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 Should you switch? scorecard: six questions across six dimensions (turnover, communication, reporting, follow-through, meeting prep, proactive posture). A "strained" or "acute" result is a signal; "mixed" usually means a direct conversation with the current firm will produce change faster than a transition.
Run the fee benchmark too. If your per-unit fee is "within" or "below" the band, the problem is service, not price. If "above," your negotiating hand strengthens either way.
Step 2: build the motion, not the complaint
If council relies on the Strata Property Act §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: issue termination and open the search in parallel
The termination letter goes to the brokerage's managing broker, not the assigned property manager. It references SPA §39 and the specific termination clause in your management agreement. Certified mail creates a dated trail.
Don't wait for the 60-day window to close before starting the search. Shortlist 3–5 replacement firms immediately. Our match flow returns firms confirmed to be accepting buildings of your size in your city, typically within 24 hours.
Step 4: records handoff under SPA §37
SPA §35–37 requires 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 §37 and the Rules, (2) formal complaint to BCFSA, (3) CRT filing. Published CRT decisions are easier to argue from a clean written record.
Step 5: onboarding the new firm
The first 30 days with the new firm set the pattern for the relationship. 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.
One non-obvious move: schedule the first council meeting with the new firm before the outgoing firm's records-return deadline, not after. Establishes that council expects the incoming firm to already have the records and drives a cleaner hand-off.