Strata Repairs in BC: Who Pays, Who Approves, and How Work Actually Gets Done

Strata repairs stall for a predictable reason: nobody in the building is quite sure whose job it is — the owner's, the council's, or the strata corporation's — and nobody wants to pay for someone else's problem. The rules are more knowable than they feel. Here's the practical version for BC strata owners, council members and property managers.

The short answer

• The strata corporation must repair and maintain common property — the structure, the building envelope, and the systems that serve the building as a whole. This is a duty under BC's Strata Property Act, not a choice councils get to defer indefinitely.
• Owners look after the inside of their strata lot — finishes, fixtures and everything from the wall surfaces in.
• Limited common property is where disputes live. Balconies, patios and decks designated for one owner's use are the classic case: bylaws commonly make the owner responsible for day-to-day maintenance while the corporation remains responsible for major repair — but *your building's bylaws decide*, so read them before assuming.
• Money comes from three places: the operating fund for routine maintenance, the contingency reserve fund (CRF) for major repair and replacement, and special levies when the CRF isn't enough.

The deadline that already passed

BC closed the loophole. Since the province's 2024 strata regulations, depreciation reports are mandatory for every strata corporation with five or more lots — the old annual ¾-vote to opt out is gone. The reports must be updated on a five-year cycle, and the phased compliance deadline for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Capital Region was July 1, 2026 — it has already passed. Stratas elsewhere in BC have until mid-2027.

If your strata doesn't have a current report, it isn't just planning blind — it's out of step with the regulation, and buyers, lenders and insurers increasingly ask for the report first. A depreciation report maps every major component of the building — roof, envelope, membranes, plumbing, elevators — against a 30-year repair and replacement outlook, which turns "should we do this now?" arguments into scheduling decisions.

Who approves what

• Council can proceed with repair and maintenance the strata is obligated to do, funded through the operating fund or, for the purposes set out in the depreciation report's categories, the CRF — the approval machinery is lighter than most owners assume for genuine repairs.
• Special levies need a ¾ vote at a general meeting. This is where major envelope, membrane and roof projects usually land when the CRF hasn't kept pace — and where a current depreciation report earns its keep, because a documented, scheduled repair is a far easier vote than a surprise.
• Insurance sits alongside, not instead. Storm and water damage may be an insurance claim with the strata's (often large) deductible in play; deteriorated components are maintenance, not claimable events. Councils that let maintenance slide often meet the difference the hard way.

How repair projects actually get done

The pattern we see work, from parkade membranes to building envelopes:

1. Scope from evidence — the depreciation report, an inspection, or both. Vague scopes get vague quotes.
2. Like-for-like quotes — same scope document to every bidder, so council compares numbers instead of guesses.
3. A contractor who works with councils — strata jobs need insurance certificates, WorkSafeBC clearance letters, scheduled owner notices, protected access routes and patient communication. That's process, and it's learnable — we do it routinely, including membrane replacement work on strata parkades.
4. Documentation on completion — warranties, maintenance schedules and photos into the strata's records, where the next depreciation report update expects them.

For the two most common strata exterior scopes, our sister divisions have written focused guides: strata roof replacement for councils and property managers and strata balcony waterproofing.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays to repair my balcony?

Usually shared, by design: if the balcony is limited common property, bylaws commonly assign routine maintenance to you and major repair to the corporation. The answer for your building is in its bylaws and the LCP designations on the strata plan — check both before the argument starts.

Can the council just decide to do a big repair without a vote?

For repair and maintenance the corporation is required to do, council has real authority to proceed, using the operating fund or CRF as the rules allow. What generally needs a ¾ vote is raising money by special levy — which is why underfunded CRFs turn straightforward repairs into contentious meetings.

What is a depreciation report, in one sentence?

An inventory of everything the strata owns collectively — roof to parkade — with the projected cost and timing of repairing or replacing each item over roughly 30 years, now legally required for stratas of five or more lots and refreshed at least every five years.

Our strata missed the depreciation-report deadline. What now?

Commission one now — the obligation doesn't lapse because the date did, and every month without it makes selling, insuring and planning harder. It also tends to be the single best tool for getting a stalled repair approved.

Talk to a contractor who speaks strata

PCC works with councils and property managers across Metro Vancouver — envelope, membranes, common-area renovations and repairs, with the paperwork and owner communication handled properly. See our general contracting services or get in touch for a scoped, like-for-like quote your council can actually vote on.