. Strata Councils and their respective Ownership groups need to be aware that ALL Strata Corporations in and around the Lower Mainland (i.e. all of our clients) should expect to see...
The Civil Resolution Tribunal's Enforcement Power....and Flags!
Lesperance Mendes , whom we regularly link to on our blog, have 2 articles this month we think are worth referring. The first is an article about the Civil Resolution Tribunal and it’s enforcement powers. It refers to a widely discussed case of a short-term rental operation in North Vancouver, where...
Minimum Wage Increases – 2019
Last year, we wrote to you regarding the planned increases to the minimum wage in British Columbia, and the impact these increased wages would have on Strata Corporations. Clients all over the lower mainland have had to increase budgetary line items (and strata fee contributions) to account for the...
Short Term Rentals / Executive Stays
Our great friends at Lesperance Mendes have posted a new article on their Strata Alert section (a great source of information for Strata owners) regarding a recent BC Court of Appeal decision that clarified whether or not executive stay rental businesses are exempt from Strata Corporation rental res...
Sip and Savour 2018 – In Support of BC Women's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Stratawest Management is very proud to be the Champion Sponsor this year for Sip and Savour 2018 which is back for a third year! Sip and Savour is being held on November 19 th at The Pipe Shop at the Shipyards in North Vancouver, with tastings from Vancouver's top restaurants, bartenders, wineries,...
Legalization of Cannabis
The legalization of cannabis is on the immediate horizon and no one knows exactly what the ramifications will be for Strata Corporations. One thing is for certain, though- things are about to get a lot more complicated. A recent article in the CBC highlighted some of the potential problems that Stra...
How to Deal With Short-term Rentals: How About a $1,000 fine... Per Day?
We know that many of you have already read the news on this subject as our phones have been ringing this morning, trumpeting in the welcome arrival of some long overdue ammunition for those strata councils and ownership groups dealing with headaches related to AirBnB and other short-term rental plat...
A Commentary On "Bargain" Management Fees
Tony Gioventu, one of the foremost experts in Strata issues in British Columbia, has written an article which we think is critical to understanding developments over the past 5-10 years in our industry. You can find his article, entitled "'Bargain' Management Fees Need a Closer Look" here. To unders...
Approval, Authorization and Contracts
We are often asked by Strata Councils about some of the procedures we have put in place to ensure proper approval and authorization of work and then payment for that work. Below you will find a brief primer on some of the important terms and concepts that drive our policies, and yours: Approval – Ap...
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
With the popularity of electric vehicles increasing every month (reportedly, BC has the highest adoption rate in the country which is not a surprise to anyone who has driven in the downtown core recently), there is more and more pressure on Strata Corporations to allow for electric vehicle charging...
Labour Shortages Strata Management
Recently, a number of stories made the rounds regarding an open secret in the Strata Property Management world: that good labour is getting increasingly hard to find. Business in Vancouver (BIV) published the following article https://biv.com/article/2018/02/shortage-metro-vancouver-strata-agents-wo...
The Impact of the Minimum Wage Increase on Strata Corporations
While we’re not usually keen political commentators, it hasn’t gone unnoticed by our firm that the government elected in 2017 has made several promises which will have a significant impact on Strata Corporations. One of those, and the focus of this article, will be the promise to increase the Minimu...
The Seventh Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive
With continued incredible support from our staff and industry colleagues alike, Stratawest is proud to have made significant contributions to the North Shore Christmas Bureau for the 7th year running and to Harvest Project in our second year of involvement with their fantastic program – extending a...
Disaster Planning Seminar
Occasionally, our clients will ask us for advice on planning for disasters (earthquakes, fires, terrorism, etc.). We must admit that while we will always play a role in dealing with elements of a disaster, we are not experts in planning for one. We usually refer our clients to professionals who have...
