Request the current document package
Ask which documents are needed for your transaction.
- Organize them around fees, planned work, insurance, pets and parking.
- Follow recurring issues across meeting records, budgets and reports.
More on request the current document package
Leave time for professional review.
Keep a list of unanswered questions
A folder of documents is useful only when you understand the important details.
- Mark missing or outdated records.
- Ask your representative to obtain clarification on unresolved issues.
More on keep a list of unanswered questions
Take technical, insurance and legal questions to the relevant professional before your deadline.
The basics
The strata paperwork, decoded
Every strata corporation keeps records that show how the building is run and paid for. Buyers can ask for them. The core set is the Form B information certificate, the bylaws and rules, recent minutes, the budget and financial statements, the depreciation report and the insurance summary.
Each document answers a different question. The Form B gives today’s money position. Minutes show what owners and council are worried about. The depreciation report looks decades ahead. Read together, they tell you whether the building is calm or heading into big repairs.
Why it matters
Why buyers read past the summary
Once you complete the purchase, the building’s problems become yours. If owners vote a special levy, you help pay it. If the building is underinsured, you share the risk. The documents are your best chance to see those issues before you are bound.
They also reveal the culture of the strata. Repeated disputes, frequent manager changes or deferred repairs can signal future cost and stress.
How it works
A reading order that works
Start with the Form B
It lists monthly fees, amounts owing, special levies, the contingency reserve fund (CRF) balance, parking and storage, and insurance. It must come with the rules, budget and depreciation report.
Read the bylaws next
Check pets, rentals, alterations, move-in fees and noise. Note any bylaw that would block how you plan to live.
Read two years of minutes
Look for repeated topics: leaks, envelope work, elevators, insurance claims, legal disputes or special levy talk.
Compare budget with actual spending
See whether the strata ran over budget and how much goes into the CRF each year.
Open the depreciation report
Find the next big projects and how the report suggests funding them. Then check the minutes for whether owners acted.
List your open questions
Write down anything unclear and send it through your agent before your subject removal date, the deadline for your conditions.
Avoid these
Reading errors to avoid
Reading only the Form B
It is a snapshot. A levy being discussed, but not yet voted on, may only show up in the minutes.
Skipping council minutes
General meeting minutes record owner votes. Council minutes often carry the detail on leaks, complaints and contractor quotes.
Not checking dates
An old insurance summary or depreciation report may be out of date. Confirm you have the current versions.
Leaving no time
Documents can arrive late. Ask early and build enough days into your offer to read them properly.
Example
One issue traced through the paperwork
Illustration only. Here is how a single concern, a leaking roof, might appear across documents in a fictional building.
| Council minutes (spring) | Owners report leaks in two top-floor units. Council asks for a roofing quote. |
|---|---|
| Depreciation report | Roof replacement forecast within the next few years. |
| Owners’ meeting minutes (autumn) | Resolution to fund roof replacement presented. Vote result recorded. |
| Form B | Shows whether a special levy was approved and the amount owing for this unit. |
| Your question | Has the work started, and is any extra cost expected? |
Tracing one topic shows whether a problem is known, funded and under way. See strata fees vs special levies for how levies are paid.
Questions to ask
Who can answer what
The strata or property manager
- Are these the most recent minutes, budget and insurance summary?
- Is any special levy, lawsuit or major project being considered?
- Have any insurance claims been made in recent years?
Your lawyer or notary
- Does anything on the Form B change what I owe at completion?
- Do any bylaws restrict how I plan to use the home?
- Are any legal proceedings disclosed, and what do they mean for owners?
Your agent
- Can we extend the review period if documents arrive late?
- Which topics in these minutes should I raise with the seller?
FAQ
Common questions
How fast must the strata provide a Form B?
The BC government says within 7 days of a request. The fee is capped at $35 plus up to 25 cents per page for copies.
Who can request strata documents?
An owner, a buyer, or someone authorized by either can request a Form B. Sellers often order the package and share it through their agent.
Is the depreciation report attached to the Form B?
Yes. The most recent depreciation report, if there is one, must be attached and provided to buyers. So must the rules and the current budget.
What are the warning signs in strata minutes?
Repeated leaks, envelope or plumbing problems, insurance trouble, lawsuits, and talk of levies are worth questions. One mention is not proof of a problem, but a pattern deserves follow-up.
Where are bylaws and the strata plan registered?
Bylaw amendments and the strata plan are filed at the Land Title Office. Your lawyer or notary can obtain them.
A practical example
Follow one issue through the records
Pick a concern such as exterior work and trace it across meeting records, budgets and technical reports.
- Note what was discussed, what was decided and what has been completed.
- Ask for clarification where the records do not connect.
This approach can be more revealing than reading each file once in isolation.
A detail to keep in mind
A discussion in meeting minutes is not necessarily an approved project, and an approved project is not necessarily finished.
Official information
Start with these resources, then confirm the details for your property and circumstances.
BC: strata documents for buyers and sellersGovernment of BC: Form B information certificateGovernment of BC: Strata depreciation report requirementsReference review: October 6, 2026