Renovating inside a strata
A renovation inside a strata answers to two authorities rather than one. The city reviews the work against the building code and issues the permit. The strata corporation controls the common property the work may touch and the approvals the owner needs first. The Strata Property Act sets the rules, the strata's own bylaws add to them, and an owner who starts with the city rather than the strata can arrive at a permit for work the corporation has not agreed to.
Part of Renovations and additions in Metro Vancouver. Figures re-verified 2026-09-23.
Key takeaways
- Common property is any part of the land and buildings on the strata plan that is not part of a strata lot.
- Limited common property is common property designated for the exclusive use of one or more strata lots.
- Under the standard bylaws, altering common property or limited common property requires written approval from the strata corporation.
- A three quarter vote is needed where an alteration makes a significant change in the use or appearance of common property.
- Section 71 allows immediate change without a vote where it is necessary for safety or to prevent significant loss or damage.
- Approval may be conditional on the owner agreeing in writing to carry the expenses relating to the alteration.
Knowing where your strata lot ends
The province defines common property as any part of the land and buildings shown on the strata plan that is not part of a strata lot, owned collectively by the owners as tenants in common. Hallways, elevators, and building exteriors are typical examples. Limited common property is common property designated on the strata plan, or on a sketch plan filed at the Land Title Office, for the exclusive use of one or more strata lots, with balconies and parking spaces as common examples.
The boundary between a strata lot and common property is drawn on the strata plan rather than by where a wall appears to be. This is the first document to read before a renovation is designed, because it decides which parts of the work need the corporation's agreement.
Owners are often surprised by which elements fall outside their lot. A balcony an owner has exclusive use of remains common property, and the building exterior generally does too, whatever an owner's view of their own front door may be.
The approvals an owner needs
Under the standard bylaws, altering common property, including limited common property, or common assets requires written approval from the strata corporation. The province also notes that approval may be conditional on the owner agreeing in writing to take responsibility for any expenses relating to the alteration.
That condition is the one owners underestimate. An alteration agreed on those terms attaches an ongoing obligation to the owner and, in practice, to future owners of that strata lot, covering the maintenance, repair, and eventual replacement of what was installed.
Section 70 of the Strata Property Act deals separately with removing a wall on the common boundary between two strata lots, which requires the strata corporation's approval and depends on the removal complying with building codes and not interfering with utilities.
When a vote of the owners is required
Section 71 of the Strata Property Act governs significant changes to common property. The strata corporation must not make a significant change in the use or appearance of common property, or land that is a common asset, unless one of two things is true. Either there are reasonable grounds to believe that immediate change is necessary to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage, or the change is approved by a resolution passed at an annual or special general meeting.
The threshold for that resolution depends on what the change is. A majority vote applies to changes relating to electric vehicle charging infrastructure. A three quarter vote applies to any other change.
For an owner planning a renovation, the practical consequence is a calendar one. A three quarter vote happens at an annual or special general meeting, so the approval depends on a meeting taking place, which may be months away or may require a special general meeting to be called. This belongs in the project schedule from the beginning.
Running the sequence in the right order
The order that avoids wasted work is strata plan first, bylaws second, strata approval third, permit fourth. Read the strata plan to establish what is inside the lot. Read the bylaws, because a strata's own bylaws add requirements beyond the standard ones and differ between corporations. Obtain the corporation's written approval, including any vote the work requires. Then apply for the building permit.
Reversing that order produces the common failure on strata renovations: a permit in hand, a builder booked, and an alteration the corporation has not approved. The city's permit says the work meets the building code. It says nothing about whether the owner may carry it out on property they do not solely own.
Where the work touches the building envelope, a further requirement may apply. BC Housing's envelope renovation rules attach at 60 percent of any cladding surface and $10,000, or $2,000 per unit in a multi unit building, and the Building Envelope Renovation Schedule they require is signed by the owner or the strata corporation.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as common property in a BC strata?
The province defines common property as any part of the land and buildings shown on the strata plan that is not part of a strata lot, owned collectively by the strata lot owners as tenants in common. Hallways, elevators and building exteriors are typical examples. The boundary is drawn on the strata plan rather than by where a wall appears, so the plan is the document to read first.
What is limited common property?
Limited common property is common property designated on the strata plan, or on a sketch plan filed at the Land Title Office, for the exclusive use of one or more strata lots. Balconies and parking spaces are common examples. Exclusive use does not make it part of the strata lot, so altering it still requires the strata corporation's written approval under the standard bylaws.
Do I need strata approval to renovate inside my own unit?
Work contained entirely within the strata lot boundaries is treated differently from work touching common property, and the strata's own bylaws may still impose requirements. Under the standard bylaws, alterations to common property including limited common property require written approval from the strata corporation. Read the strata plan and the bylaws before assuming which category your work falls into.
When does a strata renovation need a three quarter vote?
Section 71 of the Strata Property Act requires approval by resolution at an annual or special general meeting where there is a significant change in the use or appearance of common property or a common asset. A three quarter vote applies to those changes, except that a majority vote applies to changes relating to electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
How long does strata approval take?
Where a three quarter vote is required, approval depends on an annual or special general meeting taking place, which may be months away or may require a special general meeting to be called. That is a scheduling constraint rather than a review period, and it belongs in the project programme from the start rather than being discovered once a builder has been booked.
Can a strata make changes to common property without a vote?
Section 71 of the Strata Property Act allows it where there are reasonable grounds to believe that immediate change is necessary to ensure safety or to prevent significant loss or damage. That exception is for urgent circumstances. Outside it, a significant change in the use or appearance of common property needs a resolution passed at an annual or special general meeting.
Who pays to maintain an alteration a strata owner makes?
The province notes that the strata corporation may require, as a condition of approving an alteration, that the owner agree in writing to take responsibility for any expenses relating to it. In practice that obligation covers maintenance, repair and eventual replacement, and it attaches to the strata lot, so a purchaser inherits it along with the unit.
Can I remove a wall between two strata lots I own?
Section 70 of the Strata Property Act allows an owner to remove a wall on the common boundary between strata lots with the strata corporation's approval, provided the removal complies with building codes and does not interfere with utilities. Both conditions sit alongside the approval, so the structural and services position has to be established before the request is made.
Should I get the building permit or the strata approval first?
Strata approval first. The order that avoids wasted work is strata plan, then bylaws, then the corporation's written approval including any required vote, then the building permit. A permit confirms the work meets the building code. It says nothing about whether an owner may carry out that work on property the owners hold collectively.
Do envelope renovation rules apply to strata buildings?
Yes, and the per unit figure is lower. BC Housing's building envelope renovation requirements apply where the work affects 60 percent or more of any cladding surface and costs $10,000 or more, which is $2,000 per unit in a multi unit building. The Building Envelope Renovation Schedule required for the permit is signed by the owner or the strata corporation.
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Sources and references
Rate and regulation figures on this page were re-verified on 2026-09-23. Construction cost ranges come from Venture Pacific's own Metro Vancouver projects and are described as such wherever they appear.
- Strata Property Act, sections 70, 71 and 90.1 to 90.3BC Laws, Queen's Printer. Accessed 23 September 2026.
- Common property and limited common property in stratasProvince of British Columbia. Accessed 23 September 2026.
- Building Envelope Renovations, licensing and warranty requirementsBC Housing. Accessed 23 September 2026.
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