Contracts, Contracts, Contracts
Condo Smarts is a regular read for many Property Managers and Strata Councils throughout the province. The author, Tony Gioventu is also the Executive Director of the Condominium Home Owners Association (CHOA) of which we have been a proud member for many, many years. He is well respected throughout...
Bylaw Reviews
We have written on other occasions about the need to ensure your Strata Corporation’s bylaws are thorough and enforceable. That is best done by independent legal counsel, to ensure that they are consistent with current practices, the applicable legislation (Strata Property Act “SPA”, Personal Inform...
Air BnB, Short-Term Rentals, Licenses to Occupy
Many of our clients are struggling with the relatively new phenomenon of short-term rentals within their Strata properties. Over the past few years, new technological platforms and tools (Air BnB, VRBO, Homeaway, to name a few) have made it simple for homeowners to let out a portion of or all of the...
Short Term Rentals Supreme Court Decision
Our friends at Lesperance Mendes recently published an article summarizing a court case that has implications for the many Strata Corporations that are trying to eliminate short-term rentals (licenses to occupy) in Residential Strata Lots. You can find their article here. In short, the BC Supreme Co...
New City of Vancouver Street Cleaning Utility Fee
Most of our City of Vancouver clients will be surprised to see a new “STREET CLEANING” fee appear on their annual utility bill. The cost is $19 per Residential Strata Lot. There was no formal announcement about this new fee, it simply appeared on the annual utility bill. For some of our clients, thi...
Court Ordered Sale
In a follow up to our previous post regarding a Court Order requiring an Owner and his spouse to cease and desist particularly egregious behaviour, the Supreme Court has ordered that they sell their suite and depart within one month. You can read the ruling here. A CBC summary can be read here. Need...
Employee Harassment, Workplace Bullying Strata Corporations
From time to time, we have the opportunity to review new Case Law in BC and across Canada through our membership with the Canadian Condominium Institute (CCI http://www.ccivancouver.ca ), and we are also forwarded interesting Decisions from other jurisdictions by our colleagues in the legal world wh...
Unapproved Expenditures From The Operating Fund
Expenditures from the Contingency Reserve Fund (CRF) are a generally well understood concept, and a Google search will show many articles from our esteemed colleagues in the legal community discussing the many nuances and elements that need to be taken into consideration when authorizing an expendit...
Medical Marijuana and Strata Corporations
With apologies in advance for the many puns from our colleagues at Lesperance Mendes, we thought it would be beneficial to link to two recent articles of theirs regarding marijuana (and smoking in general) within Strata Lots. The first is a link to their excellent commentary on the very first decisi...
The Sixth Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive
With continued incredible support from our staff and industry colleagues alike, Stratawest is proud to have made significant contributions to the North Shore Christmas Bureau for the 7th year running and to Harvest Project in our second year of involvement with their fantastic program – extending a...
A Discussion on the Civil Resolution Tribunal
On November 15 th , Stratawest was pleased to welcome a large number of our interested council members to a client seminar entitled, “A Discussion on the Civil Resolution Tribunal”. Joining us to provide an overview of the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) were Shannon Salter, Chair of the CRT, and To...
Assignment of Rights to Tenants
Many Owners are unaware that when leasing out their suite on a long term basis (3+ years), they automatically assign most of their rights to their tenant. From the Strata Property Act, Section 148: Long term lease 148 (1) In this section, "long term lease" means a lease to the same person for a set...
BC Law Institute Consultation Paper on Complex Strata Corporations
The BC Law Institute recently published a consultation paper on complex stratas , which includes recommendations for changes to the Strata Property Act . This is now in its last phase, and requires public analysis and commentary. The three legal devices dealt with in the consultation paper are: sect...
Rock 101 Mugging
We were pleased to be selected to be "Mugged" by Rock 101's team of Willy, Kim and Alece on March 22nd, 2016. It was fun to welcome them into the office (free coffee and donuts!) and hear about their glamorous life in radio. An audio excerpt from their show can be found here . A really pleasant trea...
