How to complain about a strata manager or management company
Owners often blame the manager for decisions council made, and council for things the manager failed to do. Sorting out which is which tells you where a complaint will actually get results.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
A strata manager works for the strata corporation and takes instructions from council, so most complaints go to council first. If the issue is the manager's own conduct, write to the managing broker of the management company. Strata managers in BC must be licensed under the Real Estate Services Act and are regulated by the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA), which accepts complaints about professional misconduct. The strata can also end the contract on two months' notice with a 3/4 vote.
What a strata manager is responsible for
A manager's duties come from the management contract and from council's instructions. Typically: collecting fees, paying invoices, holding the strata's money in trust, preparing financial statements, arranging maintenance, sending notices, attending meetings, taking minutes and advising council on the Act.
A manager does not decide whether to repair, fine, approve an alteration or spend. Council does. If your complaint is about a decision, your complaint is with council, whatever letterhead it arrived on. See strata manager duties.
Sorting the complaint
| Your concern | Take it to |
|---|---|
| A decision (a fine, a refused request, no repair) | Council, then a hearing under section 34.1 |
| Slow or no reply to routine requests | Council, and the manager's managing broker |
| Errors in your account, missing payments | The manager, then council |
| Records not provided within two weeks | Council. The duty is the strata corporation's (section 36). |
| Rudeness or unprofessional conduct | The managing broker |
| Mishandling of strata money, dishonesty, acting without authority, conflicts of interest | Council immediately, and BCFSA |
| Unlicensed management | BCFSA |
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Step 1: council
Write to council, with facts, dates and what you want done. Council supervises the manager and can require performance under the contract. If council does not respond, request a hearing under section 34.1, which must be held within four weeks. See when council does not respond.
Step 2: the managing broker
Every licensed brokerage has a managing broker responsible for supervising its licensees. A short written complaint to the managing broker, copied to council, often resolves service issues: unanswered emails, errors, tone. Ask for a reply by a date.
Step 3: the BC Financial Services Authority
Strata management is a regulated real estate service in BC. Individuals and brokerages providing strata management services to strata corporations must be licensed, and BCFSA is the regulator. It can investigate complaints and discipline licensees for professional misconduct, including mishandling trust funds, failing to act honestly and with reasonable care and skill, failing to follow lawful instructions, and undisclosed conflicts of interest.
What to know before you file:
- BCFSA deals with the licensee's conduct. It does not resolve strata disputes, overturn council decisions or award you compensation.
- Complaints are made in writing through BCFSA's website, with supporting documents.
- Anyone may complain, including an individual owner, though the manager's client is the strata corporation.
- A caretaker or an owner who helps run a self-managed strata without pay is not providing licensed strata management services.
Step 4: changing managers
The contract belongs to the strata corporation, and council manages it. The strata may:
- Not renew the contract when it expires, without any vote of owners.
- Terminate under the contract's own terms, such as for cause or on the notice the contract provides.
- Cancel on two months' notice despite the contract's terms, if first approved by a 3/4 vote at a general meeting (section 39).
When a management contract ends, the manager must return the strata's records within four weeks (section 37), and the Regulation sets an amount payable for failing to do so. See changing management companies.
The Civil Resolution Tribunal
An owner's strata claim at the CRT is normally against the strata corporation, not the manager, because the duties under the Act are the corporation's. If the manager's failure caused the strata to breach its duties, the tribunal can order the strata to fix it. The strata corporation's own remedies against its manager are under the contract.
If you are on council
Put expectations in writing: response times, reporting, who approves what. Review the manager's performance each year before renewal. Read the financial statements monthly. Keep council's own copies of minutes, bylaws, contracts and insurance documents so the strata is never locked out of its own records. Record any performance concerns and decisions in the minutes, in neutral terms.
Questions councils and owners ask
Who regulates strata managers in BC?
The BC Financial Services Authority, under the Real Estate Services Act.
Can an owner fire the strata manager?
No. The contract is with the strata corporation. Council manages it, and owners can cancel it by a 3/4 vote on two months' notice.
Does a strata manager have to be licensed?
Yes, a person providing strata management services to a strata corporation for pay must be licensed, with limited exceptions.
Will BCFSA make the manager compensate me?
No. BCFSA investigates and disciplines licensees. Compensation claims go through the tribunal or courts.
What if the manager will not hand over records after being replaced?
The manager must return the strata's records within four weeks after the contract ends.
Keep council's own record independent
When council holds complete minutes of its own, it is never dependent on a manager's files. StrataMinutes prepares them from your notes, whoever manages the building.
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This page is general information for BC strata corporations, not legal advice. Your strata's own filed bylaws may differ from the Standard Bylaws. See the current text of the Strata Property Act and the Strata Property Regulation on BC Laws.
Related guides
Strata Manager Duties
Changing Management Companies
When Council Does Not Respond
Self-Managed Stratas
CRT Disputes
Who Enforces the Act