Start Here | Overview
Strata Ownership for a BC Multiplex
The day you file a strata plan, a four-unit building becomes four strata lots with four titles, and the owners become a strata corporation that has to agree on budgets, bylaws and repairs. A building this size is exempt from some strata rules and bound by others. This page sets out which is which for a 2 to 6 unit building, with the section of the law behind each rule.
The Short Version
- 01A strata plan gives each unit its own title, so each one can be sold and mortgaged on its own.
- 02Under 5 strata lots, the depreciation report requirement does not apply. The 10% minimum contingency reserve contribution still does.
- 03Rental restriction bylaws stopped being enforceable on November 24, 2022. Short-term rental limits are still allowed.
- 04Unit entitlement, set once on the strata plan, divides every strata fee for the life of the building. Changing it later needs a unanimous vote and the Superintendent's approval.
- 05A bylaw change needs 3/4 of the votes cast. One owner can block it in a 2-unit or 3-unit strata; in a 4-unit strata, 3 votes out of 4 pass it.
- 06The strata pays its insurance deductible as a common expense, and section 158 lets it recover the deductible from the owner responsible for the loss.
The 5-Lot Line
BC strata law draws a line at 5 lots in four places: the depreciation report, the electrical planning report, the developer disclosure statement under the Real Estate Development Marketing Act (REDMA), and the court order to wind up. A fourplex sits below the line and a five-unit building sits above it. If your lot allows either four or five units, read this table before you decide.
| Requirement | 4 lots or fewer | 5 lots or more | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depreciation report | Exempt, for as long as the plan has fewer than 5 lots | Required at least every 5 years | Regulation s. 6.21, s. 6.22 |
| Electrical planning report | Exempt | Required: by December 31, 2026 in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Capital Region, by December 31, 2028 elsewhere | Regulation s. 5.8 |
| Contingency reserve fund contribution | At least 10% of the operating fund budget | The same 10% minimum | Regulation s. 6.1 |
| Strata council | Every owner, when there are fewer than 4 lots or fewer than 4 owners. A 4-lot strata with 4 owners elects 3 to 7 | Elected council of 3 to 7 | Standard Bylaw 9 |
| Developer disclosure statement (REDMA) | Not required | Required before marketing, with a $2,250 filing fee under 10 units | REDMA s.1, s.14; REDMA Regulation s.13 |
| Winding up the strata | 80% vote, then lender consent and a certificate. No court order needed | 80% vote, then a court order confirming it | Act s. 272, s. 274 |
The rules by size page shows every rule for 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 lots, including quorum and the vote counts.
From Single Title to Four Owners
Before you build
Decide whether the building will be one title or one title for each unit. A strata plan gives each unit its own title, so each can be sold and mortgaged on its own. The Land Title Office fee to deposit a strata plan is $105.30 (LTSA fee listing, April 1, 2026). The surveyor and the lawyer quote their fees for each job.
Filing the strata plan
A BC land surveyor draws the plan, and the Schedule of Unit Entitlement (Form V) gives each lot its number. For a home it is the habitable area in square metres, the same whole number for every lot, or a number the Superintendent of Real Estate approves (Act s. 246). That number divides every future strata fee. Changing it later needs a unanimous vote, a new Form V and the Superintendent's approval (Act s. 261).
First sale and the interim budget
Each buyer gets the developer's interim budget, covering 12 months, before they sign (Act s. 13). If the real costs come in higher, the developer pays the difference within 8 weeks after the first AGM (Act s. 14). The developer pays all strata expenses up to the end of the month of the first sale (Act s. 7).
First annual general meeting
The developer must hold the first AGM in the 6 weeks that start on the earlier of two dates: when more than half the lots are sold, or 9 months after the first sale (Act s. 16). At that meeting the developer hands over the plans, contracts, warranties and records (Act s. 20), and the owners pass the first real budget by majority vote.
The warranty years
Units built for sale carry home warranty insurance: 2 years on materials and labour, 5 years on the building envelope and 10 years on structure (Homeowner Protection Act s. 22). A building built under the rental exemption has none. In both cases the reserve fund gets at least 10% of the operating budget each year.
Later years
Large repairs come from the reserve fund or from a special levy. A special levy split by unit entitlement needs a 3/4 vote (Act s. 108). In a 4-lot strata where every lot has the same unit entitlement, each owner pays one quarter of the levy.
Our strata and legal structures guide compares strata with single title, bare land strata and tenancy in common.
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Where Small Stratas Get Into Trouble
Treating the exemption as permission to skip planning
A 4-unit strata does not need a depreciation report. Its roof and siding still wear out. Without a report, the four owners have no document that says what to save each year, so they need their own list of the shared parts and when each one is due for replacement.
Choosing unit entitlement by accident
Unit entitlement can be habitable area, or the same number for every lot. Take two units of 130 and 85 square metres (an example). By area, the larger unit pays 130/215 of the shared costs, which is 60.5%. With equal numbers, each pays 50%. Decide this on purpose at the survey stage, because changing it later needs a unanimous vote and the Superintendent's approval (Act s. 261).
Assuming a rental restriction bylaw still works
Since November 24, 2022, a strata cannot restrict the rental of a strata lot (Act s. 141). Some older bylaw sets still contain rental restrictions, and the strata cannot enforce them. A strata can still limit short-term rentals by a 3/4 vote.
