Renovating a condo in Vancouver: what your strata has to approve first

A condo renovation in Vancouver has one step a house does not: the strata. A strata is the corporation that all the owners in a building belong to, and it runs the building through an elected council. Before a kitchen, a bathroom or a new floor goes in, the strata usually has to say yes in writing.

We renovate condos in Vancouver. Below is what BC law says, read from the Strata Property Act, its regulation and the Province's Standard Bylaws, all current to November 10, 2026.

Start with your building's bylaws

BC has one default set of bylaws for every strata, called the Standard Bylaws. A building can vote to change them and file its own. The Province's strata pages say that stratas often have bylaws that differ in some or many ways from the Standard Bylaws, and that bylaws may require owners to get written permission from the council before moving walls, changing flooring or making plumbing or electrical changes. Many buildings call this an alteration agreement.

So the first step is to ask the strata for its current bylaws and rules. Under section 36 of the Act, the strata must provide the bylaws and rules within one week of an owner's request, and the Province says the charge can be at most 25 cents a page. Ask for the rules too. Rules cover the shared parts of the building, such as booking the elevator for a move of materials.

What needs approval under the Standard Bylaws

Standard Bylaw 5 lists the work on a unit that needs the strata's written approval before it is done:

• the structure of the building and its exterior
• balconies, stairs, chimneys and other things attached to the exterior
• exterior doors, windows and skylights, and doors that open onto shared space
• fences and railings around a patio, balcony or yard
• common property inside the unit, meaning parts all owners own together
• the parts of the unit the strata must insure under section 149 of the Act

The last item covers most renovations. Section 149 makes the strata insure fixtures the developer built or installed. The Strata Property Regulation says fixtures include floor and wall coverings and electrical and plumbing fixtures. Put together, replacing the original floors, tile, sinks, toilets, taps or light fixtures needs written approval first under the Standard Bylaws.

Some items fall outside. The regulation leaves out refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, microwaves, washers and dryers that can be removed without damage to the building.

Standard Bylaw 6 adds shared space. Work on common property, including limited common property set aside for one unit such as a balcony or a parking stall, also needs written approval.

The pipes behind your wall

A drain or water line inside your bathroom wall may belong to everyone. Under the Act, a pipe, wire or duct that runs through a unit and can be used by another unit or by the common property is common property. That is why we ask to see what is behind a kitchen or bathroom wall before we price moving a sink. A request to the strata should name every pipe the work will touch.

Sending the request

The Standard Bylaws ask for written approval and say nothing about the form, so the form comes from your building. In our work, a request that gets a clear answer has these parts: a list of what is removed and what is installed in each room, a floor plan marked with the changes, the product sheets for the flooring and the fixtures, the contractor's name with the documents the building asks for, and the dates and working hours.

Standard Bylaw 5 says the strata must not unreasonably withhold its approval for work on a unit. It may ask the owner to agree in writing to pay any expenses that come from the work. Your building's bylaws or alteration agreement may ask for more, such as proof of the contractor's insurance or a deposit. Start work only when the approval is in writing, and read every condition in it first.

How long the council has

For an ordinary request, the Act sets no deadline. The council answers on its own meeting schedule. Ask the strata manager for the date of the next council meeting and send the request before the agenda closes.

If no answer comes, you can ask for a hearing. Under section 34.1, an owner who asks in writing for a hearing at a council meeting, and says why, must be heard within 4 weeks. When the owner asks for a decision, the council must give it in writing within one week after the hearing.

The City is a second step

The strata applies its bylaws, and the City of Vancouver applies the building rules. Each decides on its own. The Act joins them in one place: for removing a wall between two units, section 70 says the owners must give the strata copies of any required building permits when they ask for its approval. For other work, ask the City whether your project needs a permit, and ask the strata whether it wants a copy.

When work starts without approval

The Strata Property Regulation lets a strata write fines of up to $200 for each breach of a bylaw and $50 for each breach of a rule into its bylaws, repeated at most every 7 days. A strata that uses the Standard Bylaws can fine at most $50 and $10. Damage costs more. Under section 158, a strata can sue an owner for the deductible on its insurance claim when the owner is responsible for the loss, for example a leak during a renovation.

While work goes on, Standard Bylaw 7 lets a person the strata authorizes enter the unit on 48 hours' written notice to inspect or repair shared parts, and without notice in an emergency.

If you cannot agree

The Civil Resolution Tribunal decides most strata claims in BC, of any amount. Its Solution Explorer is free and anonymous, and it explains the options before you make a claim. For a question about your own unit, get legal advice. This article is general information from a renovation contractor about BC strata law.