Running a Small Strata | Forms and Records
Strata Forms and Records
A BC strata of any size must keep a set list of records for set periods and use the forms in the Strata Property Regulation for certificates, liens and bylaw changes. Owners can see the records and get copies at 25 cents a page. This page lists each form with its fee, deadline and section, the retention period for each record, owner access, filing bylaw changes by mail, copies of the strata plan, and how to find your bylaws.
The short answer
- 01The forms a running strata uses most are Form B (Information Certificate), Form F (Certificate of Payment), Form C (lender's request for notices), Form I (Amendment to Bylaws) and Form K (Notice of Tenant's Responsibilities). All are in the Strata Property Regulation.
- 02Every strata must keep set records: minutes, owner and council lists, books of account, contracts, bank records, correspondence and more (Strata Property Act s.35).
- 03Some records are kept forever, such as the strata plan and depreciation reports. Most money records are kept 6 years, contracts 6 years after they end, and correspondence 2 years (Regulation s.4.1).
- 04An owner can inspect records for free and get copies within 2 weeks, or within 1 week for bylaws and rules, at up to 25 cents a page (s.36; Regulation s.4.2).
- 05A bylaw change has no effect until Form I is filed at the Land Title Office. The Province says a strata of 7 lots or fewer can file it by mail (s.128).
- 06To find your bylaws, ask the strata first. Filed bylaws are also listed in the strata plan's general index at the Land Title Office.
The forms a running strata uses
All of these are printed in the Strata Property Regulation on BC Laws. Forms S to Z.1 are the forms filed when a strata plan is created; the strata plan page covers those. "LTSA" is the Land Title and Survey Authority, which runs the Land Title Office.
| Form | Name | What it is for | Fee | Deadline | Section |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Proxy Appointment (optional form) | An owner names someone to vote for them at a general meeting. | None set | Can be revoked at any time | s.56 |
| B | Information Certificate | Details about one lot and the strata, for an owner or buyer. | Max $35 plus 25 cents a page | Within 1 week of request | s.59; Reg s.4.4 |
| C | Mortgagee's Request for Notification | A lender asks to get notices of general meetings and of money the owner owes. | None set | Expires after 5 years, or when the lender stops being a lender on the lot | s.60; Reg s.4.5 |
| D | Strata Corporation Change of Mailing Address | Filed at the Land Title Office when the strata's address changes. | No LTSA fee | When the address changes | s.62(3) |
| E | Certificate of Strata Corporation | Filed with certain resolutions, for example a new fee formula or a land purchase, to confirm the vote passed. | LTSA fee not listed here | Filed with the resolution or document it supports | s.78, s.100 and others |
| F | Certificate of Payment | Confirms the owner owes the strata nothing, or that the debt is covered. Needed to register a sale or lease of a lot. | Max $15 | Within 1 week; current for 60 days | s.115, s.256; Reg s.6.10 |
| G | Certificate of Lien | Registers a lien on a lot for unpaid fees, levies or other listed amounts. | LTSA fee not listed here | After 2 weeks' written notice to the owner | s.112(2), s.116 |
| H | Acknowledgement of Payment | Removes a lien once the amount is paid. | LTSA fee not listed here | Within 1 week of payment | s.116(6) |
| I | Amendment to Bylaws | Files a bylaw change approved by a 3/4 vote. | LTSA $33.53, plus $3.55 per electronic filing ($2.20 prepaid) | No deadline; the change has no effect until filed | s.128 |
| J | Rental Disclosure Statement | Repealed. Rental restriction bylaws have been barred since November 24, 2022. | n/a | n/a | s.141 |
| K | Notice of Tenant's Responsibilities | A landlord gives it, with the bylaws and rules, to a tenant before renting; the signed copy goes to the strata. | None set | Signed copy to the strata within 2 weeks of renting | s.146 |
| L, M, N | Notice Beginning Arbitration, Notice of Reply, Notice Responding to Reply | Used when a dispute goes to arbitration. | None set | As set in the Act | s.179 |
Form B has its own page: what Form B shows and how a self-managed strata prepares one. LTSA fees are from its fee listing of April 1, 2026.
