Monthly Archives: April 2013
20. How soon must our strata have a depreciation report completed?
That depends: If you have less than five units, you do not have to complete a depreciation report. If you have no Depreciation Report, you must have one done by 13 December 2013. If you already have a proper Depreciation …
19. How is the requirement for a depreciation report enforced?
There are no legal penalties, but Section 59 of the Strata Property Act now requires that a Depreciation Report (if there is one) be attached to the Information Certificate (Form B) which is a document that must be provided to …
17. Can the council cut down a tree without a approval at a general meeting?
Trees on common property must be maintained by the Strata Corporation. The council may not remove trees on Common Property without a 3/4 vote of all owners present and voting at a general meeting unless the tree is in danger …
16. Am I allowed to prune or remove trees in front of my town house?
Probably not. Trees are usually common property, and must be maintained by the Strata Corporation. Owners may not make alterations to common property without written permission of the council. Check the strata plan to find out whether the front yard …
15. If next year’s budget goes up by 5%, can we just add 5% to every one’s strata fees?
No. If you simply raise everyone’s monthly assessments by a percentage of the budget, arithmetic rounding errors will accumulate over the years. The errors may be only a few cents each year, but in a few years some owners will be paying …
14. Are special assessments shared equally by all owners?
Only in bareland stratas. Special assessments are assessed according to “unit entitlement” which is a formula registered with the strata plan. Apartment-style or townhouse stratas are unlikely to have identical unit entitlements. Your strata can vote to change the unit …
13. Does the Strata Agent (manager) have to attend all council meetings?
Not unless it is in the management contract. But there is no reason not to have a meeting simply because your strata agent cannot attend. The council decides how frequently to meet, agrees on what action to take for all …
12. We have only 3 units in our Strata, does the Strata Property Act apply to us?
Yes, The Strata Property Act applies to all Strata Properties in BC. There are no exemptions. If your strata is small, you may be used to handling things in a less formal manner than some other, larger stratas. But for …
11. Must a strata corporation have bylaws?
All strata corporations have bylaws even if they have never adopted bylaws. The Standard Bylaws which begin on page 117 of the Strata Property Act are the default bylaws of all strata corporations from duplexes and bare land stratas to …
10. How often does a strata council have to meet?
The Strata Property Act does not set a frequency for meetings of strata councils. Standard Bylaw #12 allows a council member to be replaced by the remaining council members if the council member is unable to act for a period …