Vacancy Rates in Strata Corporations
Much has been made of a recent report made to the City of Vancouver regarding vacancy rates , particularly in Strata Corporations where it is estimated that approximately 12{e013b784d3a72fb890c716aa74480ba3c3f3d9e4c9f6942fcb94dfe33921e922} of units sit empty. The City has suggested it may be time to...
Depreciation Report – Funding
We are now a few years on from the legislation that requires most Strata Corporations in BC to conduct a Depreciation Report. Nearly all of our clients have either conducted one, or are in the process of doing so- and our Property Managers field a wide range of questions from Councils and Owners ali...
Vancouver Sun Civil Resolution Tribunal article: Small claims and strata disputes to move online
Please click the following link for an information piece on the coming Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT). http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/mulgrew+small+claims+strata+disputes+move+online/11711273/story.html There remains much to be determined related to the CRT including further support...
Short Term Rentals / AirBnB
Since our original blog post and the related Vancouver Province article back in March 2015, there has been tremendous discussion around the topic short-term rentals within Strata Corporations, specifically the use of websites such as Air BnB and VRBO by Owners to sublease their units on a nightly or...
The FIFTH Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive
We are so thrilled with the tremendous support we received this year from our many fantastic industry colleagues and our staff for our Christmas toy drive. It was by any measure the biggest haul we’ve netted so far, all on behalf of the North Vancouver Christmas Bureau. This was the fifth year of ou...
Short Term Rentals / "AirBnB"
Recently, there has been a fair bit of media attention on the subject of short-term rentals within Strata Corporations, specifically the use of websites such as Air BnB and VRBO by Owners to sublease their units on a nightly or short-term basis. Strata Councils may be interested in this Vancouver Pr...
Airbnb & Short-Term Rentals: Licenses to Occupy
Short-term rentals through platforms like Airbnb continue to be a significant governance challenge for strata corporations across the Lower Mainland. Here's what councils need to know.
BC Civil Resolution Tribunal – Amendments
The Vancouver Sun recently published an article regarding the new Civil Resolution Tribunal, which we have previously written about . Discussed briefly in the article are proposed amendments to the legislation, which would make it mandatory for most Strata Corporation disputes to be settled at the C...
BC's New Strata Housing Website
The province has updated their Strata Housing website which includes helpful guides, links, legislation and other resources for Strata Owners in British Columbia. This is an immensely useful tool for Council members, Owners and Property Managers. We encourage you to review the new website and in par...
Giving Notice For General Meetings
One of the most common questions we get from Strata Councils is how we calculate the 21 day notice period required before calling an Annual or Special General Meeting. On the face of it, the Strata Property Act appears to only require a 14 day notification period as noted in section 45 below: 45 (1)...
Upcoming Strata Educational Seminar
The Canadian Condominium Institute (CCI) is hosting a half day Strata Seminar on Saturday, February 7th, 2015. The seminar will discuss Contracts for Major Projects & Selecting a Contractor/Consultant and is open to members ($30 registration fee) and non-members ($35) alike. A continental breakfast...
The Fourth Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive
You did it again! With unbelievable support from our staff and industry colleagues, Stratawest is delighted to have helped to fill up some otherwise empty stockings through the Christmas Bureau for the fourth year running. The response to our Toy Drive this year was awesome, with amazingly generous...
Holiday Hours and Closures
Please make note of the following important dates for the upcoming festive season. Friday, December 12, 2014 – Staff Lunch, office closed at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, December 24, 2014 – Office Closed at 12:00 Noon. Thursday, December 25, 2014 – Office Closed Friday, December 26, 2014 – Office Closed We...
Repairs and Maintenance to Strata Lots – Revisited
We had recently written about the responsibility of a Strata Corporation to Repair & Maintain Strata Lots in various scenarios, and included advice from Clark Wilson LLP on the subject. Tony Gioventu, of the Condominium Home Owners Association recently published an article on the same subject. For y...
