Winding up a strata corporation: the 80% vote and court approval
When an ageing building needs more repair than it is worth, or the land has become far more valuable than the units, owners can vote to end the strata and sell the whole property. It is the most consequential vote a strata ever takes.
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 corporation can be wound up by a resolution passed by an 80% vote, meaning at least 80% of the votes of all eligible voters, not only those at the meeting (Strata Property Act, sections 272 and 277). The meeting needs four weeks' written notice. If the strata plan has five or more strata lots, the strata must apply to the Supreme Court within 60 days for an order confirming the resolution. Proceeds are divided under a schedule filed with the resolution.
Why stratas wind up
- The building is at the end of its life, and the cost of repairs approaches or exceeds the value they would add.
- The land is worth more redeveloped than the units are worth individually, and a developer offers to buy every lot at a premium.
- Destruction by fire or other loss, where owners decide not to rebuild.
- Small stratas whose owners want ordinary co-ownership or a single title instead.
The 80% threshold replaced a unanimous vote requirement in 2016, which made terminations practical in larger buildings.
Two ways to wind up
| Route | What happens | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Voluntary winding up without a liquidator | The strata plan is cancelled and the owners become tenants in common of the land and assets, in shares set out in a conversion schedule | 272 |
| Voluntary winding up with a liquidator | A liquidator is appointed, the owners' interests are surrendered to the liquidator, who sells the property and distributes the proceeds under an interest schedule | 277 |
Sales to developers almost always use the liquidator route. There is also court-ordered winding up, on application by an owner, mortgagee or other appropriate person (section 284).
StrataMinutes can take this off your plate. Most disputes are decided on the written record. Score your minutes with a free report card, or have them prepared for you.
The vote
- 80% of all eligible voters. Absent owners and abstentions count against. In a 50-lot strata, 40 votes in favour are needed no matter how many attend.
- Every lot votes. A bylaw suspending the vote of owners in arrears does not apply to an 80% vote (section 53).
- Mortgagees cannot vote on a winding-up resolution, and the owner may vote despite any assignment of voting rights to a mortgagee (section 54).
- Notice is at least four weeks, not two, and the right to notice cannot be waived for this purpose (section 45).
- If owners demand a special general meeting to consider a winding-up resolution, the strata has eight weeks to hold it (section 43).
- The resolution must approve the cancellation of the strata plan, the dissolution of the strata corporation, and the conversion or interest schedule, and for the liquidator route must name the liquidator and give an estimate of the costs of winding up.
Court confirmation
If the strata plan has five or more strata lots, the strata must apply to the Supreme Court for an order confirming the winding-up resolution within 60 days after it is passed (sections 273.1 and 278.1). Smaller stratas may apply but need not. The owners and registered charge holders identified in the schedule must be served.
In deciding whether to confirm, the court must consider:
- the best interests of the owners, and
- the probability and extent, if the resolution is confirmed or not confirmed, of significant unfairness to one or more owners or holders of registered charges, and of significant confusion and uncertainty in the affairs of the strata or the owners.
Dissenting owners can appear and oppose. Courts have confirmed most resolutions that reached the threshold on a sound process and a fair price, and have refused or required changes where the process was flawed or particular owners were unfairly treated.
How proceeds are divided
The schedule filed with the resolution sets each owner's share. The Act provides formulas for calculating interests, which depend on when the strata plan was deposited and what schedules were filed with it. Depending on the strata, the basis may be the most recent assessed value of each lot relative to the total, the unit entitlement, or a schedule of interest on destruction. Owners can agree to a different division, and appraisals are commonly used to test fairness.
From an owner's share come that owner's mortgage and other charges. The strata's own debts and the costs of winding up are paid before distribution.
Steps in a typical termination sale
- Exploration. Council or a committee, with owners' approval of a budget for advice.
- Professional team: a lawyer experienced in strata wind-ups, a commercial broker, an appraiser, and later a liquidator.
- Information meetings for owners, with independent advice encouraged.
- Marketing and offers, or a single developer's proposal.
- Purchase agreement, conditional on the 80% vote and court confirmation.
- Notice of the special general meeting, at least four weeks, with the resolution, schedule and supporting material.
- The vote, by precise count, recorded against total eligible votes.
- Court application within 60 days.
- Filing at the Land Title Office, completion of the sale, and distribution.
- Dissolution.
The process usually takes many months and sometimes years.
What owners should think about
- Value: the offer against the value of your unit, the cost of a replacement home, and moving and transaction costs.
- Tax: possible capital gains on a unit that is not your principal residence. Ask an accountant.
- Tenants: tenancies continue under the Residential Tenancy Act until properly ended.
- Mortgages: paid out from your share, possibly with prepayment charges.
- Timing: when you must move, and whether you can rent back.
- Your vote: not voting is the same as voting no.
What councils must get right
Take legal advice from the start. Keep owners informed in writing. Declare conflicts, especially where council members have dealings with the buyer. Follow notice requirements to the day. Record every meeting and vote exactly, and inform owners promptly of the result. The Information Certificate (Form B) must disclose any winding-up resolution that has been passed.
Questions councils and owners ask
What vote is needed to wind up a strata in BC?
An 80% vote: at least 80% of the votes of all eligible voters in the strata corporation.
Does a court have to approve a strata wind-up?
Yes, if the strata plan has five or more strata lots. The strata must apply within 60 days of the resolution.
How much notice is needed for a winding-up meeting?
At least four weeks' written notice.
Can owners who voted no be forced to sell?
If the 80% vote is obtained and the court confirms the resolution, the winding up binds all owners.
How are sale proceeds divided?
Under the schedule approved with the resolution, calculated by the formulas in the Act unless the owners agree otherwise.
The vote of a lifetime needs an exact record
Winding-up minutes are read by a judge. StrataMinutes prepares general meeting minutes with every count set out against total eligible votes.
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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
Unanimous and 80% Votes
Meeting Notice
Depreciation Reports
Strata Lawsuits
Special Levies
Unit Entitlement