A BC strata special levy normally needs a 3/4 vote at an AGM or SGM: eligible votes cast in person or by proxy, excluding abstentions. A different cost-sharing formula needs unanimity (SPA ss.1 and 108, current to October 27, 2026). In a sample of more than 2,000 BC strata document reviews, about one levy vote in four failed between 2023 and 2026 (StrataReports, September 14, 2026).
A levy for an insurance deductible needs no vote unless owners decided not to repair (s.158(3)). Compare levies with annual fees in the strata fees guide.
Why this winter’s levies are bigger
A special levy is a one-time charge, on top of strata fees, that owners approve for a stated purpose (Province of BC). Levies are getting bigger. In the StrataReports sample, the median approved whole-building levy was about $60,000 in 2023 and 2024, $73,000 in 2025, and about $100,000 so far in 2026 (September 11, 2026). Its authors say to read the 2026 figure as a direction.
Construction prices explain part of it. Statistics Canada’s index for building a low-rise apartment in Vancouver rose about 56% in seven years: 70.1 in the second quarter of 2019, 109.2 in the same quarter of 2026. Over the past year it moved 1.1%, from 108.0 (table 18-10-0289-01, released July 24, 2026). The index tracks new construction rather than repairs, but it’s the closest public measure we found. A depreciation report costed in 2019 is pricing a different market.
Timing adds to it. Stratas in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and the Capital Regional District that hadn’t had a depreciation report since 2020 needed one before July 1, 2026 (Regulation s.6.21). For them, this winter’s budget is the first set against current prices.
Why this winter’s levies are bigger
| Measure (StrataReports BC sample, 2023 to 2026) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Levy votes defeated | About 1 in 4 |
| Defeated when the whole-building ask is $1 million or more | About 40% |
| Defeated in buildings of 20 to 49 units | About 23% |
| Median approved levy per unit, all purposes | About $1,000 |
| Median approved levy per unit: roof, piping, envelope, elevators | About $2,900, $2,600, $2,100, and $1,700 |
Source: StrataReports, from council and general-meeting minutes in a sample of 2,000+ BC strata document reviews (September 11 and September 14, 2026). It’s one sample. We found no province-wide count.
Source: StrataReports, from council and general-meeting minutes in a sample of 2,000+ BC strata document reviews (September 11 and September 14, 2026). It’s one sample. We found no province-wide count.
The vote a strata special levy needs in BC
What vote does a special levy need in BC?
A 3/4 vote at an annual or special general meeting, if each lot’s share is calculated the way strata fees are (s.108(2)(a)). Section 1 defines a 3/4 vote as three-quarters of the votes cast by eligible voters present in person or by proxy who haven’t abstained. Owners who stay home don’t count, and neither do abstentions. It’s a higher bar than the budget, which passes by a majority (s.103). A levy asks owners for money outside the plan they approved.
The vote and the money follow different counts. Votes are one per lot unless the strata has a Schedule of Voting Rights (s.53). Money follows unit entitlement. A lot with twice its neighbour’s entitlement pays twice as much and votes the same.
Say a 42-unit building in New Westminster holds the vote. Thirty lots are there in person or by proxy, above the default quorum of one-third (s.48). Four abstain. Of the 26 votes cast, the levy needs 20. Twenty is less than half of the strata’s 42 votes, so section 51 applies. Council must wait a week before acting unless immediate action is needed for safety or to prevent significant loss, and owners holding 25% of the votes can demand a meeting to reconsider.
Owners need at least 2 weeks’ written notice that includes the exact wording of any 3/4 resolution (s.45). A notice that’s mailed, emailed, or put under a door counts as given 4 days later (s.61(3)), so send it three weeks out. At the meeting, owners can amend the wording only if the change isn’t substantial and a separate 3/4 vote approves it first (s.50(2)). Our SGM procedural checklist covers proxies and quorum.
The vote a strata special levy needs in BC
| Decision | Vote needed | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Levy shared by the strata fee formula | 3/4 of votes cast | s.108(2)(a) |
| Levy shared any other way | Unanimous, and the split must be fair | s.108(2)(b) |
| Levy for the insurance deductible on a repair | No vote, unless owners decided not to repair | s.158(3) |
| Reserve spending on work the depreciation report recommends | Majority | s.96 |
| Other reserve spending | 3/4 | s.96 |
| Borrowing | 3/4 | s.111 |
| Owners calling a special general meeting | Written demand from 20% of the votes | s.43 |
Source: Strata Property Act, current to October 27, 2026.
Source: Strata Property Act, current to October 27, 2026.
What must a levy resolution say?
