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Start with the strata corporation’s records
A condo purchase in British Columbia is a purchase of a strata lot plus an ongoing share of decisions and expenses for common property. A showing can reveal the unit’s appearance, but it cannot show whether the building is planning an envelope project, has recurring water ingress, has a depleted contingency reserve fund or has changed its insurance deductible. The records below provide that context.
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Request a current Form B and Form F
Ask for a current Form B: Information Certificate and the prescribed Form F: Certificate of Payment. Form B is a high-value snapshot. Under the Strata Property Act it discloses the monthly strata fee, amounts the owner owes, certain agreements to repay alteration expenses, and approved future special levies with their payment dates. Provincial guidance requires the strata-insurance summary to accompany Form B. Form F certifies payment status.
Check the issue dates and ask whether anything material occurred after the certificates were issued. A certificate describes the position at a point in time; it is not a guarantee that the building will not approve a levy, raise fees or discover a new defect before completion. If a levy, arrear or repair is mentioned elsewhere but does not appear on the certificate, ask the seller and the strata manager to reconcile the discrepancy in writing.
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Read minutes across multiple years
Review strata council minutes, annual general meeting (AGM) minutes and special general meeting (SGM) minutes for multiple years, not just the latest meeting. Look for recurring water ingress, building-envelope or mechanical problems, elevator work, insurance claims, deductible changes, disputes, proposed projects, votes that failed, and fee increases. Minutes are leads for investigation rather than proof that a building is defective.
When minutes refer to an engineering report, leak investigation, contractor proposal, insurance file or legal opinion that is not in the package, request the underlying record. Compare what owners discussed with what was eventually approved. A project that was deferred, rejected or repeatedly reintroduced may still affect the property’s future costs.
Examine budgets and financial statements
Compare the operating budget with recent financial statements and actual spending. Identify the contingency reserve fund balance, recurring maintenance expenses, insurance premiums, utilities and any unusual year-end variances. A low balance is not automatically a defect, and a large balance is not proof that future funding is adequate; the figures must be considered alongside the building’s age, assets, repair schedule and funding decisions.
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British Columbia generally requires minutes and several categories of financial records to be retained for at least six years. Depreciation reports and major repair or maintenance reports are permanent records. Records can include building-permit plans and amendments, contracts, insurance policies, legal opinions and decisions in proceedings involving the strata. Access and retrieval follow the statutory process, so the seller or an authorized owner may need to request records from the strata corporation.
Use the depreciation report as a planning model
A depreciation report identifies the strata’s common property and assets and projects maintenance, repair and replacement costs over a 30-year period. It can cover more than the building shell: landscaping, roads, recreation amenities and other infrastructure may be included.
Compare the report’s work schedule and funding assumptions with the contingency reserve fund, operating budget, recent spending and meeting decisions. Pay particular attention when the report anticipates work that the budget does not fund, or when owners have voted to defer a recommendation. That mismatch calls for questions about timing and financing; it is not, by itself, proof that a levy is certain.
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Current provincial rules require strata corporations with five or more lots to obtain depreciation reports on a five-year cycle. Corporations with four or fewer lots are exempt, and a corporation cannot use an annual three-quarter vote to defer the report. In Metro Vancouver, a corporation generally had until July 1, 2026 to obtain a report if it lacked one or held a report received before December 31, 2020. New corporations established from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2027 have a two-year period after their first AGM; later corporations follow a different transition regime. Verify the building’s actual record and the current provincial requirements because deadlines are time-sensitive.
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— Province of British Columbia, Ministry of Housing, Strata depreciation report requirements page
Review the strata-insurance summary
Read the insurance summary attached to Form B and, where available, the full policy or current broker summary. Check what common property is insured, important exclusions, earthquake and water-damage treatment, policy limits and deductibles. The strata corporation must review insurance adequacy annually and report on insurance at each AGM. Owners and tenants must be told about material changes such as a loss or reduction of coverage or a deductible change.
The strata policy and an owner’s unit policy are different. Ask an insurance broker who understands strata properties to explain how the policies interact and to quote coverage for the specific unit. Premiums, exclusions and deductibles vary by building and can change quickly; there is no universal Vancouver “safe” deductible or standard premium.
Calculate the complete cost, not just the monthly fee
Separate regular fees from special levies
Monthly strata fees fund shared operating expenses and planned contributions, but a special levy is an additional charge for a specific expense that was not budgeted or cannot be paid from available reserve funds. A levy generally requires approval by at least a three-quarter owner vote.
