Suite Renovations
Your Strata Council reminds you of the following obligations if you plan to perform renovations in your suite:
Failure to follow these guidelines may leave the owner of the unit be subject to fines and liable for damage. An owner may be obligated to return their suite to its original condition if renovations are found to be in violation of City or Strata Corporation bylaws.
Your Strata Council reminds you of the following obligations if you plan to perform renovations in your suite:
- Review the Strata Corporation bylaws regarding renovations. Determine if what you are proposing to do is permitted. If in doubt, contact the Property Manager.
- Submit a written request to the Strata Council via Property Management company. It is advisable to do this at least one month before work begins. Include plans and a detailed explanation of the project.
- Do your research. Find out what city by-laws and regulations apply, find out which permits you require (if any) and how to obtain them. Visit City Hall, or their website.
- Obtain a building permit. If required, obtain a building permit from Vancouver City Hall. Strata council will require verification that all renovations have passed city inspection, as will require a copy of a valid occupancy permit from the City once the work is complete.
- Obtain additional permits. Obtain additional permits, as required for electrical and plumbing work. Licensed, qualified, insured trades people or companies must complete this scope of work.
- Make arrangements with the building caretaker. Make arrangements in advance when building material, furniture, appliances or other large items are to be delivered. Use the loading bay at the back of the building and ensure the elevator pads are hung to prevent damage to the cab.
- Use a junk removal service to dispose of construction waste. DO NOT use the building's garbage room. Building garbage service is contracted for disposal of normal, everyday residential garbage.
Failure to follow these guidelines may leave the owner of the unit be subject to fines and liable for damage. An owner may be obligated to return their suite to its original condition if renovations are found to be in violation of City or Strata Corporation bylaws.
Suite Repairs
So, you have purchased your new home and something goes wrong: your toilet won't flush, the dishwasher is leaking, your kitchen faucet is loose, your bathtub no longer drains properly..... there are numerous items that can potentially cause problems.
This page is designed to let the owner know what is strata responsibility versus an owner responsibility within the suite.
First, you will need to understand the terms common property and limited common property. Anything that does not fall into these categories is the responsibility of the home owner.
Common Property
The BC Strata Property Act, [SBC 1998] CHAPTER 43, Definitions and Interpretation defines Common Property as:
a) that part of the land and buildings shown on a strata plan that is not part of a strata lot, and
b) pipes, wires, cables, chutes, ducts and other facilities for the passage or provision of water, sewage, drainage, gas, oil, electricity, telephone, radio, television, garbage, heating and cooling systems, or other similar services, if they are located
i. within a floor, wall or ceiling that forms a boundary
A. between a strata lot and another strata lot,
B. between a strata lot and the common property, or
C. between a strata lot or common property and another parcel of land, or
ii. wholly or partially within a strata lot, if they are capable of being and intended to be used in connection with the enjoyment of another strata lot or the common property
Limited Common Property
The BC Strata Property Act, [SBC 1998] CHAPTER 43, Definitions and Interpretation defines Limited Common Property as common property designated for the exclusive use of the owners of one or more strata lots.
Here are some common examples of limited common property:
A strata corporation has a duty under the Strata Property Act to repair and maintain common property.
Too often in condo apartments there is uncertainty over who deals with a leaking appliance, non-functioning appliance, drain pipe, fresh-water supply line or toilet issues, cracked and broken bathroom wall or floor tiles, caulking or even wax toilet seals. This is a surprisingly simple question, with a surprisingly simple answer. The leak or appliance repair problem is the responsibility of the party on whose property it lies. If it is inside your suite, it is your responsibility!
Some condo home owners haven’t thought about this before it comes up, so you need to know that all the appliances and plumbing within your home is your personal property. The owner of the condo unit owns the dishwasher, the kitchen sink and fixtures, and the supply lines and drains between them and to and from the exterior walls of our suites. In the bathroom the condo unit owner owns the toilet, the sink, tub and the fixtures, the drains, the tub diverter to the shower head and the cartridge that controls the water flow. The condo unit owner is responsible for making repairs if and when any of these things leaks or breaks.
Note: “exterior walls of suites”. If a shower backs onto a suite boundary wall, with common property or another suite on the other side, your responsibility stops at that wall, unless something in your suite caused the issue. A leak in the supply line to your shower, bathtub, kitchen sinks or faucets within that wall should be repaired at the expense of your Strata Corporation. That’s why you pay monthly condo contributions.
However, it is also the responsibility of the owner to cover the cost of repairing any damage created by a water leak from their appliance, fixture or piping within your unit. That’s in part why every condo homeowner carries insurance, even though the building is already insured by the condo corporation. The building insurance won’t cover damage stemming from your personal property, so you will need your own insurance.
If the water supply pipe to your toilet leaks and damages the ceiling and wall of your neighbour downstairs, you as the owner are responsible to pay to repair and repaint that part of his suite, NOT the strata corporation. Whether it’s then justified to claim for compensation from your personal homeowner’s insurance policy is a secondary question and your own business.
Difficulties with such leaks and repairs can and do arise. Failure to properly respond to damages caused to your neighbours can be expensive and dramatic. For Instance, if an owner's shower wall is damaged or a water supply line fails to the toilet inside unit 510, and leaks into suite 410, the owner of suite 510 is responsible for all repair costs to BOTH suites. The strata corporation will then bill the owner of 510 to recover the expenses plus an additional amount for taking care of an owner issue. Non-payment of such items is subject to additional fines from the Strata and, if left outstanding, the Strata may place a lien on the strata unit.
