Are strata fees actually that different between townhouse and concrete condo?

Yes. A typical wood-frame townhouse strata fee in BC sits in the $250–600/mo range depending on age and complex; a concrete high-rise condo commonly runs $500–900+/mo, and luxury or older buildings with significant deferred maintenance can run materially higher. The driver is replacement-cost insurance, elevator, parkade, common-area HVAC, and amenity programs (pool / gym / concierge). Over a 5-year hold the strata-fee delta alone can move total housing carry by $20K–40K — material to the financing comparison.

What's the Form B and why does it matter for either?

The Form B Information Certificate is a BC-mandated snapshot of a specific strata unit's financial standing — fees current/in arrears, special levies in progress, contingency reserve fund balance, lien status, parking/storage allocation. It's capped at $35 and must be issued within 7 days. Reading it is part of every strata purchase due-diligence pass, townhouse or condo. Skipping it (or reading it superficially) is how buyers end up paying for a special levy after closing.

How does the depreciation report differ between townhouse and condo?

Both are mandatory for strata corps with 5+ residential units (BC phased-compliance schedule). The 30-year forecast in a wood-frame townhouse strata typically focuses on roof, building envelope, paving, and exterior cladding. A concrete high-rise depreciation report adds elevator overhauls, parkade membrane and rebar rehabilitation, common-area HVAC equipment, fire-system replacement, and amenity-area refreshes. Read the contingency reserve fund balance against the 5-year recommended contributions; a CRF below 50% of the recommendation is a flag for special-levy risk in either product type.

Does CMHC default insurance work the same for both?

Yes — same eligibility rules. Owner-occupied, purchase price ≤ $1.5M (Dec 2024 cap raise), and amortization rules under the 30-year window for first-time buyers / newly-built. Property type doesn't change the premium tier. /guides/cmhc-default-insurance-bc walks the premium ladder.

Which has better resale liquidity?

Depends on location. In urban cores (downtown Vancouver, Yaletown, downtown New West, Burnaby Brentwood / Metrotown) condos liquidate faster — broader buyer pool, more transaction volume, predictable price discovery. In suburban Lower Mainland (Langley, Surrey, Maple Ridge), townhouse liquidity is structurally better — the family-detached-alternative buyer pool is bigger than the suburban-condo buyer pool. Treat liquidity as a location question, not a property-type question.

What about the federal Foreign Buyer Ban — does it apply differently?

No — the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act applies to most residential property in CMAs regardless of property type, including detached, townhouse, and condo. Most non-Canadians are prohibited from purchasing residential property in covered CMAs through January 1, 2027. Seven exemption categories apply. Confirm eligibility with a real-estate lawyer before any offer where status is in question.

Buyer comparison

Townhouse or condo — which makes more sense in BC?

Most buyers think the townhouse-vs-condo decision is about square footage per dollar, but the binding constraint is usually strata fee trajectory — concrete high-rise condos carry insurance + elevator + amenity-program costs that wood-frame townhouses don't, and over a five-year hold that delta moves the total carry by tens of thousands of dollars in either direction.