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For every levy mentioned in the records, establish:
- whether it is only proposed or has been approved;
- the project’s total amount and scope;
- this unit’s allocated share;
- each payment date and whether instalments are permitted;
- whether related work has also been approved or is being considered; and
- what happens if the project budget changes.
Form B discloses an approved levy and when payment is due. If approval occurs before conveyance, the seller’s and buyer’s shares depend on the payment timing and the contract wording. Have the conveyancing professional confirm the adjustment at completion rather than relying on an informal promise.
Model fee changes and reserve requirements
Track fee increases over several budgets and compare them with inflation in insurance, utilities and contracted maintenance. A low fee can reflect underfunding rather than efficiency. A higher fee may reflect deliberate contributions toward known work. The useful question is whether the budget, reserve contributions and documented projects make sense together.
Ask how insurance deductibles could affect owners
A major claim can produce an owner-level exposure even when the building is insured, because the strata may allocate a deductible or recover costs under its bylaws and the governing legislation. Confirm the deductible amounts and ask the owner’s broker what unit coverage would respond. Do not assume a standard homeowner policy automatically covers every strata-related assessment.
Inspect the unit and verify what transfers
Arrange a qualified, strata-appropriate inspection
Hire a qualified inspector and agree on the scope before the inspection. Ask which unit components are included, such as plumbing fixtures, electrical panels, heating and cooling equipment, windows, balconies or patios, and what cannot be assessed without access to common areas. An inspection of the unit does not certify concealed components, the building envelope or every shared system.
Give the inspector relevant strata records where possible. Compare visible findings with engineering, envelope, plumbing, electrical and repair records. For example, a clean-looking ceiling does not resolve a history of roof or pipe leaks, and a recently painted hallway does not establish that the underlying envelope is sound.
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Confirm title, parking and storage
Have a conveyancing professional review the title and purchase contract, including every parking stall, locker and storage space described in the listing. British Columbia guidance notes that these spaces can be structured differently: a space may be part of the strata lot, limited common property or assigned under another arrangement. Confirm the legal interest, any use restrictions and exactly what transfers with the sale.
Unit-specific title, leasehold, easement, litigation, tax and mortgage-eligibility questions require the actual title and contract. They cannot be settled from a listing or a generic building summary.
Check bylaws and rules against how you will use the home
Read the current bylaws, rules and amendments
Obtain the registered bylaws and current rules, including amendments. Check provisions on pets, smoking, alterations, flooring, use of common property, move-ins, renovations, parking and noise. Ask whether the strata has issued enforcement letters or granted alteration agreements affecting the unit.
Distinguish long-term rentals from short-term accommodation
Since November 24, 2022, residential rental-restriction bylaws are invalid in British Columbia. That does not mean every form of rental is permitted. A strata may still restrict or ban short-term rentals, and municipal and provincial rules can apply to short-term accommodation. Verify the current bylaws and the applicable rules for the property’s municipality before assuming that “rentals allowed” includes nightly or vacation stays.
Check age and occupancy restrictions
Age-restriction bylaws are limited to residents aged 55 and older. Confirm the exact wording, exemptions and occupancy rules if you are buying for family members, planning a roommate arrangement or considering a future sale to a younger household.
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Know the Home Buyer Rescission Period
For an eligible residential strata lot, the Home Buyer Rescission Period is three business days after acceptance; the B.C. Financial Services Authority consumer guide describes the period as beginning on the next full business day. A buyer who rescinds generally pays 0.25% of the purchase price. The right cannot be waived.
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Exceptions include a residential property on leased land, a leasehold interest, an auction sale and a court-supervised sale. Confirm that the exact interest and transaction are covered before relying on the statutory period.
“The right of rescission under section 42 (1) cannot be waived.”
— Section 7, Home Buyer Rescission Period Regulation, B.C. Reg. 175/2022
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Do not substitute rescission for contract conditions
The rescission period is not the same as an inspection or financing condition. Negotiated subject conditions can run at the same time, and the accepted contract is binding. Have a licensed real estate professional or lawyer set clear deadlines for document review, inspection, financing, title review and any strata-record condition. Confirm how notice must be served and what happens if a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday.
A practical Vancouver resale-condo due-diligence workflow
- Before offering: ask for the latest Form B and Form F, bylaws and rules, recent minutes, budgets, financial statements, the depreciation report, maintenance and repair reports, and the insurance summary.
