BC Strata Rules — the full reference

Maximum fee a strata corporation may charge for a Form B Information Certificate is $35 under section 4.4 of the Strata Property Regulation (BC Reg 43/2000). The $35 cap is for the Form B certificate itself; a $0.25/page photocopy cap applies separately to (a) attachments accompanying Form B and (b) copies of other strata documents requested under section 4.2 of the Regulation (which implements Strata Property Act s. 36 — bylaws, rules, financial statements, AGM/SGM minutes). Form B must be issued within 1 week (commonly rendered as 7 days) of request, per SPA s. 59.

NOT to be confused with Bill 44 (2023) SSMUH. The 2022 Bill 44 amended the Strata Property Act effective November 24, 2022 to: (1) void all rental restriction bylaws (strata corps can no longer prohibit or limit rentals to non-family); (2) restrict age-restriction bylaws to 55+ only (no other age cohorts). Passed in response to BC's rental supply crisis.

Strata corporations of 5+ residential units must obtain a depreciation report every 5 years. Effective July 1, 2024 — phased compliance dates apply. Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, and Capital Regional Districts must produce a current depreciation report by July 1, 2026; remainder of BC by July 1, 2027. The depreciation report must accompany Form B once mandatory for that strata.

In 2019-2020 BC strata corporations faced a documented insurance market crisis: industry-reported premium increases of roughly 40% on average across the province, deductibles that rose materially (often into the $50,000-$250,000 range, sometimes higher on water-damage claims), and several insurers exiting the market entirely. In response, the Province enacted strata-insurance reforms via Bill 14 (Municipalities Enabling and Validating (No. 4) Amendment Act, 2020) and amendments to the Strata Property Regulation taking effect November 1, 2020. Key changes: (1) strata corporations must obtain insurance covering full replacement value of common property, common assets, and fixtures, plus the standard unit definition; (2) strata corporations must disclose (in Form B and at AGM) the deductible level, the most recent appraisal date, and any uninsured perils; (3) a strata lot owner whose negligence caused damage may be required to reimburse the strata's deductible up to a regulated maximum; (4) section 158 was amended to limit certain "chargeback" practices; (5) the Province enabled stratas to purchase commercial general liability for council members. The crisis hardened the case for current and well-insured-against depreciation reports — see bc.strata.depreciation_report_mandatory.

Companion legislation to Bill 44 SSMUH (see bc.bill44_2023_ssmuh). The Transit-Oriented Areas regulations under the Local Government Statutes (Housing Statutes) Amendment Act (Bill 47) — passed in November 2023, in force December 7, 2023 — designate prescribed transit hubs across BC as Transit-Oriented Development Areas (TOD Areas). Within an 800m radius of a designated SkyTrain station and 400m of a designated bus-exchange / RapidBus stop, municipalities are required to permit minimum density and height per provincial Tier (1/2/3 — distance bands from the station). Tier 1 (within 200m of SkyTrain or 100m of bus exchange): up to 5.0 FAR / 20 storeys. Tier 2 (200-400m of SkyTrain or 100-200m of bus exchange): up to 4.0 FAR / 12 storeys. Tier 3 (400-800m of SkyTrain): up to 3.0 FAR / 8 storeys. Provincial framework overrides single-family-only and most low-density municipal zoning within the TOD area. Municipalities had to designate the TOD areas in their bylaws by June 30, 2024. Lower Mainland designated SkyTrain station hubs include Surrey Central, Gateway, King George (Surrey), Lougheed Town Centre, Production Way–University, Coquitlam Central, Lincoln, Burquitlam, plus Langley's future SkyTrain stations (Surrey-Langley extension) and bus exchanges such as Carvolth. Practical consequence for buyers and sellers: a house listed inside a TOD area may carry assemblage value materially above the lot's detached-housing comparable; a strata unit inside a TOD area may face significant near-term redevelopment pressure (and future demolition / displacement risk) that should be priced into purchase decisions.

NOT to be confused with Bill 44 (2022) Building and Strata Statutes Amendment Act. The 2023 Bill 44 (Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023) requires most BC municipalities to permit 3-4 units on lots zoned for single-family/duplex, and 6 units in lots near "frequent transit" hubs. Most municipalities adopted bylaws by the June 30, 2024 statutory deadline. Township of Langley adopted Bylaw 6020 on November 18, 2024 (extended deadline grant). Also abolishes most public hearings for OCP-conformant rezoning.