Side-by-side

Dimension	Townhouse	Condo
Typical structure	Wood-frame 2–3 storey, side-by-side or back-to-back; small strata corp (often 20–80 units)	Wood-frame low-rise, mid-rise, or concrete high-rise; larger strata corp (often 60–300+ units)
Outdoor space	Private yard / patio / fenced area; sometimes a deck off the kitchen	Balcony or patio; in newer high-rise, often substantial podium amenity (pool, gym, lounge)
Strata fee range (BC)	Typically $250–500/mo for older walk-up; $350–600/mo for newer 3-storey product	Typically $300–500/mo low-rise; $500–900+/mo concrete high-rise (insurance + elevator + amenities)
Form B Information Certificate	Mandatory before any subject removal — $35 cap, 7-day issuance under SPA	Same — Form B is the legal-form snapshot of the strata account standing for that unit
Depreciation report exposure	Mandatory for 5+ unit corps; smaller corps may have less complex envelope; building envelope is the big-ticket item	Mandatory for 5+ unit corps; concrete buildings have parkade rehabilitation, elevator, building-envelope, and roof on the 30-year forecast — read the contingency reserve fund balance carefully
Insurance (strata level)	Lower per-unit allocation in most cases; envelope claims drive the bigger movements	Higher — concrete buildings carry larger replacement-cost insurance and have absorbed material premium increases since 2019
Property Transfer Tax	Same provincial brackets — 1% / 2% / 3% / 5% — and same first-time / newly-built exemptions	Same
CMHC default insurance	Eligible if owner-occupied + price ≤ $1.5M cap (Dec 2024 cap raise) + ≤ 30-year amortization rules	Same eligibility rules apply
Pet / rental restrictions	Older townhouse complexes sometimes have pet limits; rental restrictions outright banned by SVS-2022 amendments	Same — no rental-restriction bylaws permitted; pet bylaws still allowed in moderation
Resale liquidity	Typically deeper buyer pool — families, downsizers, dual-income couples; broad demand	Liquid in urban cores (Yaletown, downtown New West, Burnaby Brentwood); less liquid in suburban older walk-ups
Amenity tradeoff	Yard + storage + parking (often 2 stalls + tandem driveway); fewer in-complex amenities	Pool / gym / concierge / co-work in newer concrete; trade smaller footprint for the in-building amenity stack
Future-proofing (Bill 44 / SSMUH ripple)	Indirect — Bill 44 doesn't affect strata townhouse directly but does change the surrounding neighbourhood density	Indirect — TOA upzoning around SkyTrain stations affects condo land values more than townhouse

Typical structure
Townhouse
Wood-frame 2–3 storey, side-by-side or back-to-back; small strata corp (often 20–80 units)
Condo
Wood-frame low-rise, mid-rise, or concrete high-rise; larger strata corp (often 60–300+ units)
Outdoor space
Townhouse
Private yard / patio / fenced area; sometimes a deck off the kitchen
Condo
Balcony or patio; in newer high-rise, often substantial podium amenity (pool, gym, lounge)
Strata fee range (BC)
Townhouse
Typically $250–500/mo for older walk-up; $350–600/mo for newer 3-storey product
Condo
Typically $300–500/mo low-rise; $500–900+/mo concrete high-rise (insurance + elevator + amenities)
Form B Information Certificate
Townhouse
Mandatory before any subject removal — $35 cap, 7-day issuance under SPA
Condo
Same — Form B is the legal-form snapshot of the strata account standing for that unit
Depreciation report exposure
Townhouse
Mandatory for 5+ unit corps; smaller corps may have less complex envelope; building envelope is the big-ticket item
Condo
Mandatory for 5+ unit corps; concrete buildings have parkade rehabilitation, elevator, building-envelope, and roof on the 30-year forecast — read the contingency reserve fund balance carefully
Insurance (strata level)
Townhouse
Lower per-unit allocation in most cases; envelope claims drive the bigger movements
Condo
Higher — concrete buildings carry larger replacement-cost insurance and have absorbed material premium increases since 2019
Property Transfer Tax
Townhouse
Same provincial brackets — 1% / 2% / 3% / 5% — and same first-time / newly-built exemptions
Condo
Same
CMHC default insurance
Townhouse
Eligible if owner-occupied + price ≤ $1.5M cap (Dec 2024 cap raise) + ≤ 30-year amortization rules
Condo
Same eligibility rules apply
Pet / rental restrictions
Townhouse
Older townhouse complexes sometimes have pet limits; rental restrictions outright banned by SVS-2022 amendments
Condo
Same — no rental-restriction bylaws permitted; pet bylaws still allowed in moderation
Resale liquidity
Townhouse
Typically deeper buyer pool — families, downsizers, dual-income couples; broad demand
Condo
Liquid in urban cores (Yaletown, downtown New West, Burnaby Brentwood); less liquid in suburban older walk-ups
Amenity tradeoff
Townhouse
Yard + storage + parking (often 2 stalls + tandem driveway); fewer in-complex amenities
Condo
Pool / gym / concierge / co-work in newer concrete; trade smaller footprint for the in-building amenity stack
Future-proofing (Bill 44 / SSMUH ripple)
Townhouse
Indirect — Bill 44 doesn't affect strata townhouse directly but does change the surrounding neighbourhood density
Condo
Indirect — TOA upzoning around SkyTrain stations affects condo land values more than townhouse