- Build a project list: extract every reference to leaks, envelope work, elevators, mechanical systems, insurance claims, litigation, failed votes and proposed levies. Note the meeting date and request missing supporting documents.
- Test the finances: compare the project list with the contingency reserve fund, operating budget, actual spending and approved levies. Record this unit’s levy share and each due date.
- Inspect the unit: use an inspector whose scope fits a strata lot. Document visible defects and ask whether common-property access or specialist testing is needed.
- Verify legal interests: confirm title, parking, storage, easements, alteration agreements and any leasehold structure with the conveyancing professional.
- Test intended use: read rental, short-term accommodation, pet, smoking, age, renovation, move-in and occupancy provisions against your plans.
- Review insurance: have a strata-knowledgeable broker explain the strata policy, exclusions, deductibles and the owner policy you would need.
- Set contract protections: make financing, inspection and document-review conditions explicit, then calendar the statutory rescission deadline and every contractual deadline.
- Reconfirm immediately before completion: ask whether a new levy, claim, vote, fee change or material repair issue arose after the certificates and minutes were issued.
Compare buildings on evidence, not a single fee or age
When two Vancouver resale condos appear similar, compare the categories that affect both risk and future cash flow.
| Comparison area | Evidence to compare | Decision question |
|---|---|---|
| Near-term projects | Minutes, repair reports, depreciation-report schedule and approved work | Are significant projects funded, deferred or still being debated? |
| Reserve and operating finances | Contingency reserve fund, budgets, financial statements and actual spending | Do funding assumptions match the documented assets and work plan? |
| Monthly and exceptional costs | Current fee, fee history, Form B and levy schedule | What regular payment and approved additional payments would this unit carry? |
| Insurance exposure | Insurance summary, policy terms and deductibles | Could exclusions or a large deductible create an owner-level financial risk? |
| Use and occupancy | Registered bylaws, rules and amendments | Can you live, renovate, keep pets or rent the unit as planned? |
| Unit condition | Independent inspection and relevant building records | Are visible issues isolated to the unit or connected to a shared system? |
| Title certainty | Title search, plan, contract and parking/storage documents | Do the interests advertised actually transfer to you? |
The available guidance does not establish a universal ideal strata fee, reserve percentage, building age or Vancouver neighbourhood ranking. Choose between buildings only after applying the same evidence-based checks to each.
Warning signs that require follow-up
- Repeated references to the same leak or system failure: request the engineering findings, repair invoices, insurance claim status and confirmation of completed work.
- A depreciation report that recommends work absent from the budget: ask whether owners voted to defer it, what interim maintenance is occurring and how funding would be raised.
- Minutes that mention a levy but a Form B that does not: confirm the approval date, certificate date and current status with the strata manager and the seller’s representative.
- Large fee increases or unusual financial variances: compare them with insurance renewals, utility costs, contracts and reserve contributions.
- Insurance deductible changes or reduced coverage: obtain the current policy terms and a unit-policy quote before removing conditions.
- Parking or storage described only in marketing language: verify the legal classification and transfer documents.
- Rules that conflict with your plan: resolve the conflict before committing; do not assume a rule is unenforceable without legal advice.
- Missing records: ask for the underlying documents and record who supplied them. Absence of a document is not evidence that the underlying issue does not exist.
Professionals who can close the information gaps
A qualified home inspector can assess the unit within an agreed scope. A lawyer or notary experienced with strata conveyancing can review title, contract language, completion adjustments, leasehold or easement issues and levy allocation. A strata-focused insurance broker can interpret deductibles, exclusions and the owner’s policy. A mortgage broker or lender familiar with strata properties can identify financing questions that arise from the building’s insurance, leasehold status, documentation or planned assessments.
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Quick Recap
Final pre-completion checklist
- Current Form B and Form F reviewed, with dates checked.
- Several years of council, AGM and SGM minutes examined.
- Budgets, financial statements, reserve contributions and fee history reconciled.
- Depreciation report reviewed against actual funding and approved work.
- Approved and proposed levies identified, including this unit’s share and due dates.
- Insurance coverage, exclusions and deductibles understood alongside the planned owner policy.
- Unit inspection completed with a clear scope and unresolved findings addressed.
- Title, parking, storage, easements and alteration agreements verified.
- Bylaws and rules tested against pets, renovations, occupancy and rental plans.
- Financing, inspection and document conditions written into the contract where needed.
- Three-business-day rescission timing and the 0.25% payment understood, including exceptions.
- Records rechecked for material events between the initial review and completion.
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