Skipping your own home insurance
The strata policy has its own deductibles, and the strata must tell every owner when one goes up (Act s. 154). Section 158 lets the strata recover the deductible from the owner responsible for the loss. The Province strongly advises owners to buy their own policy, because the strata policy does not pay for your contents, your liability or a deductible charged back to you.
Leaving the bylaws until after the sale
A bylaw change needs 3/4 of the votes cast. In a 2-unit or 3-unit strata, one owner who votes no blocks it; in a 4-unit strata, 3 votes out of 4 pass it. Until the second AGM, a residential strata needs every owner to agree to change a bylaw (Act s. 127), so settle pets, parking and short-term rentals in the bylaws filed with the plan.
Best For
- ✓ Building to sell the units one by one, where a separate title for each unit is the goal
- ✓ Owners who already know each other and agree on the bylaws before any unit is sold
- ✓ Buyers who each want their own mortgage on their own unit
Usually Fails When
- ✕ You want to keep the building as one rental property, because a strata adds a budget, meetings and filings
- ✕ The owners have not agreed on short-term rentals, pets or parking before the plan is filed
- ✕ Nobody wants to run the strata, and there is no money in the budget for a strata manager
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → Whether your lot allows 4 units or 5, because the 5-lot line changes the ongoing duties
- → How unit entitlement will be set, before the surveyor finishes the plan
- → The deductibles on the building policy, and whether each owner's own policy covers a deductible charged back to them
- → Whether any bylaw you inherit still contains a rental restriction the strata cannot enforce
Common Questions
Does a 4-unit multiplex have to be a strata? +
No. A multiplex can stay on one title and be held as a rental building or a family property. With no strata plan there is no strata corporation, so there are no strata fees and no strata bylaws. A strata plan is what gives each unit its own title, so it can be sold and mortgaged on its own.
Do small stratas in BC need a depreciation report? +
Not under 5 lots. Section 6.22 of the Strata Property Regulation exempts a strata "if and for so long as there are fewer than 5 strata lots". A 4-unit multiplex is exempt. A 5-unit strata must get a report at least every 5 years.
Can a strata in BC stop an owner from renting out their unit? +
Not for long-term rentals. A 2022 change to the Strata Property Act, in force November 24, 2022, ended rental restriction bylaws, and section 141 now bars them. Short-term rentals are different: a strata can still limit or ban them with a bylaw passed by a 3/4 vote, and fine up to $1,000 a day for a breach (Regulation s. 7.1). The Province's page uses "less than 90 consecutive days" for a short-term rental.
How much are strata fees for a new BC multiplex? +
We found no official average for small multiplex stratas. The fee is the building's yearly budget split by unit entitlement, and that budget must put at least 10% of the operating budget into the contingency reserve fund (Regulation s. 6.1). The exact fee for one unit is on its Form B, which attaches the current budget.
Who pays the strata insurance deductible in BC? +
The strata pays it as a common expense through strata fees (Act s. 158(1)). The strata can then sue the owner responsible for the loss to recover it (s. 158(2)). The Province says, summing up court cases, that an owner can be found responsible for a loss that started in their unit without being at fault, for example when a dishwasher hose bursts.
What happens when four owners cannot agree? +
The Civil Resolution Tribunal handles most strata disputes in BC and accepts strata claims of any amount, after the owner first asks council for a hearing. It cannot order the sale of a strata lot, wind up the strata, or appoint an administrator. In a 2-unit or 3-unit strata, one owner who votes no blocks a 3/4 vote when everyone votes, and in any strata under 10 lots no court can override one owner who blocks a unanimous vote (Act s. 52).
Does every owner sit on the strata council in a 4-plex? +
Only if there are fewer than 4 owners. Under the Standard Bylaws all owners are on council when there are fewer than 4 strata lots or fewer than 4 owners. With 4 lots and 4 owners, the owners elect a council of 3 to 7 members at the AGM.
Does a small strata need insurance? +
Yes, at every size. The strata must insure the buildings on the strata plan, the common property and the common assets at full replacement value (Act s. 149), and carry liability insurance of at least $2,000,000 (Regulation s. 9.2). The premium is part of the strata fees.
Does a 4-unit strata have to hold an AGM? +
Yes. The AGM must be held within 2 months after the end of the fiscal year (Act s. 40), with at least 2 weeks' written notice (s. 45). It can be skipped only if every eligible voter waives it in writing and agrees in writing to the budget and other business (s. 41).
Can a small strata manage itself? +
Yes. The Province says a strata "may be self-managed". An owner can do strata management work for their own strata without a licence, for up to 2 strata corporations (Real Estate Services Regulation s. 2.17). Council keeps every duty either way: the budget, records, insurance, Form B and Form F.
Does a small strata file a tax return? +
Yes. The Canada Revenue Agency says all corporations, including non-profit organizations, must file a T2 return every tax year, even with no tax to pay. It says most residential condominium corporations qualify as non-profit organizations.
What changes when a multiplex has 5 units instead of 4? +
At 5 lots the strata needs a depreciation report at least every 5 years and an electrical planning report, a developer selling the units must file a REDMA disclosure statement first, and a wind-up needs a court order. Our rules by size page shows each rule for 2 to 6 lots.
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