Who repairs it: the owner or the strata?

Last reviewed October 19, 2026, against the Standard Bylaws in the Schedule to the Strata Property Act on BC Laws.

The rule in one table

These are the Standard Bylaws. They apply to every strata corporation unless it has filed different bylaws at the Land Title Office.

Where	The strata corporation repairs and maintains	The owner repairs and maintains
Common assets	All of it (Bylaw 8(a))	Nothing
Common property	All of it (Bylaw 8(b))	Nothing
Limited common property	Work that ordinarily happens less often than once a year, plus the structure, exterior, attached items such as balconies and chimneys, exterior doors, windows and skylights, and enclosing fences and railings, however often (Bylaw 8(c))	Everything else, by the owner who has the use of it (Bylaw 2(2))
Strata lot, building strata	The structure, the exterior, attached items, exterior doors, windows and skylights, and enclosing fences and railings (Bylaw 8(d))	Everything else (Bylaw 2(1))
Strata lot, bare land strata	Nothing under Bylaw 8(d), which applies only to plans that are not bare land plans	The strata lot (Bylaw 2(1))

Three checks before you rely on the answer

1. Is it really limited common property?

   Limited common property is designated on the strata plan or by a resolution filed at the Land Title Office. A balcony that only one unit can reach is not automatically limited common property. Check the plan.

2. Has your strata changed the repair bylaws?

   Many have, particularly for windows, doors and limited common property. Your registered bylaws govern. Ask council or your manager for the current filed version.

3. Is this a repair question or a damage question?

   Who repairs is decided by the bylaws above. Who pays when an owner, tenant or leak causes damage, and who bears an insurance deductible, can turn out differently. See our strata insurance guide.

Record the decision

When council decides a repair is the strata's responsibility, or the owner's, record the decision and the bylaw relied on in the council minutes. Repair disputes regularly reach the Civil Resolution Tribunal, and the minutes are often the first document an adjudicator reads.

Questions councils ask

Who is responsible for windows in a BC strata?

Under Standard Bylaw 8, the strata corporation repairs and maintains doors, windows and skylights on the exterior of a building or that front on the common property, even when they are part of a strata lot. In a bare land strata that duty does not extend to the strata lots, and your own bylaws may say something different.

Who repairs a balcony or patio that only one owner uses?

Balconies and patios are often limited common property. The strata corporation handles the structure, the exterior, the balcony itself, its railings and enclosing fences, and any work that ordinarily happens less often than once a year. Routine yearly upkeep, such as cleaning and minor maintenance, falls to the owner who has the use of it (Standard Bylaws 2(2) and 8(c)).

Who repairs things inside a strata lot?

The owner, under Standard Bylaw 2(1), except the structure of the building, the exterior, attached items like balconies and chimneys, exterior doors and windows, and fences and railings, which the strata corporation repairs under Standard Bylaw 8(d) in a strata plan that is not a bare land strata plan.

Do our own bylaws override the Standard Bylaws?

Yes. The Standard Bylaws apply unless your strata corporation has amended them and filed the amendment at the Land Title Office. Many stratas have changed the repair bylaws, so check your registered bylaws before relying on this answer.

Is the person who repairs it also the person who pays for damage?

Not necessarily. Repair and maintenance duties are one question. Who pays when someone causes damage, and who bears an insurance deductible, are separate questions that depend on the facts, your bylaws and your insurance.

Related guides

Bylaws vs Rules
Strata Insurance
CRT Disputes
Depreciation Reports
Council Hearings

General information, not legal advice. See the Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.