British Columbia Strata Property Practice Manual 

Practice Point

What you need to know to practise strata property law with success

This publication is essential for: lawyers who need guidance on advising and acting for clients in the strata property context.

BC continues to undergo a high level of new strata construction and conversions, with windups now growing in number. With challenging legislative amendments and an active litigation and administrative law environment, the British Columbia Strata Property Practice Manual is your must-have resource for doing legal work in the strata property context.

Focused on the nuances of practice in light of changing authorities, this manual explains requirements for creation, governance, operation, phasing, and winding up of a strata corporation, as well as financing, insurance, collections, rental, employment, human rights, and privacy issues. Relied on and cited by courts and tribunal, the manual offers help for legal professionals grappling with traditional and new venues for resolving strata disputes.

With this resource, you will be able to:

  • read a strata plan and understand required land title filings
  • work with the distinctions between strata lots, CP, and LCP
  • gain confidence in your grasp of how sections operate and the meaning of types
  • work effectively with strata bylaws
  • advise your strata corporation, strata council and executive, section executive, strata lot owner, tenant, or occupant, strata manager, owner developer, and local government clients on their rights and responsibilities
  • save drafting time with over 50 strata property forms and precedents

Buy today and be strata-savvy!

Highlights of the 2025 Update:

  • repeal of ability to waive depreciation report requirement by 3/4 vote approval
  • new deadlines for obtaining depreciation reports
  • new definition of “qualified person” who may prepare depreciation report
  • requirement that depreciation report include executive summary
  • BCSC declining to award costs personally against strata lot owner opposing court application after considering Enefer (BCSC) (2005)
  • BCCA declining strata corporation standing to bring representative claim under REDMA
  • BCCA dismissal of strata lot owner’s application for production of legal opinions, confirming application of solicitor-client privilege
  • expansion of CRT jurisdiction to include claims arising under Intimate Images Protection Act resulting in renaming of CRT Rules as CRT Standard Rules
  • BCSC determination that CRT has expertise and procedural tools to decide commercial strata lot owner’s “significantly unfair” damages claim of over $280,000
  • factors the CRT to consider in deciding on amendment of dispute notices and responses
  • CRT settlement conference process made permanent
  • summaries of numerous judicial reviews of CRT decisions
  • summaries of dozens of new CRT decisions on diverse matters
  • summaries of numerous human rights decisions involving strata corporations
  • description of BC Human Rights Tribunal Case Path Pilot extended in 2024
  • BCCA decision affirming chambers judge’s decision to not strike petition for correction of registered strata plan as abuse of process after land titles registrar found no correctible error within its jurisdiction

Editorial Board
Allyson L. Baker — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Veronica P. Franco — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
G. Stephen Hamilton — Hamilton & Company, New Westminster
Lisa N. Mackie — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver
Jennifer L. Neville — Hamilton & Company, New Westminster

Authors
Anil K. Aggarwal — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver
Allyson L. Baker — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Alexander J. Chang — Lesperance Mendes Lawyers, Vancouver
Venus Duplin — Reid Hurst Nagy Inc., Chartered Professional Accountants, Richmond
Andrea E. Fammartina — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver
Laura Forseille — BC Financial Services Authority, Vancouver
Veronica P. Franco — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Grant Haddock — Haddock & Company Lawyers, North Vancouver
G. Stephen Hamilton — Hamilton & Company, New Westminster
Sat Harwood — Lesperance Mendes Lawyers, Vancouver
Maris C. Holmes — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Lucya Kowalewski — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Lisa N. Mackie — Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP, Vancouver
Trevor W. Morley — Reed Pope Law Corporation, Victoria
Jennifer L. Neville — Hamilton & Company, New Westminster
Catherine Repel — Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
Benjamin L. Scheidegger — Hamilton & Company, New Westminster
Emily Sheard — Wilson McCormack Law Group, New Westminster
L. Michael Walker — Miller Thomson LLP, Vancouver

Chapters

Volume 1

1. Strata Law Practice in Flux

2. The Strata Concept

3. The Strata Plan

4. Common Property and Common Assets

5. The Strata Lot

6. Strata Management

7. Governance of the Strata Corporation

8. Sections in a Strata Development

9. Strata Corporations Finances

10. Collections by Strata Corporations

11. Bylaws and Rules

12. Strata Dispute Resolution

13. The Civil Resolution Tribunal

14. Recourse to the Courts

Volume 2

15. Rentals and Short-term Accommodation Use of Residential Strata Lots

16. Employment Issues

17. Human Rights

18. Privacy Issues

19. Insurance Issues

20. Court-appointed Administrators

21. Phased Strata Plans

22. The Duty to Repair and Maintain Strata Property

23. Fundamental Changes to the Strata Plan

24. Ethics and Professional Responsibility for Strata Lawyers

Glossary

Checklists

Forms and Precedents

Tables
Case Table
Statutes and Related Material Table
Index

Featured Contributor—Stephen Hamilton

This year’s featured publications contributor is Stephen Hamilton of Hamilton & Company. Stephen practises in the areas of strata property and civil litigation. He is a longtime contributing author and editorial board member of CLEBC’s recently updated British Columbia Strata Property Practice Manual. Read more…