Section 108(3) requires the purpose, total, sharing method, each lot’s amount and due dates. Each one does a job after the vote, which is why a missing item causes trouble months later.
What must a levy resolution say?
| Item | What it does after the vote | Where it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Limits what the money can be spent on | Too narrow, and a related cost isn’t covered. In Morin, money raised for one leak couldn’t pay for a later one |
| Total | Caps what can be collected | Outside an emergency (s.98), an overrun needs another approval: reserve money or a second levy |
| Method | Fixes how the total is divided | Anything but the fee formula needs a unanimous vote |
| Each lot’s amount | Tells each owner what they owe | A total with no per-lot schedule doesn’t meet the Act |
| Due dates | Makes each payment collectable on a date | No dates in the resolution, no instalments |
Source: Strata Property Act s.108(3) and (4), current to October 27, 2026; Morin, 2021 BCCRT 122.
Source: Strata Property Act s.108(3) and (4), current to October 27, 2026; Morin, 2021 BCCRT 122.
Levy money also lives apart. It’s accounted for separately from the operating and reserve funds, held in insured BC savings accounts or investments the Regulation permits, and reported to owners as it’s spent (s.108(4); Regulation s.6.11).
Leftovers have their own rule. Unused money goes back in proportion to what was paid for each lot, unless no owner would get more than $100 (s.108(5) and (6)). In Strata Plan VR386 v. Luttrell, 2009 BCSC 1680, owners unanimously passed a roof levy that sent any surplus to the reserve. The roof came in $7,098.50 under budget, and the court said the Act required a refund.
Separation is also why a levy shouldn’t top up the reserve on its own. In Morin v. The Owners, Strata Plan VR 279, the Civil Resolution Tribunal found a $217,494 levy raised only to refill the reserve inconsistent with the Act, since the reserve is funded through strata fees. Stratas still pass top-up levies. We wouldn’t. Raise the contribution in the budget, and check it with the reserve fund minimum calculator.
If the work is needed to ensure safety or prevent significant loss, say so in the purpose and attach the engineer’s finding. The court route in section 173 applies only to levies proposed for that kind of work.
Here’s what we’d do: have a lawyer read the resolution before the notice goes out, as the Province’s special levies page notes stratas do. It costs a fee and a step on the timeline. For a levy big enough that owners will read the fine print, it’s worth it.
Write the resolution for the day the project ends, when an owner asks where the leftover $7,000 went.
Unit entitlement or another formula
Unit entitlement is the number each lot carries on the strata plan’s Schedule of Unit Entitlement. For a residential lot it’s the habitable area in square metres, a whole number that’s the same for every lot, or a figure the superintendent approved (s.246). The same number sets strata fees (s.99). Sharing a levy any other way, such as equally per door, needs a unanimous vote: every vote of every eligible voter, not just those in the room (s.1).
Say the New Westminster building raises $252,000 for a roof, and its 42 lots hold 4,200 units of entitlement.
Unit entitlement or another formula
| Lot | Unit entitlement | Share by unit entitlement (3/4 vote) | Equal share (unanimous vote) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 84 | $5,040 | $6,000 |
| Two-bedroom | 100 | $6,000 | $6,000 |
| Corner two-bedroom | 120 | $7,200 | $6,000 |
Source: our scenario, using the section 99 formula: a lot’s entitlement, divided by the total, times the levy. The special levy calculator does it for any lot.
Source: our scenario, using the section 99 formula: a lot’s entitlement, divided by the total, times the levy. The special levy calculator does it for any lot.
A $6,000 average is high but not odd. In the StrataReports sample, the middle half of approved roof levies ran from about $980 to $8,300 a door (September 11, 2026).
Three variations still pass by 3/4: a section’s levy for its own lots (s.195), a fee formula adopted unanimously and filed under section 100, and repairs to parts of particular lots under a section 72(3) bylaw (Regulation s.6.5). Credits for owners who already paid for part of the work, such as their own windows, belong in a lawyer’s draft.
Who pays the levy when a lot sells?
For a levy approved before sale, the seller owes instalments due before conveyance and the buyer owes those due on or after it (SPA s.109, current to October 27, 2026). Instalments must have dates in the resolution (s.108(3)(e)). Council may agree to payment arrangements; while they stand, section 116(3)(b) prevents a lien.
On dates, we’d set three or four instalments that land before the contractor’s big invoices, and allow early payment. Instalments make the vote easier. The cost is cash flow: if the money comes after the invoices, the strata has to bridge the gap, and borrowing needs its own 3/4 vote. Our holdback guide explains the 10% builders lien holdback on levy-funded contracts.
