A BC strata council runs the corporation and enforces its bylaws; owners approve budgets, special levies and bylaw changes (SPA ss.26, 103, 108 and 128, current to October 27, 2026). Council can delegate administration to a manager, but Standard Bylaw 20 reserves breach and fine decisions to council.
This guide sets out who decides what under the Strata Property Act, what council can spend without a vote, which duties stay with council whatever the service agreement says, and what the firm can do for you.
Key takeaways
- Where the rules come from: the Strata Property Act and your strata’s registered bylaws. Where your bylaws are silent, the Standard Bylaws apply. The management contract can’t change either.
- Owners decide: the budget (majority vote at the AGM, s.103), special levies (3/4 vote, s.108), bylaw changes (3/4 vote, s.128) and most contingency reserve fund spending (s.96).
- Council decides: day-to-day spending within the approved budget, contracts, insurance claims and bylaw enforcement (s.4, s.26).
- Spending without a vote: outside the budget, council can spend only up to the limit in your bylaws or, if they’re silent, less than $2,000 or 5% of the year’s operating fund contributions, whichever is less, added up over the year (s.98). Emergencies are the exception.
- Personal liability: each member must act honestly, in good faith and with reasonable care (s.31). Standard Bylaw 22 protects members who act honestly and in good faith.
- Council size: 3 to 7 members under Standard Bylaw 9, unless your bylaws say otherwise.
What a BC strata council is
A strata council is the group of owners elected at each annual general meeting to run the strata corporation (s.25). Under section 4 and section 26, council exercises the strata corporation’s powers and duties, including enforcing bylaws and rules, subject to the Act, the regulations and the bylaws. Owners can direct or restrict council by a majority vote at a general meeting (s.27).
The management firm is a contractor. It does what council delegates to it and reports back. It doesn’t set direction, and it signs for the strata only with council’s authority.
Which duties stay with council?
Council retains breach and fine decisions; owners approve budgets, levies and bylaw changes.
1. Governance decisions
Council chooses vendors within the budget, handles insurance claims, decides bylaw complaints and sets the agenda for general meetings (s.46). Council also prepares the budget and proposes any special levy. The owners then vote: the budget needs a majority vote at the AGM (s.103), and a special levy needs a 3/4 vote at an AGM or SGM (s.108).
Some council powers can’t be handed to anyone. Under Standard Bylaw 20, council can’t delegate the decision on whether someone broke a bylaw or rule, whether to fine them and how much, or whether to deny them a recreational facility. The firm can prepare options and paperwork. Council decides.
2. Bylaw and rule amendments
A bylaw change needs a 3/4 vote of owners at a general meeting (s.128), for a strata of only residential lots. Council proposes; owners decide. The amendment has no effect until it’s filed in the Land Title Office. A bylaw passed without the proper vote can be challenged at the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
Council can make rules about the use, safety and condition of common property (s.125). A new rule lapses at the next AGM unless owners ratify it by a majority vote.
3. Spending and contracts
Money can be spent from the operating fund only if the budget covers it, owners approve it by a 3/4 vote, or section 98 allows it (s.97). Section 98 is the “spend without a vote” rule. If your bylaws set a limit, that’s the limit. If they’re silent, unbudgeted spending must stay under $2,000 or 5% of the year’s total operating fund contributions, whichever is less, and every unbudgeted expense in the fiscal year counts toward it.
The emergency exception: council can spend from the operating fund or the contingency reserve fund without a vote when the money is needed right away to keep people safe or prevent significant loss or damage. It must spend only the minimum needed and tell owners as soon as it can (s.98(3), (5), (6)).
A firm can spend the strata’s money only if council delegated that power (Standard Bylaw 21). Under Standard Bylaw 20, the delegation must be a council resolution that sets a specific amount for a specific purpose, or a maximum amount and the purposes it covers. If your council has never passed one, ask the firm what it is relying on.
