What BC law requires
Self-managed and firm-managed stratas operate under the same Strata Property Act. Nothing is relaxed because you don't have a manager. The compliance calendar runs the same way:
- AGM every fiscal year within two months of year-end, with proper notice under SPA §45.
- Depreciation report every 5 years for strata corporations that are not exempt. BC's 2024 amendments removed the old annual ¾-vote deferral path for most strata corporations.
- Reserve fund (CRF) contributions reflecting the depreciation-report schedule.
- Insurance meeting SPA §149 coverage minimums. Annual renewal; price shocks are real in BC.
- Records retention per SPA §35: owners have statutory access within 14 days of request.
- Strata plan + bylaws filed at LTSA. Bylaw amendments need ¾ vote and LTSA filing.
The CRT has been consistent that "we're self-managed" is not a defence to a §35 records-access complaint or a §45 notice failure. Volunteer doesn't mean amateur-legally.
The minimum tooling stack
Four software categories cover the 80% of operational work a firm would do. Pick one tool per category.
1. Records + meetings
A cloud folder structure (Google Workspace, Dropbox) or a purpose-built platform like Condo Control, Strata Hub, or SelfManaged.ca. Must support owner access on request, version history, and secure backups. Condo Control's small-community tier starts around $49/month and handles records + notices + meetings in one place.
2. Financial reporting
QuickBooks Simple Start (or Wave, free) for bank reconciliation and monthly financials. Separate strata bank account. One council member acts as treasurer; second reviews and co-signs. Quarterly financial package to council is the minimum cadence; monthly is better.
3. Collections
Pre-authorized debit (PAD) through your bank handles ~95% of monthly fee collection. The remaining 5% goes through email reminders, then registered letter, then lien. CRT handles lien enforcement for strata fee arrears.
4. Compliance calendar
One shared calendar with recurring entries for: AGM date, depreciation report renewal year, insurance renewal, CRF contribution reviews, and bylaw-review cadence. Nothing fancy. Google Calendar or a pinned spreadsheet works. Missing an AGM is the single most common self-managed failure.
When self-management stops working
Three signals:
- Council turnover. The two people who knew the systems step down. New council doesn't know where anything is. Switch to a firm or to a better-documented system before this happens, not after.
- Capital project. Window replacement, re-roofing, envelope remediation. Too much vendor coordination and regulatory filing for a volunteer council. Hire at least transitional support.
- Legal dispute. Bylaw enforcement challenge, CRT filing, contractor dispute. Get a lawyer and a manager.
If you want to switch to managed
Self-managed to fully managed is one of the harder transitions because you have no existing contracts to terminate, but also no existing records in the form a firm expects. Start with the first-time match flow. Firms in that funnel expect a documentation gap and have onboarding processes for it. The small-building scorecard tells you whether your building profile is a realistic fit for the full-service market.