The records a strata must keep
Section 35 of the Act lists two groups. The strata must prepare minutes of general and council meetings with the results of votes, a list of council members, a list of owners (with lot numbers, addresses, parking and storage, and unit entitlements), lenders who filed Form C, tenants and any voting rights assigned to them, and books of account showing money received and spent and why. It must also keep copies of the strata plan, the Act and Regulation, the bylaws and rules, common property resolutions, waivers, contracts, legal decisions and opinions, budgets and financial statements, tax returns, correspondence, bank records, Form B certificates, and any depreciation, electrical planning, EV and repair reports. The Regulation adds a record of each council member's phone number, or another quick way to reach them (Regulation s.4.1(1)).
One owner wrote to a BC strata advice column in August 2025 about a 5-plex in Nanaimo that said it could run "casually", with no records, financial statements or insurance papers. Section 35 applies to every strata corporation, whatever its size.
How long to keep each record
| Keep for | Records | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permanently | The registered strata plan and amendments; resolutions changing common property, including limited common property; decisions of an arbitrator, judge or the Civil Resolution Tribunal in cases the strata was in, and legal opinions; depreciation reports; electrical planning reports; EV charging reports. | Reg s.4.1(2) |
| Until the item is disposed of or replaced | Reports on repair or maintenance of major items, such as engineers' reports. | Reg s.4.1(2.1) |
| At least 6 years | Minutes of general and council meetings; books of account; waivers and consents under s.41, s.44 and s.45; budgets and financial statements; income tax returns; bank statements, cancelled cheques and certificates of deposit; Form B certificates. | Reg s.4.1(3) |
| At least 6 years after the contract or policy ends | Written contracts, including insurance policies. | Reg s.4.1(4) |
| At least 2 years | Correspondence sent or received by the strata and council. | Reg s.4.1(5) |
| Current copies | List of council members and how to reach each one quickly; list of owners with lot numbers, addresses, parking and storage, and unit entitlements; lenders who filed Form C; tenants; the Act and Regulation; the bylaws and rules. | Reg s.4.1(1), (6) |
Records the owner developer hands over at the first AGM have their own periods: building plans and similar documents permanently, contracts 6 years after they end, warranties until they expire or the item is replaced, and financial records 6 years after control passes to the owners (Regulation s.4.1(7)). The first year checklist covers that handover.
Owner access to records
On request, the strata must make its s.35 records available for inspection and provide copies to an owner, to a tenant who was assigned the landlord's right to see records, or to a person either of them authorizes in writing (s.36(1)). A former owner or tenant can get the records from the time they owned or rented (s.36(1.1)). Any tenant can get the bylaws and rules (s.36(2)).
The strata must comply within 2 weeks, or within 1 week for bylaws and rules (s.36(3)). Copies cost at most 25 cents a page, and inspection is free (Regulation s.4.2). The strata can refuse to hand over copies until the fee is paid (s.36(4)). Put the request in writing and keep the date. If a strata manager's contract ends, the manager must return every record within 4 weeks or pay the strata $1,000 (s.37; Regulation s.4.3).
Filing a bylaw change
In an all-residential strata, owners approve a bylaw change by a 3/4 vote at a general meeting. The strata then files an Amendment to Bylaws (Form I) at the Land Title Office, and "until that filing, the amendment has no effect" (s.128(1), (2)). The 60-day filing deadline in the old s.128(3) was repealed in 2009. The change starts on the day it is filed. The strata must tell owners and tenants about the change as soon as feasible after it passes (s.128(4)).
The LTSA fee is $33.53 for a general filing, which names the "Notice of Change of Bylaws under Strata Property Act", plus $3.55 for an electronic filing ($2.20 on a prepaid account). The Province says a strata with 7 units or fewer can file Form I by mail to the New Westminster land title office, with a copy of the amended bylaws and a covering letter. A strata with more than 7 lots must file electronically through a subscriber, such as a lawyer, notary or land surveyor. The bylaws page covers what bylaws can and cannot do.
Finding your bylaws and your strata plan
Start with the strata: it must give an owner or tenant the bylaws and rules within one week, at up to 25 cents a page (s.36). Filed bylaws are also listed in the strata plan's general index at the Land Title Office and can be ordered through a registry agent, but the LTSA says the office "will not usually have the most recent copies of bylaws". If the strata never filed different bylaws, the Standard Bylaws in the Schedule to the Act apply, and they are on BC Laws.
For the strata plan, the strata must keep the registered plan and every amendment and give an owner copies within 2 weeks for at most 25 cents a page. The official copy comes from the LTSA, which charges $17.78 to download a plan image, plus $3.55 per online transaction on a pay-as-you-go account. The strata plan page explains how to find your plan number and read the plan.
Best For
- ✓ A small strata that keeps one shared folder with a section for each retention period.
