How to resign from a strata council
There is no form to fill in and no notice period in the Act. Resigning well is mostly about leaving the next person able to carry on.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
A BC strata council member may resign at any time by telling council, preferably in writing with an effective date. The Strata Property Act and Standard Bylaws set no form or notice period. Under Standard Bylaw 12, the remaining council members may appoint a replacement for the rest of the term, even if the resignation leaves council without a quorum. Hand over records, keys and passwords, and make sure the resignation is recorded in the next minutes.
How to resign
- Write a short letter or email to the council, addressed to the president (or the vice president, if you are the president).
- State the effective date. Immediately, or a date that allows a handover.
- Say whether you are resigning from an office only (for example, as secretary) or from council altogether. They are different things.
- Offer a handover and list what you hold.
- Keep a copy.
You do not need to give reasons. A verbal resignation at a meeting is effective if it is clear and recorded in the minutes, but writing avoids arguments about what was said in a heated moment.
Sample resignation
To the Council, The Owners, Strata Plan VIS 1234:
I resign as a member of the strata council, and as treasurer, effective June 30, 2026. I will deliver the financial files, the bank token and the storage room key to the president before that date, and I am available to answer questions from my successor during July.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve.
R. Chen, strata lot 17
What happens to the seat
Under Standard Bylaw 12:
- the remaining council members may appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term,
- from any person eligible to sit on council, and
- they may do so even if the resignation leaves council without a quorum.
Appointment is optional. If council still has at least three members, as Standard Bylaw 9 requires, it may leave the seat empty until the AGM. If it falls below three, it should appoint promptly.
If all council members resign, persons holding at least 25% of the strata's votes may hold a special general meeting to elect a new council, following the usual rules for calling meetings. A strata left without a functioning council may end up with a court-appointed administrator, paid for by the owners.
StrataMinutes can take this off your plate. Council work is volunteer work. Hand off the minutes: send us your notes and receive complete, properly formatted minutes. Your first month is free.
Resigning an office but staying on council
A president, secretary or treasurer may step down from the office and remain a council member. Council then elects another member to the office. If the president ceases to hold office, the vice president takes over the president's powers and duties for the rest of the term (Standard Bylaw 13). See council roles.
What to hand over
- All strata records in your possession, paper and electronic. They belong to the strata corporation.
- Keys, fobs, garage openers and storage access.
- Passwords for the council email, shared storage, banking view access and vendor portals.
- Bank signing authority: ask to be removed, and confirm it is done.
- A note of anything in progress: open quotations, owner correspondence awaiting reply, action items assigned to you.
- Delete personal copies of owners' personal information once the handover is complete.
See the council handover checklist.
Can a resignation be withdrawn?
Before the effective date, council may agree to treat it as withdrawn. After it takes effect, the seat is vacant, and the former member can return only by being appointed under Standard Bylaw 12 or elected at a general meeting. Because of this, resignations announced in anger are best followed by a calm conversation the next day and a written confirmation either way.
Recording it in the minutes
Sample minute wording: Council received the written resignation of R. Chen as council member and treasurer, effective June 30, 2026, and thanked R. Chen for three years of service. MOVED and SECONDED that, under Standard Bylaw 12, council appoint A. Brooks, owner of strata lot 4, to council for the remainder of the term. CARRIED (4 in favour, 0 opposed). MOVED and SECONDED that M. Laurent be elected treasurer for the remainder of the term. CARRIED (5 in favour, 0 opposed).
Update the list of council members, which is a record under section 35, and tell the bank and the strata manager.
After you resign
You remain an owner with all an owner's rights: to attend council meetings as an observer, to see records, to vote at general meetings and to stand again. Your duty of confidentiality about what you learned on council continues.
Questions councils and owners ask
Do I have to give notice to resign from strata council?
No notice period is set by the Act or Standard Bylaws. A short handover period is a courtesy.
Does my resignation have to be accepted?
No. A clear resignation is effective on the date you state. Council records it.
Who replaces a council member who resigns?
The remaining council members may appoint a replacement for the rest of the term under Standard Bylaw 12.
Can council operate if several members resign?
Council may appoint replacements even without a quorum. If all members resign, owners with 25% of the votes may hold a special general meeting to elect a new council.
Can I resign as secretary but stay on council?
Yes. Council then elects another member as secretary.
Leaving the secretary's chair? Leave a system behind
If the minutes were your job, set your successor up with StrataMinutes: notes in, finished minutes out. It makes the vacancy much easier to fill.
Free for 30 days, then $29 a month. Cancel anytime.
For a 30-lot strata, that is under $1 a lot each month. Have the strata pay: free council approval kit.
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
Absent Council Members
Council Handover Checklist
Removing Members
Council Elections
No Strata Secretary
Council Roles