The Implementation Website for B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) is Launched.
The CRT implementation site ( http://www.civilresolutionbc.ca ) will have information about how the CRT will work, updates on the progress toward implementing the CRT, and guest posts on a variety of related subjects, including online and alternative dispute resolution. Just as important, the CRT im...
Unenforceable Bylaws
The Strata Property Act (SPA or ‘the Act’) mandates that a Strata Corporation must have Bylaws. Those bylaws allow for the Strata Corporation to govern the use of Common Property, such as a parkade, stairwell, lobby or other shared facility. Bylaws can also govern the use of Strata Lots themselves –...
Appointment of Civil Resolution Tribunal Chair
Followers of our blog will know that the BC Government is preparing the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRF) for action beginning in 2015. Though there was a temporary Chairperson appointed, the government has now appointed a permanent chair, Ms. Shannon Salter. The CRT will provide online access to Stra...
There Is No Such Thing As "Free Parking"
First off, our standard disclaimer- we are not lawyers, nor do we offer legal advice; however, the following is not actually legal advice, but an advisory and commentary on a recent ruling on a very interesting (if somewhat extreme) case… and it is from an actual lawyer. An industry colleague of our...
Fines
When is a Strata Council entitled to levy a fine against an Owner for a contravention of a Bylaw or Rule? This is a common question and it is important that all Council members familiarize themselves with the process, so that fines which are levied are not overturned later on if challenged. Section...
Permitted Investments Under The Strata Property Act
In a previous post , we wrote about the subject of investments permitted by Regulation 6.11 of the Strata Property Act. This Regulation had been one of the more confusing and ambiguous sections of the Act and the source of a great deal of controversy. The Regulations were recently updated and procla...
Recent Amendments made to the Strata Property Act
Recent Amendments made to the Strata Property Act Further to advisories sent out by The Canadian Condominium Institute (CCI), Strata Property Agents of BC (SPABC) (information from both of which are included below) and others this past week, please be advised that there have been amendments to the S...
Changes to the Strata Property Act – An Update
Changes to the Strata Property Act – An Update In 2009, the BC Provincial Government announced several significant changes to the Strata Property Act . The amendments had three main components which were written about and widely publicized. They were: – A requirement that strata corporations conduct...
The Third Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive
The Third Annual Stratawest Christmas Toy Drive With incredible support from our staff and industry colleagues alike, Stratawest is proud to have blown the doors off the North Shore Christmas Bureau for the third year running. The response to our Toy Drive this year was again awe-inspiring, with ama...
Strata Property Act Change re: Special Levies
We were advised this week by the Office of Housing & Construction Standards (Ministry of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing) that on December 12, 2013 the Province brought into force legislative amendments to allow strata corporations with majority support to apply to the B...
Stratawest Holiday Hours
Please make note of the following important dates for the upcoming festive season. Friday, December 13, 2013 – Staff Lunch, office closed at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 24, 2013 – Office Closed at 12:00 Noon. Wednesday, December 25, 2013 – Office Closed Thursday, December 26, 2013 – Office Closed F...
Exciting Industry News: The RCM Designation Comes to British Columbia
Exciting Industry News: The RCM Designation comes to British Columbia Stratawest would like to acknowledge and congratulate six members of our property management staff for the successful completion of the Registered Condominium Manager (RCM) curriculum and, accordingly, their recently received desi...
Halloween Fire Safety Tips
The National Fire Protection Association (a US body) has put together a list of tips and considerations for Halloween fire safety. These are very relevant to strata corporations which are becoming increasingly popular family residences with lots of young children running around in full costume. We t...
Who is Eligible To Stand For Council?
Quite often, there is an awkward moment towards the end of Annual General Meetings where neighbours look at each other and wonder who would be crazy enough to volunteer for the Strata Council. Thankfully, most Strata Corporations have enough interested owners to fill out the Council; however, there...