Who each option suits

Townhouse

Buyers who want a yard, two parking stalls, in-unit storage, and the operational simplicity of a smaller strata corp. Families with kids and pets. Move-up buyers who can't (or won't) pay detached but want detached-like outdoor space. Buyers who don't use pools or gyms enough to justify high concrete strata fees.

Condo

Single buyers and couples who value walkability and amenity over yard. Investors targeting urban-core liquidity. Downsizers who want zero exterior maintenance and like building-amenity stacks. Buyers with a transit-first lifestyle who treat the SkyTrain station footprint as the binding location constraint.

Townhouse if your usable square footage includes a yard and your monthly strata fee is the binding affordability constraint. Concrete condo if walkable urban location is non-negotiable and you treat the in-building amenity stack as part of your monthly housing utility. Read the depreciation report, the Form B, and two years of AGM minutes either way — the strata's financial trajectory is the asset, not the unit itself.

— Bronson Job PREC, REALTOR®

Frequently asked questions

Are strata fees actually that different between townhouse and concrete condo?
Yes. A typical wood-frame townhouse strata fee in BC sits in the $250–600/mo range depending on age and complex; a concrete high-rise condo commonly runs $500–900+/mo, and luxury or older buildings with significant deferred maintenance can run materially higher. The driver is replacement-cost insurance, elevator, parkade, common-area HVAC, and amenity programs (pool / gym / concierge). Over a 5-year hold the strata-fee delta alone can move total housing carry by $20K–40K — material to the financing comparison.
What's the Form B and why does it matter for either?
The Form B Information Certificate is a BC-mandated snapshot of a specific strata unit's financial standing — fees current/in arrears, special levies in progress, contingency reserve fund balance, lien status, parking/storage allocation. It's capped at $35 and must be issued within 7 days. Reading it is part of every strata purchase due-diligence pass, townhouse or condo. Skipping it (or reading it superficially) is how buyers end up paying for a special levy after closing.
How does the depreciation report differ between townhouse and condo?
Both are mandatory for strata corps with 5+ residential units (BC phased-compliance schedule). The 30-year forecast in a wood-frame townhouse strata typically focuses on roof, building envelope, paving, and exterior cladding. A concrete high-rise depreciation report adds elevator overhauls, parkade membrane and rebar rehabilitation, common-area HVAC equipment, fire-system replacement, and amenity-area refreshes. Read the contingency reserve fund balance against the 5-year recommended contributions; a CRF below 50% of the recommendation is a flag for special-levy risk in either product type.
Does CMHC default insurance work the same for both?
Yes — same eligibility rules. Owner-occupied, purchase price ≤ $1.5M (Dec 2024 cap raise), and amortization rules under the 30-year window for first-time buyers / newly-built. Property type doesn't change the premium tier. /guides/cmhc-default-insurance-bc walks the premium ladder.
Which has better resale liquidity?
Depends on location. In urban cores (downtown Vancouver, Yaletown, downtown New West, Burnaby Brentwood / Metrotown) condos liquidate faster — broader buyer pool, more transaction volume, predictable price discovery. In suburban Lower Mainland (Langley, Surrey, Maple Ridge), townhouse liquidity is structurally better — the family-detached-alternative buyer pool is bigger than the suburban-condo buyer pool. Treat liquidity as a location question, not a property-type question.
What about the federal Foreign Buyer Ban — does it apply differently?
No — the Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act applies to most residential property in CMAs regardless of property type, including detached, townhouse, and condo. Most non-Canadians are prohibited from purchasing residential property in covered CMAs through January 1, 2027. Seven exemption categories apply. Confirm eligibility with a real-estate lawyer before any offer where status is in question.