Check a figure with our spend-without-a-vote calculator.
4. Contingency reserve fund (CRF) spending
The contingency reserve fund is the building’s savings for expenses that usually happen less often than once a year, or don’t usually happen at all (s.92). Owners must approve spending from it at a general meeting (s.96):
- Majority vote to get a depreciation report, for repairs or replacements the current depreciation report recommends, and for EV charging work and reports.
- 3/4 vote for anything else.
The only exception is the emergency rule in section 98. The firm pays the bills; owners authorize the spending.
5. Each member’s own judgment
Section 31 sets the standard every council member must meet: act honestly and in good faith in the best interests of the strata corporation, and with the care, diligence and skill of a reasonably prudent person. Each member owes it personally, so the firm can’t meet it on your behalf.
When council votes on a hard question, each member owes the strata their own considered view, not a rubber stamp on what the firm recommends. Under Standard Bylaw 18, the minutes must record the result of every council vote.
What a council can delegate to the management firm
The day-to-day work can be delegated (Standard Bylaw 20). Councils commonly delegate:
- Vendor coordination: scheduling, follow-up and site visits
- Owner correspondence: fee notices, hearing letters and arrears reminders
- Record-keeping: minutes, financial records and insurance documents (the records listed in section 35)
- Financial reporting: the monthly package, bank reconciliation and variance reports
- AGM logistics: notice delivery, proxy forms and meeting administration
- Certificates and reports: Form B information certificates, Form F certificates of payment, and depreciation report scheduling
- Claims administration: insurance claim intake and documentation
A well-run firm handles this work cleanly. Council’s job is to oversee it.
Can council members be personally liable?
Standard Bylaw 22 protects honest, good-faith council conduct from personal liability. Section 31 sets the standard of care above. Standard Bylaw 22 says a council member who acts honestly and in good faith isn’t personally liable for anything done or not done as a council member. Check that your strata hasn’t replaced that bylaw with its own.
The strata can also buy errors and omissions insurance for council members (s.151). The Act doesn’t require it. Ask your firm or broker whether your policy includes it.
The risk goes up when a member:
- Acts outside council’s authority: signs a contract the budget or bylaws don’t allow, or spends past the section 98 limit.
- Has a conflict and hides it: section 32 requires a member with an interest in a contract or decision to disclose it, not vote, and leave the meeting for that item.
- Acts dishonestly or in bad faith, which the bylaw doesn’t protect.
The bylaw’s test is honesty and good faith, not whether the decision worked out. Minutes that show council looked at the information, took advice where it made sense and voted help show that.
How the council works with the management firm
The healthy pattern: the firm recommends, council decides, the firm carries it out and reports back. Each step is in the minutes.
The unhealthy pattern: the firm decides, council signs, and nobody checks what the firm reports. That’s how councils end up surprised by vendor changes they didn’t approve and contracts they haven’t read.
A few habits keep it healthy:
- Read the monthly financial package before the meeting, not at it.
- Ask the firm for options, not decisions. If it brings one vendor quote, ask for two more.
- Keep a running list of owner complaints the firm has handled. Look at it every few months for patterns.
- Review the service agreement every year. Scope changes over time, and the fee should match what the firm does.
When the relationship isn’t working
Review the relationship when missed replies, incomplete reports or manager turnover persist. Signs include emails taking a week to answer, late or incomplete financial reports, owner complaints about the firm itself, and a third new manager in two years.
If those patterns last more than a couple of quarters, our 6-question Manager scorecard is a quick way to take stock, and the 60-day transition playbook covers switching firms.
Who decides what: a summary to print
Owners approve major financial decisions; council directs administration under the applicable bylaws.