- ✓ Councils that file a bylaw change on Form I as soon as it passes, since it has no effect until then.
- ✓ Owners who ask for records in writing and note the date, so the 2-week clock is clear.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ Records live in one owner's email, and leave with that owner when they sell.
- ✕ A bylaw change passed at a meeting is never filed, and council tries to enforce it.
- ✕ The owner list is out of date, so notices go to former owners.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → That your strata's bylaws on file at the Land Title Office match the copy council uses.
- → That the mailing address on file is current; a change is filed on Form D.
- → That any lender on your lot that filed a Form C is on the notice list.
Common questions
How do I find my strata bylaws? +
Ask the strata corporation. It must give an owner or tenant a copy of the bylaws and rules within one week, at up to 25 cents a page (Strata Property Act s.36; Regulation s.4.2). If the strata never filed different bylaws, the Standard Bylaws in the Schedule to the Act apply.
Where can I find strata bylaws in BC? +
From the strata itself, and from the Land Title Office: filed bylaws are listed in the strata plan's general index and can be ordered through a registry agent. The LTSA says the office "will not usually have the most recent copies of bylaws", so the strata's own copy is the place to start. The Standard Bylaws are on BC Laws as the Schedule to the Strata Property Act.
What records must a strata corporation keep? +
Minutes of general and council meetings with vote results, lists of council members, owners, lenders and tenants, books of account, the strata plan, the Act and Regulation, bylaws and rules, common property resolutions, waivers, contracts, legal decisions and opinions, budgets and financial statements, tax returns, correspondence, bank records, Form B certificates, and any depreciation, electrical planning, EV and repair reports (s.35).
How long must a strata keep its records? +
It depends on the record: permanently for the strata plan, common property resolutions, legal decisions and depreciation reports; 6 years for minutes, books, budgets, tax returns, bank records and Form B certificates; 6 years after a contract ends for contracts and insurance policies; and 2 years for correspondence (Regulation s.4.1).
Can an owner see the strata's records? +
Yes. On request, the strata must let an owner inspect the records listed in s.35 and give copies, within 2 weeks, or within 1 week for bylaws and rules (s.36). A tenant given the landlord's rights, and anyone the owner authorizes in writing, can ask too. Former owners can get records from the time they owned.
How much can a strata charge for copies of records? +
At most 25 cents a page. Inspecting the records is free (Regulation s.4.2).
What is strata Form F? +
Form F is the Certificate of Payment. It confirms the owner owes the strata nothing, or that any debt is paid into court or trust or covered by an agreed arrangement. The strata must issue it within one week for at most $15, it is current for 60 days, and the Land Title Office needs it to register a sale or lease of a strata lot (s.115, s.256; Regulation s.6.10).
What is strata Form C? +
Form C is the Mortgagee's Request for Notification. A lender files it with the strata to get notices of general meetings and of money the owner owes. It expires after 5 years, or when the lender stops being a lender on the lot (s.60; Regulation s.4.5).
What is strata Form K? +
Form K is the Notice of Tenant's Responsibilities. Before renting a strata lot, the landlord must give the tenant the current bylaws and rules and a Form K, and within 2 weeks of renting must give the strata a copy signed by the tenant. If the landlord does not, the tenant is still bound by the bylaws but may end the tenancy without penalty within 90 days of learning of it (s.146).
What is Form I and when does a bylaw change take effect? +
Form I is the Amendment to Bylaws. After owners approve a change by a 3/4 vote, the strata files Form I at the Land Title Office, and the change has no effect until it is filed (s.128). The LTSA fee is $33.53, plus $3.55 for an electronic filing. The old 60-day filing deadline was repealed in 2009.
Can a small strata file bylaw changes by mail? +
Yes. The Province says a strata with 7 units or fewer can file Form I by mail to the New Westminster land title office, with a copy of the amended bylaws and a covering letter. A strata with more than 7 lots must file electronically through a subscriber, such as a lawyer, notary or land surveyor.
How do I get a copy of my strata plan? +
Ask the strata, which must keep the registered plan and every amendment and give an owner copies within 2 weeks for at most 25 cents a page. The official copy comes from the LTSA, which charges $17.78 to download a plan image, plus $3.55 per online transaction on a pay-as-you-go account.
What happens to records when a strata manager leaves? +
The manager must give the strata all its records within 4 weeks after the management contract ends. A manager who does not must pay the strata $1,000 (s.37; Regulation s.4.3).
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