Owner Alteration Requests: What a BC Strata Council Must Consider

What actually needs approval — and what doesn't

Not every renovation needs the council's blessing. Repainting an interior wall or swapping kitchen cabinets inside your own strata lot usually doesn't. Approval matters when the work touches something that isn't purely yours.

The Schedule of Standard Bylaws sets the baseline. Standard Bylaw 6 requires an owner to obtain the strata corporation's written approval before altering common property, including limited common property, or common assets. Standard Bylaw 5 requires written approval before altering a strata lot in specific ways: the structure of a building; its exterior; chimneys, stairs, balconies or other things attached to the exterior; doors, windows or skylights on the exterior or fronting common property; fences, railings or similar structures enclosing a patio, balcony or yard; common property located inside the strata lot; and the parts of the strata lot the corporation must insure.

Most strata corporations have registered their own bylaws, and those often go further than the Standard Bylaws — hard-surface flooring, plumbing changes and window coverings are common additions. Read your own registered bylaws before you plan the work, not just the schedule above. Our guide to strata bylaws vs rules explains which document governs what.

Renovations that commonly need written approval

• Removing or altering a wall, or anything else structural
• Enclosing or glazing a balcony or patio
• Replacing exterior windows, exterior doors or skylights
• Installing a heat pump, air conditioner or anything mounted on the building exterior
• Installing an EV charger or new electrical capacity
• Bathroom and kitchen renovations that disturb waterproofing membranes, or that move plumbing
• Hard-surface flooring, where the strata's bylaws address noise transmission

Your strata lot ends sooner than you think

A strata lot's boundaries come from the strata plan — under section 68 of the Strata Property Act, the boundary generally runs midway through the structural portion of the wall, floor or ceiling unless the plan says otherwise. Structural elements, the building envelope and, depending on the plan, balconies, patios, exterior windows and doors and parking stalls are usually common property or limited common property, even though one household is the only one using them.

Limited common property is still common property. Exclusive use is not ownership — which is why a project that feels entirely "inside my unit" can still alter common property and still need written approval.

Who approves an alteration request

The strata corporation approves an alteration, in writing, and in practice that decision is made by the council. It is not put to a vote of the owners, and a simple majority vote of owners is not the threshold for approving a renovation. Under Standard Bylaw 5(2) the corporation must not unreasonably withhold approval, and it may attach conditions.

The main situation in which the Act puts an alteration to the owners is where the work is a significant change in the use or appearance of common property or land that is a common asset. Section 71 then requires a resolution at an annual or special general meeting — a 3/4 vote in most cases, or a majority vote where the change relates to installing EV charging infrastructure or managing the electricity it uses. Immediate changes needed to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage are excepted. Enclosing a balcony or changing a building's exterior appearance is the classic case that needs both council approval and an owners' resolution.

What councils weigh beyond appearance

Visual coherence is real, but it is rarely the deciding factor. Councils typically weigh structural integrity, waterproofing and the building envelope, fire separations, drainage, noise transmission, insurance and whether the alteration changes the strata's risk, who maintains and eventually replaces the work, warranties, municipal building and trade permits, and whether the contractor is licensed, insured and covered by WorkSafeBC. Where the answer isn't obvious, councils commonly ask for an engineer's report at the owner's cost.

The agreement you'll likely be asked to sign

Standard Bylaws 5(2) and 6(2) let the strata corporation require, as a condition of approval, that the owner agree in writing to take responsibility for the expenses relating to the alteration. In practice that means future maintenance, repair and replacement costs, and costs the strata incurs because of the work.

It is not a blanket liability waiver, and it does not transfer the strata corporation's statutory repair, maintenance or insurance obligations. Keep the signed agreement and the approval letter with your records — councils that can retrieve them years later avoid most alteration disputes, which is one reason document management matters. Tools like SearchStrata can analyse strata documents to find what a bylaw actually says about alterations before a council answers a request.

Questions owners ask

Does the council have to approve my request? For the alterations listed in Standard Bylaw 5, approval must not be unreasonably withheld, but the council can attach reasonable conditions.

What if my request is denied? There is no statutory right to appeal a council decision at a general meeting. An owner or tenant may request a hearing at a council meeting by written application under section 34.1; the council must hold it within 4 weeks and, where the purpose is to seek a decision, give a written decision within one week. Beyond that, the route is the Civil Resolution Tribunal or the courts, including a claim that the decision was significantly unfair under section 164.

Is there a fee? Some strata corporations charge an administrative or review fee where their bylaws permit it, and many recover the cost of an engineer's report. Many charge nothing at all. Check your registered bylaws.

Before you submit

Review your registered bylaws. Confirm what is common property on the strata plan. Get drawings, product specifications and your contractor's licence and insurance details together. Line up any municipal, electrical or plumbing permits. Ask your insurer and the strata's broker what changes. Allow time for a council meeting — and do not start work until you have written approval in hand.

Councils that log every request, condition and approval in one place spend far less time reconstructing who agreed to what. That record-keeping discipline is the backbone of self-managing a strata in BC, and it is what ManageStrata is built for.

This article is general information about BC strata law, not legal advice; verify against the current Strata Property Act and Regulation or consult a BC strata lawyer.