When a lot sells, section 109 splits a levy approved before the sale: the seller owes instalments due before the conveyance date, the buyer the rest. The approval date matters. In The Owners, Strata Plan VR320 v. Day, 2023 BCSC 364, the CRT had found a Vancouver levy wasn’t validly approved until a meeting after the owner sold, so his $18,700 share wasn’t his to pay. The court left that ruling in place (Canadian Lawyer, March 17, 2023).
The Form B information certificate must show approved levies still to be paid and any notice given for a 3/4 resolution not yet voted on (s.59(3)). Refunds go to whoever owns the lot when they’re paid, the Province says. The Act doesn’t say when. CHOA’s 2024 column on refunds puts it after the contracts are done, the invoices paid, and the holdbacks released.
Interest, liens, and collection
Interest on a late levy needs a bylaw or a rate in the resolution, capped at 10% a year, compounded annually (s.108(4.1); Regulation s.6.8). It isn’t a fine. It becomes part of the levy, so a lien covers it (s.108(4.2)).
Interest, liens, and collection
| Step | Timing or limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Written demand for payment, warning that a lien may follow | At least 2 weeks before a lien, a lawsuit, or a CRT claim | s.112 |
| Certificate of Lien at the Land Title Office | After the demand period, and not while a payment arrangement stands | s.116 |
| Lien removed | Within 1 week of payment | s.116(6) |
| Costs added to the debt | Reasonable costs of registering or enforcing the lien | s.118 |
| Forced sale | Only by BC Supreme Court order | s.117 |
| Limitation period | Generally 2 years from each payment’s due date | VISOA |
Source: Strata Property Act, current to October 27, 2026; VISOA, Collecting money: arrears, interest, and liens (updated August 14, 2025).
Source: Strata Property Act, current to October 27, 2026; VISOA, Collecting money: arrears, interest, and liens (updated August 14, 2025).
A lien is a tool, not a reflex. In a CRT decision reported by Daily Hive on August 11, 2026, a strata liened 11 lots over a levy days before the owner’s refinancing closed. The process was right, the tribunal said, but the liens were pointless. The strata was ordered to pay $16,175, mostly the cost of discharging them.
Expect one owner to refuse to pay until a dispute is settled. In Luttrell, the owner who withheld his share was right about the surplus clause and was still declared in default. A disputed levy can be paid to the strata in trust once the dispute is formally at the CRT, in court, or in arbitration (s.114). For arrears or a contested levy, find a strata lawyer in BC.
When the vote fails
What happens if a special levy vote fails?
The levy can’t be collected. Five routes remain.
- Bring it back. About one defeated levy in six came back for the same purpose within a year, a median of six and a half months later. About one in eight was approved within that year (StrataReports, October 7, 2026). The most common revision was none: the same project at the same price, explained again.
- Use the reserve. Work the most current depreciation report recommends can come from the reserve by a majority vote, if the fund can carry it (s.96).
- Council goes to court. Section 173 covers maintenance or repair of common property or common assets needed to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage. A levy with more than half but less than 3/4 of the votes cast can go to the BC Supreme Court within 90 days, with no separate vote to sue. In VIS114 v. John Doe, 2015 BCSC 13, a Victoria strata’s $1.76 million envelope levy got 63%, and the court approved it. Expect to need a lawyer and an engineer’s evidence.
- Owners go to court. In Santos v. The Owners, Strata Plan LMS 1509, 2016 BCSC 1775, owners of a leaking 250-unit east Vancouver complex went to court after levy votes failed. Under sections 165 and 174, the court appointed an administrator and ordered a levy of up to $16.8 million (BC Law Institute summary).
- Emergency spending. If something fails before owners can vote again, council can spend the minimum needed from existing funds and tell owners as soon as feasible (s.98). It raises no money and isn’t a way around the vote.
A defeated levy rarely ends the project. It ends that version of it.
How to present a levy so it passes
Present a current scope, cost and each lot’s payment dates; in the StrataReports sample, about 6% of elevator and 8% of fire-safety levies failed, against 48% for landscaping and 47% for windows (September 14, 2026). Owners pay for what they can’t put off. With one levy on the agenda, about 20% failed. With two or more, about 33%.
Here’s what we’d do with the $252,000 roof:
- Price it on bids, not a 2019 estimate. Get a current scope from an engineering firm that assesses strata buildings, then compare BC roofing companies that work on stratas. The RFP builder for building work drafts one request so every company quotes the same scope.
- Show the cost of waiting. Attach the depreciation report page and the engineer’s findings.
- One levy, first on the agenda, before the bylaw amendments and the parking discussion, while the room is full.
