Landscaping and Snow Removal Contracts for BC Stratas

Grounds care is one of the few strata services owners see every single day — and one of the few where a bad winter can turn a routine purchase order into a liability question. A strata landscaping contract and a strata snow removal BC arrangement are ordinary commercial contracts, but the way a strata corporation approves, funds and documents them is shaped by the Strata Property Act.

Why the strata is contracting at all

A strata corporation must repair and maintain common property and common assets (s.72). Lawns, planting beds, walkways, driveways and parking areas shown on the strata plan are generally common property, so keeping them safe and maintained falls to the corporation — usually by hiring someone to do it.

How much of that duty is delegated, and on what terms, is a council decision within the budget owners approved. Grounds maintenance is normally an operating fund expense.

Who can sign, and what the spending limits are

• Expenditures are normally authorized because they are in the approved budget.
• For spending that is not in the budget, s.98 allows the strata to spend from the operating fund up to the limit set in its own bylaws — and if the bylaws are silent, the lesser of $2,000 and 5% of the total annual budgeted operating-fund contribution.
• The same section allows spending from either fund, without approval, where there are reasonable grounds to believe an immediate expenditure is necessary to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage. An unforecast ice storm is the classic example.

Check your own registered bylaws before assuming the default figure applies — many stratas have set a different unapproved-expenditure limit.

Scope: what the contract should actually pin down

The Act says nothing about how a grounds contract must be written, so this is contract drafting, not compliance. Councils commonly specify:

• Trigger and response times — at what snowfall depth does the contractor attend, and how soon?
• Exactly which surfaces are cleared or maintained, keyed to the strata plan, not to habit.
• Ice control: salt versus brine versus sand, and who reapplies after freeze-thaw.
• Site logs — time on site, conditions, product used. These are what you will want if someone falls.
• Insurance and WorkSafeBC coverage, with proof before work starts.
• Term, renewal and termination, including how notice is given.

Pairing the contract with a documented inspection and work-order routine keeps evidence in one place; our guide to strata maintenance planning and work orders covers that side.

Common property, limited common property, and who gets cleared

Limited common property is still common property — exclusive use is not ownership. LCP arises either from the strata plan (including parking stalls designated by the owner developer before the first AGM under s.258) or from a 3/4-vote resolution filed in the land title office under s.74.

Whether the contractor clears an LCP patio, balcony or private driveway depends on your strata plan and your registered bylaws, which often assign day-to-day LCP upkeep to the owner who uses it. Decide that question deliberately and write the answer into the scope — and consider accessible routes to entrances and mailboxes when you do, as discussed in accessibility and the duty to accommodate. Many municipalities also require clearing of adjacent public sidewalks within set hours; that is local bylaw, not the Act, so check your city's rules.

Questions councils ask

Can owners cancel a landscaping contract by a 3/4 vote?
No. The 3/4-vote cancellation right in s.39 applies to contracts for strata management services, not to landscaping or snow contracts. A grounds contract ends according to its own terms, so negotiate a workable termination clause up front.

Does an owners' vote authorize snow removal?
Not ordinarily. It is a budgeted operating expense managed by council. Owners approve the budget; council administers it within the limits above.

Can an owner replace lawn with their own garden or hardscaping?
It depends on what is being altered. Under the Standard Bylaws, bylaw 6 requires an owner to get the strata corporation's written approval before altering common property, common assets or limited common property — that is a written approval, not a vote at a general meeting, and it may be conditioned on the owner agreeing in writing to take responsibility for the expenses relating to the alteration. If the work amounts to a significant change in the use or appearance of common property, a 3/4 vote is also required under s.71. Your strata's registered bylaws may go further than the Standard Bylaws.

A council member's company wants to bid. Can they?
Under s.32 the member must disclose the interest fully and promptly, abstain from voting, and leave the meeting while it is discussed and voted on. If s.32 is not followed, s.33 lets the strata or an owner apply to court — unless, after full disclosure, the contract is ratified by a 3/4 vote at a general meeting, with the interested person not an eligible voter on it.

Records and notice

Written contracts, including insurance policies, must be kept for at least 6 years after they end under Regulation s.4.1; correspondence must be kept at least 2 years. Keep quotes, site logs and certificates of insurance with the file.

If a contractor or the strata needs to give formal notice, s.63 sets out how notice is given to the strata corporation and deems mailed, faxed or emailed notice received 4 days later — build that lag into renewal deadlines. Self-managed councils often track contract terms, renewal dates and vendor documents in ManageStrata, and tools like SearchStrata can use AI to surface what a long contract or bylaw set actually says before you sign.

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.