What is common property in a strata?
Whether a leaking pipe is your problem or the strata's often turns on a few centimetres and one definition. It is worth knowing exactly where your strata lot ends.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
Common property is the part of the land and buildings shown on a strata plan that is not part of a strata lot, plus pipes, wires, ducts and similar facilities located within a boundary wall, floor or ceiling, or within a strata lot if they are capable of being and intended to be used in connection with another lot or the common property (Strata Property Act, section 1). Owners own it together in shares based on unit entitlement, and the strata corporation must repair and maintain it (section 72).
The legal definition
The Act's definition has two parts.
- Everything on the strata plan that is not a strata lot. Typically the land, building structure, roof, exterior walls, foundations, hallways, lobbies, stairwells, elevators, parkades, grounds and amenity rooms.
- Services, wherever they run. Pipes, wires, cables, chutes, ducts and other facilities for water, sewage, drainage, gas, oil, electricity, telephone, radio, television, garbage, heating and cooling systems or similar services are common property if they are located:
- within a floor, wall or ceiling that forms a boundary between a strata lot and another strata lot, the common property or another parcel, or
- 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.
So a water riser passing through your unit to serve the floors above is common property, even though it is inside your walls. A supply line that branches off to serve only your dishwasher generally is not.
Where a strata lot ends
Unless the strata plan shows otherwise, where a strata lot is separated from another lot or the common property by a wall, floor or ceiling, the boundary is midway between the surfaces of the structural portion of that wall, floor or ceiling (section 68). In a typical apartment-style strata, you own from the midpoint of the structure inward: the interior finishes, the drywall on your side, the interior walls and doors, and the fixtures.
The strata plan can set boundaries differently, and many do. Townhouse and bare land plans often give the owner far more. The plan governs. See how to read a strata plan.
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Who owns it
Owners own the common property and common assets as tenants in common, each in a share equal to their strata lot's unit entitlement over the total (section 66). You cannot sell your share separately from your strata lot. The strata corporation does not own the common property. It manages it for the owners.
Common assets are different: personal property held by the strata, such as furniture and equipment, and land held in the strata's name that is not shown on the strata plan.
Who repairs it
The strata corporation must repair and maintain common property and common assets (section 72). That duty is paid for by all owners through strata fees, the contingency reserve fund and special levies. Two adjustments are possible:
- A bylaw may make an owner responsible for repair and maintenance of limited common property the owner has the right to use.
- A bylaw may have the strata take responsibility for specified portions of a strata lot.
Under the Standard Bylaws, the strata also repairs certain parts of strata lots, such as the structure and exterior of buildings, and exterior doors and windows (Standard Bylaw 8). The tribunal and courts apply a standard of reasonableness to the strata's duty: it must act reasonably in the circumstances, not perfectly. See who repairs what.
Common questions
| Item | Usually | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Roof, foundation, exterior walls | Common property | The strata plan |
| Windows and exterior doors | Common property, or part of the lot that the strata repairs under Standard Bylaw 8 | Plan and bylaws |
| Balconies and patios | Common property or limited common property | Plan |
| Pipes in a boundary wall, or serving more than one lot | Common property | Where the pipe runs and what it serves |
| Pipes inside a lot serving only that lot | Part of the strata lot | Same |
| Interior walls, flooring, cabinets, fixtures | Part of the strata lot | Plan |
| Parking stalls and lockers | Any of three kinds | Plan and filings |
| Hot water tank or furnace serving one unit | Usually the owner's | Location and bylaws |
Changing common property
- Significant changes. The strata must not make a significant change in the use or appearance of common property unless it is approved by a 3/4 vote at a general meeting, or by a majority vote if the change relates to EV charging infrastructure, or unless immediate change is necessary to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage (section 71).
- Owner alterations. An owner needs the strata's written approval before altering common property (Standard Bylaw 6). See renovation approval.
- Exclusive use. The strata may give an owner or tenant permission to exclusively use common property for up to one year at a time (section 76), or designate it as limited common property by a 3/4 vote (section 74).
- Selling or acquiring. Disposing of common property needs a 3/4 vote and Land Title Office filings.
What counts as "significant" depends on things like visibility, effect on use and enjoyment, cost, and whether it changes how owners have used the space. Painting in the same colour is not. Converting a lawn to parking is.
Access
An owner who has the right to use common property, including limited common property, must allow the strata reasonable access to it to perform its duties (section 77). Entry to a strata lot itself is governed by the bylaws. See entry to a strata lot.
Questions councils and owners ask
Are windows common property in a BC strata?
Often, but it depends on the strata plan. Under the Standard Bylaws the strata repairs windows on the exterior of a building either way.
Are pipes inside my unit common property?
They are if they are in a boundary wall, floor or ceiling, or if they are capable of being and intended to be used in connection with another strata lot or the common property.
Who owns the common property?
All the owners, as tenants in common, in proportion to unit entitlement.
Who pays to repair common property?
The strata corporation, funded by all owners, unless a bylaw makes an owner responsible for limited common property.
What vote is needed to change common property?
A 3/4 vote for a significant change in use or appearance, or a majority where the change relates to EV charging.
Repair decisions are only as good as their record
Who decided, what was approved, what it cost. StrataMinutes prepares minutes that answer those questions years later.
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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
Limited Common Property
Repair Responsibility
Reading a Strata Plan
Water Damage Responsibility
Renovation Approval
Reserve Fund Spending Rules