- Send every owner their number and the instalment dates, three weeks out.
- Hold an open session a week before. A question answered on a Tuesday doesn’t become a floor amendment on the night.
- Make it easy to vote, with a proxy form in the notice and electronic attendance (s.49).
It adds weeks to the timeline. The alternative is a defeat and the same old roof.
How to present a levy so it passes
| An owner at the open session says | A short answer |
|---|---|
| ”Why not use the reserve?” | Work the depreciation report recommends can come from it by majority vote. Show what the fund would have left. |
| ”I’ll abstain.” | Abstentions aren’t counted. If you oppose it, vote no. |
| ”I can’t pay it all at once.” | If the levy passes with instalments, the cost is spread out. Anything beyond that is council’s call. |
Source: Strata Property Act s.96, s.1, and s.116(3)(b), current to October 27, 2026.
Source: Strata Property Act s.96, s.1, and s.116(3)(b), current to October 27, 2026.
Who you’ll need
- A current scope and cost: depreciation report planners and engineering firms that assess strata buildings, so the total rests on today’s prices.
- The work: building envelope contractors, BC roofing companies that work on stratas, elevator companies, window and glass companies, and strata painting contractors, for the common levy projects.
- The wording and the arrears: strata lawyers in BC.
- Someone to run it: compare BC strata management firms if council is self-managed or stretched.
https://stratamatch.ca/blog/strata-special-levy-bc/For your council meeting
Your special levy
From this guide, checked November 6, 2026.
Guide: Strata special levy in BC: the vote, payments, and a failed vote · Meeting date __________________
Key facts
- Vote
- A levy shared by the strata fee formula needs 3/4 of the votes cast, not counting abstentions (s.108(2)(a) and s.1).
- Resolution
- The resolution must state the purpose, the total, how it's shared, each lot's share, and the due dates (s.108(3)).
- Notice
- Owners need at least 2 weeks' written notice with the exact wording, and mailed or emailed notice counts as given 4 days later (s.45 and s.61(3)).
- Separate funds
- Levy money is kept separate and spent only on the stated purpose (s.108(4)).
- Leftover money
- Leftover money is refunded by share, unless no owner would get more than $100 (s.108(5) and (6)).
- Sale
- If a lot sells, the seller pays instalments due before the conveyance date (s.109).
- Interest
- Late-payment interest, if set, is capped at 10% a year, compounded annually (Regulation s.6.8).
Questions to ask
Questions to ask
| Question | Why it matters | Source | Our answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does the total rest on current bids or a recent engineer's estimate, plus a contingency? | Council can't spend past the approved total without another approval | s.108(4)(c) | |
| Does the purpose cover consultant fees, permits, and the contingency? | Levy money can be spent only on the stated purpose | s.108(4)(c) | |
| Is every lot's share in a schedule attached to the notice? | It's required content | s.108(3)(d) | |
| Do the instalments fall before the contractor's big invoices? | Otherwise the strata may need to borrow, which takes 3/4 | s.111 | |
| Is the work needed for safety or to prevent significant loss, and does the purpose say so? | The court route applies only to that kind of work | s.173 | |
| Could the yes votes come from less than half of all the strata's votes? | A one-week wait and a possible reconsideration meeting follow | s.51 | |
| Has a lawyer read the wording? | Owners can't substantially change it at the meeting | s.50(2) |
Source: Strata Property Act ss.108, 111, 173, 51 and 50(2).
Draft special levy resolution.
1. Purpose: to [describe the work, for example replace the roof, flashing, and gutters], including consultant fees, permits, taxes, and a contingency. [If true: This is repair of common property necessary to prevent significant loss or damage.]
2. Amount: $[total], including the contingency.
3. How it's shared: by unit entitlement, under section 99 of the Strata Property Act.
4. Each lot's share: as set out in Schedule A, attached to the notice, listing every strata lot, its unit entitlement, its share, and each instalment amount.
5. Due dates: in [number] instalments due [date], [date], and [date]. An owner may pay the full share early.
6. Late payment: interest at [rate, no more than 10%] a year, compounded annually, on any instalment not paid when due.
Check the wording with your strata lawyer before the meeting.
Moved __________ Seconded __________ Carried / Defeated
Work out Schedule A with the special levy calculator, and get comparable quotes for the total with the RFP builder for building work.
Related reading
- Strata fees in BC: a fee increase, a levy, and a reserve withdrawal, side by side.
- Depreciation reports in BC: where most levy projects first show up.
- SGM procedural checklist: notice, quorum, and proxies for the levy meeting.
- Builders lien holdbacks for BC stratas: the 10% to keep back from levy-funded work.