In the scenario outlined above, the Strata Corporation pays the plumber and repairs everything, including the damaged hallway wall and the interior of the downstairs neighbour’s suite, and bills everything to the responsible condo unit. Would a court uphold a Strata Corporation's collection of a debt incurred to repair suite property? Most definitely. A judge surely would have no sympathy for a condo homeowner who leaves his building’s common property and his neighbour’s property damaged. Case closed.
No purpose is served by trying too hard to save money, perhaps pitting owner against owner and against their Strata Council. The priority in governing our condo homes is to fix leaks, repair damage when it occurs, and to encourage every homeowner to maintain the plumbing and water-using appliances within their own suites in good repair.
So, you have purchased your new home and something goes wrong: your toilet won't flush, the dishwasher is leaking, your kitchen faucet is loose, your bathtub no longer drains properly..... there are numerous items that can potentially cause problems.
This page is designed to let the owner know what is strata responsibility versus an owner responsibility within the suite.
First, you will need to understand the terms common property and limited common property. Anything that does not fall into these categories is the responsibility of the home owner.
Common Property
The BC Strata Property Act, [SBC 1998] CHAPTER 43, Definitions and Interpretation defines Common Property as:
a) that part of the land and buildings shown on a strata plan that is not part of a strata lot, and
b) pipes, wires, cables, chutes, ducts and other facilities for the passage or provision of water, sewage, drainage, gas, oil, electricity, telephone, radio, television, garbage, heating and cooling systems, or other similar services, if they are located
i. within a floor, wall or ceiling that forms a boundary
A. between a strata lot and another strata lot,
B. between a strata lot and the common property, or
C. between a strata lot or common property and another parcel of land, or
ii. wholly or partially within a strata lot, if they are capable of being and intended to be used in connection with the enjoyment of another strata lot or the common property
Limited Common Property
The BC Strata Property Act, [SBC 1998] CHAPTER 43, Definitions and Interpretation defines Limited Common Property as common property designated for the exclusive use of the owners of one or more strata lots.
Here are some common examples of limited common property:
- parking stalls
- patios or balconies adjacent to a strata lot
- storage lockers
A strata corporation has a duty under the Strata Property Act to repair and maintain common property.
Too often in condo apartments there is uncertainty over who deals with a leaking appliance, non-functioning appliance, drain pipe, fresh-water supply line or toilet issues, cracked and broken bathroom wall or floor tiles, caulking or even wax toilet seals. This is a surprisingly simple question, with a surprisingly simple answer. The leak or appliance repair problem is the responsibility of the party on whose property it lies. If it is inside your suite, it is your responsibility!
Some condo home owners haven’t thought about this before it comes up, so you need to know that all the appliances and plumbing within your home is your personal property. The owner of the condo unit owns the dishwasher, the kitchen sink and fixtures, and the supply lines and drains between them and to and from the exterior walls of our suites. In the bathroom the condo unit owner owns the toilet, the sink, tub and the fixtures, the drains, the tub diverter to the shower head and the cartridge that controls the water flow. The condo unit owner is responsible for making repairs if and when any of these things leaks or breaks.
Note: “exterior walls of suites”. If a shower backs onto a suite boundary wall, with common property or another suite on the other side, your responsibility stops at that wall, unless something in your suite caused the issue. A leak in the supply line to your shower, bathtub, kitchen sinks or faucets within that wall should be repaired at the expense of your Strata Corporation. That’s why you pay monthly condo contributions.
However, it is also the responsibility of the owner to cover the cost of repairing any damage created by a water leak from their appliance, fixture or piping within your unit. That’s in part why every condo homeowner carries insurance, even though the building is already insured by the condo corporation. The building insurance won’t cover damage stemming from your personal property, so you will need your own insurance.
If the water supply pipe to your toilet leaks and damages the ceiling and wall of your neighbour downstairs, you as the owner are responsible to pay to repair and repaint that part of his suite, NOT the strata corporation. Whether it’s then justified to claim for compensation from your personal homeowner’s insurance policy is a secondary question and your own business.
Difficulties with such leaks and repairs can and do arise. Failure to properly respond to damages caused to your neighbours can be expensive and dramatic. For Instance, if an owner's shower wall is damaged or a water supply line fails to the toilet inside unit 510, and leaks into suite 410, the owner of suite 510 is responsible for all repair costs to BOTH suites. The strata corporation will then bill the owner of 510 to recover the expenses plus an additional amount for taking care of an owner issue. Non-payment of such items is subject to additional fines from the Strata and, if left outstanding, the Strata may place a lien on the strata unit.
In the scenario outlined above, the Strata Corporation pays the plumber and repairs everything, including the damaged hallway wall and the interior of the downstairs neighbour’s suite, and bills everything to the responsible condo unit. Would a court uphold a Strata Corporation's collection of a debt incurred to repair suite property? Most definitely. A judge surely would have no sympathy for a condo homeowner who leaves his building’s common property and his neighbour’s property damaged. Case closed.
No purpose is served by trying too hard to save money, perhaps pitting owner against owner and against their Strata Council. The priority in governing our condo homes is to fix leaks, repair damage when it occurs, and to encourage every homeowner to maintain the plumbing and water-using appliances within their own suites in good repair.