The BC Real Estate Association (BCREA) and the Association of Interior Realtors (AOIR) are calling on the provincial government to undertake a full review of the Strata Property Act (the Act) and implement mandatory education for strata council members.
The Act is the legal framework that governs the creation, operation and management of strata corporations and sets out the rules for how developments are registered, how governance is structured, and the responsibilities of owners and council members. Although more than 1.5 million people live in strata properties in B.C., the Act has not undergone a comprehensive update since its inception more than 25 years ago.
As a result, the strata industry is working with outdated requirements created before the widespread use of digital technology. This past week, the BCREA and AOIR published a joint letter to the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, outlining how the delivery of key strata documents fails to reflect modern governance, record keeping, and buyer expectations. Issues with cost disputes, long wait times, and incomplete packages have become more common.
Strata document delivery glitches
A strata corporation is required to provide the Form B: Information Certificate within seven calendar days of a request. This form discloses pertinent data to the potential buyer, such as maintenance fees, levies, and financial details.
Tim Hill, with REMAX All Points Realty in New Westminster, B.C., says obtaining this form is a key inefficiency, particularly in a hot market. “Some property management companies force us to work within seven business days,” he says. “If you place an order on a Friday, two weekends can extend a seven-day order into 11 days. This is not an acceptable timeline. It also doesn’t align with how the Strata Property Act is written.”
Ryan Stenquist, founder of strata document review company Condo Clear Services Inc., says there does not appear to be a specific allowance for business-day calculations in the Act. “Interpretations can differ in practice,” he says. “The broader challenge is that regulatory oversight is relatively narrow, and complaints about operational timelines under the Strata Property Act often fall outside the BCFSA’s direct enforcement mandate, which can create frustration in fast-moving transactions.”
These delays have a direct financial impact on buyers, as getting this critical information in under seven days often requires rush fees, which are currently unregulated. The maximum a strata corporation can charge for a Form B is $35 plus up to 25 cents per page for copying, including photocopying or other means of reproduction. But Hill says the cost to expedite the document can reach as high as $500 to $600, despite being available in an accessible digital format.
The AOIR cited a Kelowna property where a document package cost $151.38. A rush order under seven days increased the cost to $781.38, a 416 per cent rise. “Per-page fees add up very quickly and can account for as much as 54 per cent of the total cost before rush fees,” AOIR explained. The high cost of these documents is further exacerbated by the fact that these packages may need to be ordered multiple times for a single transaction.”
Another concern is that strata document packages are often incomplete. A 2024 memo from Condo Clear revealed that 95 per cent of the reviews that they conduct are missing essential documents that were requested. In many cases, there are additional costs incurred and little recourse for consumers or realtors.
“In many ways, the industry criticism in B.C. is a microcosm of a broader issue in real estate across the country: the way information is delivered to buyers and sellers hasn’t kept up with the reality of 2026,” says Joel Fox, COO and co-founder of online real estate law firm Ownright.
Fox notes that strata documents can create uncertainty and stress during complex transactions and affect buyers’ and sellers’ ability to make clear, informed decisions.
“It doesn’t help if buyers are often asked to review hundreds of pages of technical documents under these tight timelines and inconsistent delivery standards,” he adds. “Realtors and other professionals are also navigating these same constraints, which makes it harder for everyone involved to stay aligned. Overall, it puts people at risk of moving forward with one of the most important purchases of their lives without fully understanding the financial or governance implications, and it means they end up paying for things they didn’t fully grasp in the long run.”
To address these concerns, the BCREA and AOIR recommend various policy changes: making rush fees fair and transparent, amending the Act to allow critical documents to be reordered at a discounted price, and reducing strata document delivery timelines while modernizing them digitally.
“In industries like banking, accessibility and immediacy of information are already expected. The same should be said for real estate,” proposes Fox. “If many of these materials already exist digitally, it is worth revisiting why rush fees and delivery delays continue to affect how homebuyers, sellers and their agents access information. Over time, these delays make transactions harder to complete in a market where affordability pressures are already high.”
Other inefficiencies may lie in governance. Providing mandatory educational opportunities for strata council members could help ensure that documents are kept current, accurate, and readily available.
Empowering strata councils amid growing complexity
As part of the larger call to government, BCREA has created a proposal entitled, Mandatory Strata Training Program: Driving Excellence in Strata Property Management. Modeled on Ontario’s director training, but tailored to B.C., it aims to empower council members to make more informed financial decisions, maintain buildings proactively, and resolve disputes with fairness and consistency.
“Today’s strata corporation developments are increasingly complex, often involving mixed-use buildings, air space parcels, and shared amenities,” says Sean Ingraham, senior vice-president at First Service Residential and president of the Canadian Condominium Institute’s B.C chapter. “At the same time, the Civil Resolution Tribunal issues new decisions all the time, which can significantly influence how the legislation is interpreted in practice.”
There have also been substantial legislative changes related to rental restrictions, depreciation reports, and increased minimum reserve fund contributions. “For volunteer council members, keeping up with these changes can be challenging,” he adds. “Many rely heavily on strata management companies for guidance, yet smaller companies are also under strain.”
Access to training could help strengthen council members’ knowledge and reduce their dependence on management companies, which are grappling with staffing challenges.
“Most strata corporations are made up of fewer than 100 homes, and many are finding it increasingly difficult to secure professional management due to an ongoing shortage of licensed strata managers and the growing complexity of the regulatory environment,” observes Ingraham. “While organizations such as the Canadian Condominium Institute offer valuable education, participation is voluntary and requires councils to proactively seek it out.”
He cites Ontario’s mandatory training for condo board members as an example of how formal education can establish a baseline of knowledge and says mixed results shouldn’t deter B.C. from offering structured support to strata council members.
“As more British Columbians live in strata communities, it is essential that we provide better tools, education, and legislative clarity to support the volunteers who help build resilient communities and well-managed places to live,” he says.
To read BCREA’s mandatory strata training proposal, click here.
