A strata-titled duplex needs two kinds of insurance. The strata corporation insures the building, the common property and the fixtures the builder put in, at full replacement value, plus $2,000,000 of liability cover. Each owner insures what sits on top of that: contents, upgrades, personal liability, living costs after a loss, and the strata deductible if it is charged back to them. The Province’s strata insurance page puts the main point in one line: “homeowner insurance doesn’t provide coverage for a strata corporation, including strata-titled duplexes.”
This post shows which policy pays for what in a two-lot strata, using sections 149 and 161 of the BC Strata Property Act. Our duplex strata guide covers the rest of the rules for two owners.
What the strata policy must cover
Section 149 requires the strata corporation to insure:
- the common property
- the common assets
- the buildings shown on the strata plan
- fixtures built or installed in a strata lot by the owner developer as part of the original construction
The cover must be for full replacement value against the “major perils” in Regulation s.9.1(2): fire, lightning, smoke, windstorm, hail, explosion, water escape, strikes, riots or civil commotion, impact by aircraft and vehicles, vandalism and malicious acts. Section 150 and Regulation s.9.2 add liability insurance of at least $2,000,000 for the strata corporation.
The Regulation defines “fixtures” (s.9.1(1)) as items attached to a building, “including floor and wall coverings and electrical and plumbing fixtures”. It leaves out appliances that can be removed without damage, such as refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, microwaves, washers and dryers.
Section 155 makes the strata corporation, the owners, the tenants and the people who normally live in the lots named insureds on the strata policy. You are covered by it as an owner, even though the strata buys it.
Which policy pays: a duplex table
| Item | Strata policy (s.149, s.150) | Your own policy (s.161) |
|---|---|---|
| Structure, roof, exterior walls of the building | Yes, in a building strata | Only for perils or amounts above the strata’s cover |
| Builder’s original floors, cabinets, plumbing and electrical fixtures | Yes | Only above the strata’s cover |
| Upgrades you made, such as a new kitchen | Only if the strata chose to buy that cover (s.152(b)) | Yes (s.161(1)(b) and (c)) |
| Fridge, stove, washer, dryer that lift out | No, they are outside the definition of fixtures | Yes, with your contents |
| Furniture, clothes and other contents | No | Yes |
| Your personal liability | Strata’s $2,000,000 covers the strata corporation | Yes (s.161(1)(e)) |
| Rent you lose while your half is repaired | Only if the strata policy includes it | Yes, above the strata’s cover (s.161(1)(d)) |
| The strata deductible charged back to you | No | The Province says owner insurance “can cover some or all” of it |
Sources: Strata Property Act ss.149 to 161; Regulation s.9.1; the Province’s strata owner insurance page (published July 23, 2025).
The Province also lists additional living expenses, meaning the cost of living somewhere else while your home is repaired, among the things an owner policy can cover.
The deductible charged back to you
A deductible on a claim under the strata policy is a common expense shared by unit entitlement (s.158(1)). The strata can still sue an owner to recover it if that owner is responsible for the loss (s.158(2)). The Province says an owner can be required to pay it “even if not ‘at fault’ or negligent”, and uses a broken dishwasher hose as its example.
In a duplex this means a leak that starts in your half can put the whole strata deductible on you. Ask your insurer two things when you buy or renew:
- Does my policy pay a strata deductible charged back to me, and up to what amount?
- Is that amount at least equal to the deductible on our strata policy today?
The strata must tell owners and tenants as soon as feasible about any increase in its deductible (s.154(c)), so send the new number to your insurer when it changes.
Each policy pays its own items
Section 162 says neither the strata’s policy nor an owner’s policy is “other insurance” for the other unless both are issued on the same property. So each policy pays the items the table above gives it. If both duplex owners carry home insurance and nobody bought a strata policy, no policy is in place for the building items in the first two rows.
A bare land duplex works the other way
Some duplexes and many side-by-side homes are bare land stratas. In a bare land strata the lots are set by survey markers on the ground, and the houses are usually not shown on the strata plan. Three rules change:
- The strata does not insure fixtures in the lots (s.149(3)).
- An owner may insure the buildings and fixtures on their own lot (s.161(2)).
- The Province says the owner insures, repairs and maintains the buildings on their lot, and suggests asking about a “bare land endorsement” on the homeowner policy.
The strata still insures any common property and common assets, and still needs $2,000,000 of liability cover. Your strata plan tells you which kind you own. Our bare land strata guide explains how to read it.
Setting the replacement value
The Act and Regulation set no rule on how often the building must be appraised. The Province’s insurance page says insurers will ask for “a recent replacement cost appraisal done within the past two or three years”. In a duplex, the two owners decide together when to order one, and the cost is a common expense.
Section 154 requires the strata to review its insurance every year, report on it at each annual general meeting (AGM), and tell owners about any material change. In a two-lot strata the two owners are the council (Standard Bylaw 9(2)), so the review is the two of you reading the renewal together. If you cannot agree on a policy, s.98(3.1) lets the strata pay for the insurance s.149 and s.150 require without a vote, as spending to prevent significant loss.
A checklist for duplex owners
- Check your title for a strata plan number, then read the plan to see whether it is a building strata or a bare land strata.
- Confirm the strata policy is in the strata’s name, “The Owners, Strata Plan [number]”, at full replacement value with $2,000,000 of liability cover.
- Split the premium by unit entitlement (s.99), shown on the Schedule of Unit Entitlement filed with the plan.
- Give your own insurer the strata policy summary and the deductible, and ask about upgrades, contents, liability, living costs and the deductible charge-back.
- Keep the insurance summary current. Every Form B Information Certificate must include one (s.59(3)(l.2)), so a buyer of either half will see it.
Our strata insurance guide lists the full set of strata policy rules, and our duplex strata guide covers meetings, votes and repairs with two owners.
We are building the StraPlex app for owners of 2 to 6 unit stratas, with the strata policy, the deductible, the renewal date and each owner’s share in one place. The waitlist is below.
David Babakaiff, Co-Founder, VanPlex | PlexRank™ | Profit with Multiplex
