How to switch strata management companies in BC
A clean switch takes about 60 days; allow up to ten weeks if records are slow. Bad ones stretch to six months or lock you into a worse contract than the one you left. Most of the difference is doing the steps in the right order.
Did your manager's firm already give notice?
If the firm has already told you it is leaving, council is not the one ending the contract, so Step 2 (the motion and the three-quarter vote) is not where you start. Skip to Steps 3, 4 and 5. Start your shortlist this week, and ask the outgoing firm in writing for the date it will return your records. The firm must hand them back within four weeks after the contract ends (Strata Property Act, section 37).
The switch in five steps
- Confirm the firm is the problem Before notice Run the Manager scorecard and the Fee check first.
- Write the motion Council meeting Clauses missed, effective date, replacement plan.
- Start the search, then give notice Before notice day Send your RFP to your top 3 or all 5. Then the notice letter goes to the managing broker.
- Get the records back Within 4 weeks of contract end The outgoing firm must hand back your records within four weeks of the contract ending (Strata Property Act, section 37). Ask for everything in writing.
- Onboard the new firm First 30 days Banking, insurance, first meeting, first financial package.
Step 1: confirm the firm is the problem
Switching is expensive in volunteer time. Before running the motion, test whether the frustration is specific to the firm or to the arrangement. Run the Manager scorecard: six questions on turnover, communication, reporting, follow-through, meeting prep and whether the manager flags problems first. A "strained" or "not working" result is a signal; "mixed" usually means a direct conversation with the current firm will produce change faster than a transition.
Run the Fee check too. If your per-unit fee is "within" or "below" the band, the problem is service, not price. If "above," ask the current firm, and any firm you consider, what the fee covers, so you compare the same scope.
Step 2: write the motion
If council relies on the Strata Property Act (SPA) section 39 statutory cancellation power, cancellation needs a three-quarter vote at an annual or special general meeting plus two months' written notice. Some contracts also contain their own notice provisions. Read the contract before assuming which route applies.
Council packages the resolution with: (a) the specific contractual clauses the firm has failed to meet, (b) the proposed effective date, and (c) either a named replacement or a committed search timeline. Owners vote more reliably on a plan than on a grievance.
Step 3: start the search, then give notice
Start the search before notice day, not after it. Your top 5 ranks the licensed firms that fit your building, with the reasons and each firm's published contact details. Send your top 3, or all 5, the same request for proposals from the RFP builder, so each firm answers the same questions, and ask each one whether it is taking buildings of your size in your city. When proposals come back, score them on the proposal scoresheet, which uses the six criteria the RFP gave firms.
The termination letter goes to the brokerage's managing broker, not the assigned property manager. It references section 39 of the SPA and the specific termination clause in your management agreement. Certified mail creates a dated trail.
Step 4: records handoff (SPA section 37)
SPA sections 35 to 37 require the outgoing manager to return corporation records in its possession or control within four weeks after the management contract ends. This includes bank statements, insurance certificates, contracts, AGM and SGM minutes, owner ledgers, depreciation reports, and bylaws.
BCFSA also notes that, when requested, the Real Estate Services Rules require records to be provided by the later of four weeks after termination or two weeks after the request. If the outgoing firm stalls, the path is: (1) written reminder citing section 37 and the Rules, (2) formal complaint to BCFSA, (3) CRT filing. A clean written record makes a CRT claim easier.
Step 5: onboarding the new firm
Banking authority transfers, insurance continuity, the first council meeting agenda, and the first monthly financial package are the four pressure points. The 60-day transition playbook walks through each week with specific deliverables.
A useful tip: schedule the first council meeting with the new firm before the outgoing firm's records-return deadline. It tells the incoming firm that council expects it to have the records by then.
Common failure modes
- Notice to the wrong person. Termination letter to the property manager instead of the managing broker. The clock doesn't start.
- Starting the search after termination. Leaves a 30 to 60 day gap with no firm responsible. Run searches in parallel.
- Taking the outgoing firm's suggested replacement without a search. A related brokerage may be a good fit. Put it on the same shortlist and send it the same RFP.
- Missing the records-return deadline. SPA section 37 sets a four-week return window after the contract ends. Document every request in writing.
- Signing a longer contract than the one you left. Ask for a 1-year first term with renewal options rather than three years or more, so both sides can check the fit.
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Questions councils ask
How do BC strata councils switch management companies?
Start by reading the current management contract and confirming its notice period. If council relies on the cancellation power in section 39 of the Strata Property Act, it needs a 3/4 vote at a general meeting and two months' written notice. Look at replacement firms before the effective date, then run records, banking, contractors and owner notices as one handover.
What should council do before sending termination notice?
Confirm which cancellation route applies, name the council member who runs the search, check each likely replacement's BCFSA licence and prepare the records handover list. Record the decision in the minutes so the switch can be defended later.
See up to five firms that fit your building
Licensed BC firms ranked against your building on six criteria, with the reasons and each firm's published contact details. Your council contacts the ones it chooses.
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