Who enforces the Strata Property Act? There is no strata police
Owners often ask where to report a strata council that is breaking the law. The surprising answer is that nobody takes reports. In BC, strata law is enforced by the people it governs, with a tribunal to decide disputes.
Last reviewed November 10, 2026, against the current Strata Property Act, Strata Property Regulation and Standard Bylaws on BC Laws.
The short answer
**No government agency enforces the Strata Property Act against strata corporations, and BC has no strata ombudsman or regulator. Strata corporations are self-governing. Councils enforce bylaws. Owners enforce the Act against the strata by asking, requesting a hearing, voting, and applying to the Civil Resolution Tribunal or the Supreme Court. A few bodies regulate related matters: BCFSA (strata managers and developers), the privacy commissioner, and the Human Rights Tribunal**.
Self-governance
The Act gives every strata corporation its own governing body, the council, elected by the owners each year. It gives owners votes, access to records, hearings and the power to replace the council. It then leaves the strata to run itself. The provincial government writes the legislation and publishes plain-language information about it, but it does not investigate complaints, give legal advice, interpret the Act for individual disputes, or order a strata to do anything.
That design has consequences:
- Nobody checks whether a strata holds its AGM, keeps minutes or obtains its depreciation report unless an owner raises it.
- There are no government fines for a strata that ignores most of the Act's requirements.
- Remedies are private: an owner or the strata must start a claim.
Who deals with what
| Problem | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Council will not repair, enforce bylaws, provide records, hold meetings or follow the Act | Council, then a hearing, then the Civil Resolution Tribunal |
| A fine, chargeback or fee you dispute | Hearing, then the Civil Resolution Tribunal |
| An owner or tenant breaking bylaws | Complaint to council, which enforces under section 135 |
| A serious, urgent or complex matter, or orders the tribunal cannot make | BC Supreme Court |
| Conduct of a licensed strata manager | The managing broker, then the BC Financial Services Authority |
| A developer's marketing or pre-sale disclosure | BC Financial Services Authority |
| Misuse of personal information | The strata's privacy officer, then the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner |
| Discrimination | BC Human Rights Tribunal |
| Tenancy issues between landlord and tenant | Residential Tenancy Branch |
| Building, fire and safety violations | The municipality, fire department or Technical Safety BC |
| Theft or fraud | Police |
| Filing bylaws and plans | Land Title Office, which records filings and does not police compliance |
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.
How owners enforce the Act
- Ask in writing. See writing to council.
- Request a hearing under section 34.1. Council must hold it within four weeks.
- Use the records. Minutes, correspondence and financial statements, within two weeks of a request.
- Use your vote. Direct council by majority vote (section 27), demand a meeting with 20% of the votes (section 43), or elect a different council.
- Go to the tribunal.
See when council does not respond.
The Civil Resolution Tribunal
The CRT is an online tribunal with jurisdiction over most strata property disputes: common property, bylaws and their enforcement, money owed, decisions of the strata and council, records, meetings and voting, and significantly unfair actions. It can order a party to do something, stop doing something, or pay money. It is designed for people to use without lawyers, in stages: negotiation, facilitation, then a binding decision by a tribunal member. Its orders can be filed in court and enforced. Fees apply, and limitation periods run, generally two years. An owner or tenant must usually have requested a council hearing first (section 189.1).
Some matters are outside its reach or better suited to court, such as appointing an administrator, ordering the sale of a strata lot, and winding-up applications. See CRT disputes.
The BC Supreme Court
On application, the Supreme Court may order a strata to perform a duty or stop contravening the Act, regulations, bylaws or rules (section 165), make the same kinds of orders against owners and tenants at the strata's request (section 173), prevent or remedy significantly unfair actions (section 164), and appoint an administrator to exercise the strata's powers (section 174). Court is slower and more expensive, and usually needs a lawyer.
How councils enforce
Council's duty includes enforcing the bylaws and rules (section 26). Its tools are warnings, fines, remedying a contravention at the person's cost, and denying use of a recreational facility, always through the complaint and hearing process in section 135. Where fines do not work, the strata applies to the tribunal or court for an order. Council cannot evict an owner, seize property or cut off services.
Help that is not enforcement
- Provincial government strata housing information: guides to the Act.
- Owners' associations such as CHOA and VISOA: education, advice lines and resources for members.
- Legal clinics and lawyers practising strata law.
- Mediators and arbitrators, where both sides agree.
None can order anyone to do anything, but they help people use the remedies they have.
Why records matter so much
In a system with no inspector, disputes are decided on documents: letters, notices and above all minutes. A strata that can produce minutes showing notice, quorum, motions and votes usually succeeds in defending its decisions. An owner who can show dated letters and a hearing request is taken seriously. See minutes as evidence.
Questions councils and owners ask
Is there a strata ombudsman in BC?
No. There is no ombudsman or government regulator for strata corporations.
Who do I report a strata council to?
There is no reporting body. Use a hearing request, the owners' voting powers, and the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
Does the BC government enforce the Strata Property Act?
No. It writes the law and provides information. Enforcement is by owners and strata corporations through the tribunal and courts.
Who regulates strata managers?
The BC Financial Services Authority.
Can police help with strata disputes?
Only where there is a criminal matter such as threats, theft or fraud.
Self-governing means self-documenting
With no regulator checking, your minutes are the proof that the strata followed the law. StrataMinutes prepares them properly.
Free for 30 days, then $29 a month. Cancel anytime.
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
CRT Disputes
When Council Does Not Respond
Complaints About a Strata Manager
Significantly Unfair Decisions
Strata Owner Rights
The Strata Property Act Explained