- Form B essentials: what a buyer sees about an approved or pending levy.
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 1 (s.1), Part 4 (ss.43, 45, 48 to 51, 53, 59, 61), Part 6 (ss.96, 98 to 100, 103, 108, 109, 111, 112, 114, 116 to 118), Part 9 (s.158), Part 10 (s.173), Part 11 (s.195) and Part 14 (s.246), current to October 27, 2026
- Strata Property Regulation (ss.6.5, 6.8, 6.11, and 6.21), current to November 3, 2026
- Province of BC, Special levies in stratas (April 22, 2024)
- Statistics Canada, Building construction price indexes, table 18-10-0289-01 (second quarter 2026, released July 24, 2026)
- Strata Plan VR386 (The Owners) v. Luttrell, 2009 BCSC 1680 (December 7, 2009)
- The Owners, Strata Plan VIS114 v. John Doe, 2015 BCSC 13 (January 7, 2015)
- Santos v. The Owners, Strata Plan LMS 1509, 2016 BCSC 1775, as summarised by the BC Law Institute (October 5, 2016)
- Morin v. The Owners, Strata Plan VR 279, 2021 BCCRT 122 (February 1, 2021)
- The Owners, Strata Plan VR320 v. Day, 2023 BCSC 364 (March 13, 2023), as reported by Canadian Lawyer (March 17, 2023)
- A 2026 CRT lien decision, as reported by Daily Hive (August 11, 2026)
- StrataReports, from minutes in a sample of 2,000+ BC strata document reviews: What a special levy actually costs per door (September 11, 2026), One levy vote in four fails (September 14, 2026) and The fence that came back (October 7, 2026)
- CHOA, Special levy refunds (May 16, 2024); VISOA, Collecting money: arrears, interest, and liens (updated August 14, 2025)
Frequently asked questions
How many votes does a special levy need in a BC strata?
A 3/4 vote at an annual or special general meeting, if each lot's share is set by unit entitlement (Strata Property Act s.108(2)(a)). A 3/4 vote means at least three-quarters of the votes cast by eligible voters present in person or by proxy, not counting abstentions (s.1). A levy shared any way other than the strata fee formula needs a unanimous vote of all eligible voters and a fair division (s.108(2)(b)). A levy to pay the strata's insurance deductible for a repair needs no vote, unless owners have decided not to repair (s.158(3)). Sections current to October 27, 2026.
Can a strata special levy be paid in instalments?
Only if the resolution sets the instalment dates. Section 108(3)(e) of the Strata Property Act requires the resolution to state the date the levy is due or, if it's payable in instalments, each instalment date. There's no statutory right to a payment plan. Council can agree to arrangements with an owner who's behind, and while those stand the strata can't register a lien (s.116(3)(b)).
Who pays a special levy when a strata lot is sold in BC?
Under section 109 of the Strata Property Act, the seller owes the instalments due before the conveyance date and the buyer owes those due on or after it. A buyer and seller can agree to split it differently in their contract, but the strata isn't a party to that agreement. The Form B information certificate must disclose any approved levy still to be paid, with its dates (s.59(3)(d)).
Can a strata charge interest on a late special levy?
Yes, if a bylaw or the resolution approving the levy sets a rate. The maximum is 10% a year, compounded annually (Strata Property Act s.108(4.1) and Strata Property Regulation s.6.8(2)). The interest isn't a fine. It forms part of the levy, so it can be included in a lien under section 116.
What happens if a special levy vote fails in BC?
The levy can't be collected. Council can bring it back to a later meeting, or ask owners to pay for work recommended in the current depreciation report from the contingency reserve fund by a majority vote (s.96). If the levy was for maintenance or repair needed to ensure safety or prevent significant loss and won more than half the votes cast, the strata can apply to the BC Supreme Court within 90 days, and the court decides whether to approve it (s.173).
What happens to leftover special levy money?
The strata must refund it to owners in proportion to what was paid for each lot, unless no owner would get more than $100, in which case it may go to the contingency reserve fund (Strata Property Act s.108(5) and (6)). The Province says a refund goes to whoever owns the lot when the refund is paid, not to a previous owner.
Can a special levy be used to top up the contingency reserve fund?
One Civil Resolution Tribunal decision, Morin v. The Owners, Strata Plan VR 279, 2021 BCCRT 122, found a levy raised only to refill the reserve inconsistent with the Act, because levy money must be accounted for separately (s.108(4)) and the reserve is funded through strata fees. Stratas still pass them. We would raise the reserve contribution in the annual budget instead, which owners approve by a majority vote.
