Half Duplex | Ownership
Freehold or Strata: What You Actually Own
This is the single most consequential thing to establish about a half duplex, and it is not something you can tell by looking at the home.
The short answer
Freehold non-strata means you own the land and building outright, with no strata corporation, no monthly fee, and no council. Freehold strata means you own your home through a strata that owns the common property. Both are ownership. Only one comes with a fee, a reserve fund, and rules you did not write.
| Freehold, no strata | Strata | |
|---|---|---|
| Active listings | 246 | 1,157 |
| Median list price | $1,359,000 | $1,349,900 |
| Median per sq ft | $743 | $838 |
| Median size | 2,000 sq ft | 1,579 sq ft |
| Monthly strata fee | None | $371 |
| Who pays for the roof | You, in full, when it needs doing | The contingency reserve, built from the monthly fee |
The two things a listing might mean
In the MLS data these appear as Freehold NonStrata and Freehold Strata. Both contain the word freehold, which is where the confusion starts.
Freehold non-strata is what most people picture when they hear freehold: the land and the building are yours, there is no strata corporation, no monthly fee, and nobody to ask about renovations or pets.
Freehold strata means the strata corporation owns the common property and you own your unit plus a share of the rest. In a two-owner duplex strata the common property may be little more than the roof, the envelope, and the land under both homes.
Why no fee is not the same as no cost
The strata fee funds the contingency reserve, and the reserve is what pays for the roof, the envelope, and the drainage when they need doing. Remove the fee and you have not removed the cost. You have moved it from a monthly payment to a single bill arriving at a moment you do not choose.
That suits some households and not others. If a five-figure repair would be a genuine problem, a funded reserve is worth paying into. If you would rather hold the money yourself and are disciplined about it, freehold is cheaper over time.
How to establish which one you are buying
The ownership field on the listing states it and any listing agent will confirm it in writing. Neither is definitive. The title search your lawyer runs is.
Do not infer it from the property type. Plenty of half duplexes are strata, some row houses are non-strata, and the words on a listing are a description rather than a legal fact.
Is this right for you
Works well if
- ✓ Freehold suits you if you would rather hold your own reserve and control your own decisions
- ✓ Strata suits you if a large unexpected repair bill would be a real problem
- ✓ Strata also suits you if you would rather not negotiate every shared decision with a neighbour
Does not work if
- ✕ Freehold fails if you have no plan for the roof and no savings behind it
- ✕ Strata fails if the bylaws restrict something you actually need, such as a pet or a rental
Check before you offer
- → The ownership type on title, through your lawyer, not from the listing
- → If it is a strata: the Form B, the depreciation report, and the last two years of minutes
- → If it is freehold: what agreement exists with the neighbour about shared elements, if any
- → What the contingency reserve actually holds against the age of the building
Read next
Common questions
What does freehold non-strata mean in BC?
You own the land and the building outright. There is no strata corporation, no monthly strata fee, and no council setting rules about pets, rentals, or renovations. In the MLS data it shows as Freehold NonStrata, as opposed to Freehold Strata.
Is freehold better than strata?
It is a trade, not an upgrade. Freehold keeps the monthly payment in your pocket and hands you the whole bill when something major needs replacing. Strata takes the payment and accumulates a reserve to meet that bill. Which is better depends on your savings and your temperament, not on the property.
Can I tell from the listing whether it is freehold?
The listing states it and it is usually right, but the definitive answer is the title search your lawyer runs. Do not infer it from the property type, because half duplexes come both ways and so do row houses.
Do freehold homes cost more?
Region-wide the comparison is misleading, because freehold ground-oriented homes cluster in different cities than strata ones. The honest comparison is inside a single city, which the price hub does.
Where these figures come from
- VanPlex active listings, MLS® data
Active townhouses, half duplexes, and row houses built in the last two years across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
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See the half duplexes on the market
Every figure in this hub comes from listings you can open. Search the full set and filter by price, bedrooms, freehold or strata, pets, parking, and distance to a station.