How to write a letter to your strata council, with templates
Council members hear complaints in the elevator every week and act on almost none of them. A one-page letter is different: it is a record, it reaches a meeting, and it starts the clock on the strata's duties.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
Write to "The Strata Council, The Owners, Strata Plan [number]", send it to the strata manager or the council's address or email, and keep it to one issue on one page: who you are, the facts with dates, the bylaw or section involved, and exactly what you are asking for by when. For a decision council must make, add a request for a hearing under section 34.1 of the Strata Property Act. Keep a copy and proof of delivery.
Why write
- It becomes a record. Correspondence sent or received by the strata corporation and council must be kept (section 35), and other owners can ask to see it.
- It reaches the whole council, not one member's memory.
- It triggers duties where the Act attaches a deadline to a written request: records in two weeks, a hearing in four.
- It is your evidence if the matter goes further.
Write as if a tribunal member will read it one day. Calm, factual and specific.
Where to send it
A notice to the strata corporation may be given by leaving it with a council member, mailing it to the strata's mailing address on file at the Land Title Office, emailing it to the strata's email address or one a council member provided for that purpose, or putting it through the strata's mail slot (section 63). In a managed building, the manager's email is the usual route. Mail and email are deemed given four days later.
Send it once, to the right place. Copying every owner in the building rarely helps.
StrataMinutes can take this off your plate. Reading your strata's minutes? Upload a set for a free report card and see what a complete record should contain.
The structure that works
- Heading: date, your name, unit and strata lot number, contact details.
- Addressee: The Strata Council, The Owners, Strata Plan [number].
- Subject line: one line stating the issue.
- The facts: what, where, when. Dates and short sentences.
- The basis: the bylaw or section of the Act, if you know it.
- The request: one clear action.
- The deadline: a reasonable date, or the statutory one.
- Attachments: photos, logs, earlier messages.
Leave out history that does not matter, guesses about motives, and anything about other people's character.
Sample: a repair request
Re: Water entering unit 302 from the exterior wall
Since November 2, 2026, water has entered my living room at the top of the window on the north wall during rain. Photos from November 2, 9 and 15 are attached. The window and exterior wall are, I understand, the strata corporation's responsibility to repair under bylaw 8.
I ask that council have the wall and window inspected and advise me in writing of the planned repair. Please reply by December 1, 2026. If council is unable to respond by then, I request a hearing at a council meeting under section 34.1 of the Strata Property Act to seek council's decision.
Sample: a records request
Re: Request for records under section 36
Under section 36 of the Strata Property Act, please provide copies of the following within two weeks: (1) minutes of all council meetings held from January 1, 2026, to date; (2) the financial statements for the most recent month available; (3) the current insurance summary. Please send them by email. If there is a copying charge, let me know the amount in advance.
See how to request strata minutes for more wording.
Sample: a request for approval
Re: Request for approval to replace flooring, strata lot 14 (unit 204)
I request council's written approval under bylaw 5 to replace the carpet in the living room and hallway of unit 204 with engineered hardwood. The product specification, underlay sound rating and my contractor's insurance and WorkSafeBC confirmation are attached. Work would take three days, on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., starting no earlier than February 9, 2027. I am willing to sign the strata's alteration agreement.
Sample: a hearing request
Re: Request for a hearing under section 34.1
I request a hearing at a council meeting under section 34.1 of the Strata Property Act. The reason for my request is to seek council's decision on my letter of October 6, 2026, regarding repair of the common property fence behind strata lot 7. Please advise the date and time of the hearing.
Council must hold the hearing within four weeks, and give a written decision within one week if a decision was sought. See council hearings.
Tone and tactics
- Assume good faith in the first letter.
- One issue per letter.
- Ask for a decision, not a discussion.
- Do not threaten in the first letter. If you later need the tribunal, your reasonable tone will help you.
- Follow up once, in writing, quoting the first letter's date.
- Do not withhold fees. See withholding strata fees.
What should happen next
Council should acknowledge the letter, deal with it at a meeting, and reply. The minutes will often note correspondence received and the decision, by unit or lot number. If nothing happens, see when council does not respond.
A note for councils
Give owners one clear address for correspondence, acknowledge letters within a few days, bring them to the next meeting, record the decision, and reply in writing. A simple correspondence log does more for owner relations than any newsletter.
Questions councils and owners ask
Who do I address a letter to strata council?
To the Strata Council, The Owners, Strata Plan [number], sent to the strata manager or the council's address or email.
Does council have to respond to my letter?
There is no general deadline for letters, but a hearing requested under section 34.1 must be held within four weeks and records must be provided within two.
Can other owners see my letter?
Correspondence received by the strata is a record that owners may request.
Should I send my letter to all owners?
Usually not. Send it to council first.
Is email acceptable?
Yes, to the strata's email address or one a council member has provided for receiving notices.
See whether council dealt with your letter
Correspondence should appear in the minutes. Upload a set to our free report card to see how complete your strata's record is.
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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
When Council Does Not Respond
Council Hearings
Requesting Records
Filing a Bylaw Complaint
Strata Owner Rights
Correspondence