How a strata must give notice to owners: mail, door, email
A meeting can be challenged, a fine cancelled and a lien delayed because a notice was given the wrong way. The Act lists the permitted methods precisely.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
Under section 61 of the Strata Property Act, a strata may give a notice by leaving it with the person, or, depending on whether the person has given an address outside the strata, by mailing it, leaving it with an adult occupant, putting it under the door or through the mail slot, faxing it, or emailing it to an email address the person provided for that purpose. Except when handed to the person, a notice is deemed given four days later. Some information may simply be posted (section 65).
The permitted methods
Section 61 separates two situations.
If the person has given the strata an address outside the strata plan for receiving notices:
- leave it with the person, or
- mail it to that address.
If the person has not given such an address:
- leave it with the person,
- leave it with an adult occupant of the person's strata lot,
- put it under the door of the person's strata lot,
- mail it to the person at the address of the strata lot,
- put it through a mail slot or in a mailbox used by the person for receiving mail,
- fax it to a fax number provided by the person, or
- email it to an email address provided by the person for the purpose of receiving the notice, record or document.
The notice may be addressed to the person by name, or simply to the person as owner or tenant.
Can a strata use email?
Yes, but only to an email address the person has provided for the purpose of receiving notices. An address the manager happens to have from an old enquiry is not enough. Good practice:
- Ask every owner to complete a short form giving an email address for strata notices, and keep the forms.
- Ask again when a lot sells. A new owner must tell the strata their name, strata lot number and any mailing address outside the strata within two weeks of becoming an owner (Standard Bylaw 4).
- Let owners opt out and receive paper.
- Use blind copy so addresses are not shared with the whole building.
Read section 61 closely on one point: email appears in the list that applies where the person has not provided an address outside the strata plan. For an owner who has given an outside mailing address, the listed methods are personal delivery and mail to that address. Many stratas mail to those owners and also send a courtesy email.
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The four-day rule
A notice that is mailed, left with an adult occupant, put under the door, put through the mail slot or mailbox, faxed or emailed is conclusively deemed to have been given four days after it was sent or left. A notice left with the person is given that day.
This matters for anything with a minimum notice period. For a general meeting, the strata must give at least two weeks' written notice (section 45), and the rules of interpretation mean neither the day notice is given nor the day of the meeting is counted. In practice:
| Method | Days before the meeting to send |
|---|---|
| Handed to each owner personally | 16 |
| Mail, door, mail slot, email | 20 |
Our deadline calculators work out the date, and notice requirements covers what the notice must contain.
When posting is enough
Section 65 allows a lighter method for informing resident owners and tenants of certain things: leaving a document at a location designated for distribution, or posting it in a part of the common property designated for that purpose, or any other method. This applies to:
- emergency expenditures (section 98),
- changes to strata fees after a budget passes (section 106),
- information about a special levy (section 108),
- new rules (section 125),
- bylaw amendments (section 128), and
- being sued (section 167),
and to regulations that require owners to be "informed". Posting does not reach non-resident owners, so most stratas also email or mail. Council minutes are similar: Standard Bylaw 19 requires council to "inform owners of the minutes", which stratas meet by email, posting or delivery. See when minutes must go to owners.
Posting is not enough for meeting notices, demand letters before a lien, or bylaw complaint particulars. Those must be given under section 61.
Who must receive meeting notices
Every owner, every mortgagee who has filed a Mortgagee's Request for Notification, and every tenant who has been assigned the landlord's right to vote where the strata has been told (section 45). Failure to give proper notice to a person does not invalidate a vote if the strata made a reasonable attempt to give notice in accordance with the Act (section 47).
Giving notice to the strata
Owners giving notice to the strata corporation may leave it with a council member, mail it to the strata's most recent mailing address on file at the Land Title Office, fax or email it to the strata's number or address or one provided by a council member for that purpose, or put it through the strata's mail slot or mailbox (section 63). The same four-day rule applies, except for delivery to a council member. The strata must keep its mailing address at the Land Title Office current (section 62).
Keeping proof
Keep a dated copy of each notice and a note of how and when it was sent: a mailing list, an email log, or a short certificate signed by the person who delivered it. For general meetings, "proof of notice" is an item of business under Standard Bylaw 28 and belongs in the minutes.
Sample minute wording: Proof of notice: the secretary confirmed that notice of the meeting, dated February 3, 2026, was emailed to owners who have provided an email address for notices and mailed to all other owners on that date, in accordance with sections 45 and 61 of the Strata Property Act.
Questions councils and owners ask
Can a strata send AGM notices by email in BC?
Yes, to an email address the person has provided for the purpose of receiving notices, as set out in section 61.
When is a strata notice deemed received?
Four days after it is mailed, emailed, faxed, left with an adult occupant, or put under the door or through the mail slot. Immediately if handed to the person.
Is posting a notice in the lobby enough for an AGM?
No. Meeting notices must be given under section 61. Posting is allowed only for certain information under section 65.
What if an owner says they never got the notice?
A vote is not invalidated if the strata made a reasonable attempt to give notice as the Act requires. Keep proof of how notice was sent.
Do owners have to give the strata their email address?
No. Email is optional. An owner who does not provide one receives notices by the other methods.
Notice given, and recorded
Minutes should show that notice was properly given for every general meeting. StrataMinutes includes proof of notice in the right place, every time.
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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
Meeting Notice
Strata Calculators
When Minutes Must Go Out
Privacy and PIPA
Arrears Collection
Bylaw Violation Letters