Strata notes: what they are and how to read them

1. What is in the package

The minutes, financial statements, bylaws, rules and depreciation reports are all records the strata corporation must keep under section 35 of the Act.

2. How to get them

1. As a buyer: through the seller

   Your realtor asks the seller's realtor, who obtains them from the strata corporation or its property manager. The Form B is ordered at the same time.

2. As an owner: ask the strata directly

   Section 36 gives owners, tenants with the right, and anyone authorized in writing by an owner, access to the strata's records. The strata must make most records available within two weeks of the request, and bylaws and rules within one week, and it may charge no more than 25 cents a page for copies.

3. Expect management company fees for packages

   Many managed stratas sell document packages through an online portal. What the Act guarantees is access to the records; ask what the package contains before paying for it.

Our guide to requesting strata minutes and records has a request letter you can copy, and the records deadline calculator works out the date.

3. How far back to read

Many buyers' agents ask for at least two years of council and general meeting minutes. That is a starting point, not a rule. Minutes must be kept for at least six years, so if the recent minutes mention a leak, a lawsuit, a levy or an engineering review, ask for the earlier minutes where it started.

4. What to look for

• Water. Repeated leaks, envelope investigations, or a "monitoring" item that never closes.
• Levies. Special levies passed, proposed, or "being discussed".
• The reserve fund. A small fund next to large items due soon in the depreciation report.
• No depreciation report. Or one that is out of date. Every strata with five or more lots needs one on a five-year cycle.
• Insurance. High deductibles, repeated claims, or a hard renewal.
• Disputes. Tribunal claims, lawsuits, or the same owner complaint month after month.
• The minutes themselves. Missing vote counts, missing months, or minutes so thin you cannot tell what was decided.

Our full guide, how to read strata minutes before buying, walks through each one. To score a set of minutes against what BC law requires, use the compliance checker.

5. For councils: the notes are a legal record

The rough notes a council member takes during the meeting are not the minutes. The minutes are what gets written up afterwards, and they are a record the strata corporation must keep under section 35 of the Strata Property Act. Under Standard Bylaw 19, owners must be informed of council minutes within two weeks of the meeting, approved or not.

Buyers, lenders, insurers and the Civil Resolution Tribunal all read them. Clear minutes help sales close and protect the council when decisions are questioned. Thin ones do the opposite.

• Start from a proper structure: our strata minutes template for BC (Word and PDF).
• See the standard: a complete sample set of strata council minutes.
• Check what the law requires: BC strata minutes requirements.

6. Questions people ask

What are strata notes?

"Strata notes" is the everyday name for a strata corporation's meeting minutes: the record of council meetings and general meetings. In a sale it often means the whole document package, including the Form B, bylaws, rules, budget, financial statements and depreciation report.

How do I get strata notes before buying?

Usually through the seller and their realtor, who can request them from the strata corporation or its property manager. Section 36 of the Strata Property Act gives owners, and people authorized in writing by an owner, a right to copies: within two weeks for most records, one week for bylaws and rules, at no more than 25 cents a page.

How many years of strata notes should I read?

Many buyers' agents ask for at least two years of council and general meeting minutes. Strata corporations must keep minutes for at least six years, so you can ask for more if the recent minutes mention a problem with a longer history, such as leaks or a building envelope project.

Are strata notes the same as strata minutes?

Yes. Minutes are the formal record the Strata Property Act requires. "Notes" is the informal word buyers and realtors use. A council member's rough notes from the meeting are not the minutes until they are written up and distributed.

What should I look for in strata notes?

Leaks and envelope problems, planned or possible special levies, the reserve fund balance against the depreciation report, insurance deductibles and claims, legal disputes or tribunal claims, bylaw disputes, and how well the council runs. Our free guide and compliance checker help you read them.