Who decides what: a summary to print
| Decision | Who decides | Vote needed | Where in the law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget for the coming year | Owners at the AGM | Majority | s.103 |
| Special levy | Owners at an AGM or SGM | 3/4, or unanimous for a different way of sharing it | s.108(2) |
| Spending outside the budget | Council, up to the limit | None, under the limit | s.98(2) |
| Emergency repairs | Council | None; tell owners as soon as you can | s.98(3), (5), (6) |
| Contingency reserve fund spending | Owners at an AGM or SGM | Majority for a depreciation report, work it recommends, and EV charging; 3/4 for anything else | s.96 |
| Bylaw change | Owners at an AGM or SGM | 3/4 (residential strata) | s.128 |
| New rule | Council makes it; owners ratify it at the next AGM | Majority to ratify | s.125 |
| Ending the management contract early | Owners, then 2 months’ notice | 3/4 | s.39(1)(a) |
| Ending it under its own terms, or not renewing | Council | None from owners | s.39(2) |
| Whether someone broke a bylaw, and any fine | Council only | Council majority | Standard Bylaw 20(4), s.135 |
| Electing council | Owners at the AGM | Election | s.25 |
Source: Guide sources, checked November 6, 2026. See the Sources section in this guide.
Related reading for your council
- Can council spend this without a vote?: checks a figure against the section 98 limit.
- Special levy calculator: each lot’s share and the vote you need.
- SGM procedural checklist: notice, quorum, proxies and votes at a special general meeting.
- Depreciation reports in BC: what the report must contain and how it ties to reserve fund votes.
- Form B essentials: the information certificate your strata issues when a lot is sold.
Sources
Checked against the sources below on November 6, 2026 (BC Laws: Acts current to October 27, 2026; regulations to November 3, 2026). This is general information, not legal advice.
- Strata Property Act, Part 4: governance (ss.25 to 35, 39, 40, 46)
- Strata Property Act, Part 6: finances (ss.92, 96 to 98, 103, 108)
- Strata Property Act, Part 7: bylaws and rules (ss.125, 128, 135)
- Strata Property Act, Part 10: administrators (s.174)
- Schedule of Standard Bylaws (bylaws 9, 12, 14, 18 to 22)
- CHOA and VISOA, education for council members
Frequently asked questions
Do strata council members need any training to serve in BC?
No. The Strata Property Act doesn't require training. CHOA and VISOA both run education for council members, and the Act itself is free to read at bclaws.gov.bc.ca. Read your strata's registered bylaws too, because they may replace the Standard Bylaws.
Can a council member be personally sued for a decision?
Section 31 of the Strata Property Act sets the standard: act honestly and in good faith in the strata's best interests, with the care of a reasonably prudent person. Standard Bylaw 22 says a council member who acts honestly and in good faith isn't personally liable for council decisions. Check that your strata hasn't replaced that bylaw. Under section 151 the strata may also buy errors and omissions insurance for council members; ask whether your policy includes it.
How often does a BC strata council have to meet?
The Act doesn't set a schedule, and under Standard Bylaw 14 any council member can call a meeting on one week's notice. Under Standard Bylaw 19, council must tell owners the minutes of every council meeting within 2 weeks, approved or not. The strata must hold an AGM within 2 months after its fiscal year ends (section 40), and council sets its agenda (section 46).
Can a management firm make decisions for the council?
Only what council delegates to it. Under section 4 and section 26, council exercises the strata corporation's powers. Standard Bylaw 20 lets council delegate work, but spending only by a resolution that sets the amount and purpose, and never the decision on whether someone broke a bylaw or should be fined. Owners, not council or the firm, approve the budget, special levies and bylaw changes.
What happens if the council can't fill enough seats?
Standard Bylaw 9 says council has 3 to 7 members, unless your bylaws say otherwise; if the strata has fewer than 4 lots, every owner is on council. If a member resigns, the rest of council can appoint a replacement (Standard Bylaw 12). If the whole council resigns, owners holding 25% of the votes can call a special general meeting to elect a new one. As a last resort, the strata or an owner can apply to the BC Supreme Court, which may appoint an administrator (section 174).
