The Strata Property Act deadlines councils face right now
The Act has changed more in the last few years than in the fifteen before them. Here is what changed, deadline by deadline, and what each change asks of your council. Last reviewed July 2026.
Depreciation reports became mandatory, and the first deadline has arrived
BC removed the old ability to defer depreciation reports by annual 3/4 vote. Stratas with five or more lots must now obtain a depreciation report on a five-year cycle, and the phase-in deadlines are set by where the strata is:
- Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and the Capital Regional District: July 1, 2026. That deadline has now passed. A strata in these regions without a current report is out of compliance and should get the engagement on a council agenda immediately.
- Everywhere else in BC: July 1, 2027. Report providers book out months ahead, so interior and northern councils should be obtaining quotes this year, not next.
Stratas with fewer than five lots remain exempt. New stratas receive a timeline tied to their first AGM. The full rules, including what the report must contain and who may prepare it, are in our depreciation report guide.
What it means for your minutes: the decisions around the report, choosing a provider, receiving the report, and acting on its recommendations, belong in the minutes as motions. Buyers and their lawyers now read for exactly this; a council that received a report and recorded nothing afterwards is writing the next CRT exhibit against itself.
Electronic meetings are now a permanent option
What began as a pandemic accommodation is now standing law: strata corporations may hold council and general meetings by telephone or video, and attendees who participate electronically count for quorum and voting, without needing a special bylaw to allow it. Bylaws can restrict electronic attendance, so check yours before relying on it. The mechanics, including how to run votes and record attendance remotely, are in our electronic meetings guide.
What it means for your minutes: record the meeting format and how each attendee participated. Quorum challenges at electronic meetings turn entirely on what the minutes say about who was present and how.
Rental restriction bylaws are gone
Since November 2022, strata bylaws that restrict or ban rentals are unenforceable, and age restriction bylaws are void except the 55-and-over kind. Councils still administer what remains: tenant move-ins, Form K notices, and the correspondence they generate, all of which lands in the records. Our bylaws and rules guide covers what may still be regulated.
The rules that did not change, and still catch councils
Amid the changes, the core record-keeping duties are unmoved and remain the most common compliance failures we see: minutes of every council and general meeting with vote results recorded (section 35), owners informed of council minutes within two weeks (Standard Bylaw 19), six-year retention, and records produced within two weeks of a request (section 36). Our free deadline calculators turn each of these into a date.
Compliance is a writing job. We do the writing.
Every change above ends up as motions a secretary must record properly. StrataMinutes turns your council's rough notes into complete, Act-compliant minutes with a checklist, usually within minutes. The first council meeting is free.
No payment details needed for your first council meeting.
This page summarizes changes in general terms and was last reviewed in July 2026; it is not legal advice. See the current text of the Strata Property Act and the Strata Property Regulation on BC Laws, and the Province of BC's strata housing pages for official guidance.
Related guides
Depreciation Reports
Electronic Strata Meetings
Bylaws vs Rules
Deadline and Voting Calculators (free)
Legal Requirements for Strata Minutes