Investing Your Reserves
Please note that this post is outdated, but still contains useful information. An important update to this post can be found here as the Regulations referred to below have been amended. We have previously written on the amendments to the Strata Property Act requiring all strata corporations to obtai...
Changes to the Limitation Act – Consequences on Strata Collections Procedures
First off, a disclaimer- we are not lawyers, nor do we offer legal advice. We usually point this out, but it's especially critical when we write about legal statutes. An industry colleague of ours, Veronica Franco at Clark Wilson LLP provided our staff with an in-house seminar on the new Limitation...
Who Is Entitled To A Special Levy Refund?
We are often contacted by former owners of strata lots, who have learned that a Special Levy Refund was issued at the Strata Corporation in which they used to own and where they had paid the initial special levy. Sometimes there is a great deal of confusion, and unfortunately it is often the case th...
Owner Access to Records
Quite regularly, an owner (or a group of owners) will request access to certain records of their given Strata Corporation. The owner must be provided access under Section 36 of the Strata Property Act (SPA) and need only pay for the copy costs (with the Strata Corporation being charged the related a...
Owner Ordered Evicted By Judge
In a case making headlines around the province, an owner is being ordered to sell her strata unit and vacate it (along with her son). The saga began in 2006 and may be reaching its conclusion. Read more about this case at http://www.theprovince.com/technology/Judge+orders+Surrey+woman+sell+condo+ove...
Thank you Art Phillips
Thank you Art Phillips. Those of us who are lucky enough to call Vancouver home lost one of our greatest and most iconic city-builders last week. For many years beginning about a decade ago, I had the great pleasure of working with former Vancouver Mayor Art Phillips in his capacity as a strata coun...
Insurance Renewals And The Outlook For 2013... So Far.
With the ever-changing nature of global insurance markets and the related moving pieces leading to the local trend of rising premium costs, we have been looking to find unbiased third party articles and information to pass along to keep our clients informed and hopefully help make some sense of this...
Earth Hour
Earth Hour will be observed beginning at 8:30pm on Saturday March 23rd. Anyone wanting to learn more about this global event can find information at http://www.earthhour.org/
How Are Strata Fees Calculated?
There are a number of excellent resources available on the internet, particularly those published by the Ministry of Housing, which answer some fairly basic questions about strata corporations. A great example is the article we'd like to suggest for review below. It explains one of the most fundamen...
Proxies And Owner Direction
Attached to every Annual & Special General Meeting Notice you will find a Proxy form. The Proxy form allows an owner to appoint another individual to vote on their behalf at the meeting in the event that they themselves are not available to attend. The Proxy form is most often provided to a relative...
Special General Meetings Called By Owners
Every so often, individual owners inquire with our office as to how they can arrange to place a resolution or other matter before their fellow owners for consideration. More often than not, this request is for a ¾ vote resolution and it usually proposes controversial Bylaw changes which they’ve aske...
Seasons Greetings!
For the past two years, Stratawest has been proud to participate in the North Shore Christmas Bureau Toy Drive. The support we've had from our staff and industry colleagues has been overwhelming, with many jumping at the opportunity to donate toys, musical instruments, gift cards, sporting equipment...
Depreciation Reports – Our Position
Most strata council members are now familiar with the legislated requirement (Section 94 of the Strata Property Act (SPA)) that, with a few exceptions which do not apply to any Stratawest clients, every strata corporation in British Columbia must conduct a Depreciation Report by December 2013. For t...
Strata Owners and Insurance Deductibles
There were a number of news stories published over the past week regarding a very common practice of Strata Corporations. The gist goes something like this: most buildings have bylaws which permit the Strata Council to charge back the cost of insurance deductibles (and in practice, amounts below the...
Stratawest Blog launching soon!
Welcome to the new www.stratawest.com . Please stay tuned for improvements to this website over the coming months, as well as this blog space where we will post information relevant to strata corporations in British Columbia. Here you will find news about changes to legislation, industry development...