Cameras, Fobs and Entry Logs Without a Privacy Problem

Security hardware is one of the few strata projects that touches finances, common property, bylaws, enforcement and personal information all at once. The Strata Property Act contains no "surveillance chapter," so councils have to assemble the answer from several different rules — and get each one right.

Start with how you are paying for it

A camera system, a fob controller or a new door reader is usually personal property acquired for the use of the strata corporation. Under section 82, the strata must get prior approval by a resolution at an annual or special general meeting if the property's market value is more than the amount set in the bylaws, or more than $1,000 if the bylaws are silent. That resolution is a 3/4 vote, except for acquisitions related to EV charging infrastructure, which need only a majority vote.

Two other funding rules matter:

• Operating fund without a vote. Section 98 permits spending from the operating fund up to the limit in the bylaws — or, if the bylaws are silent, the lesser of $2,000 and 5% of the annual operating-fund contribution. It also permits spending from either fund where there are reasonable grounds to believe an immediate expenditure is necessary to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage.
• Contingency reserve fund. Section 96 allows CRF spending by majority vote in only five cases — a depreciation report, work recommended in the most current depreciation report, EV charging infrastructure or managing the electricity it uses, an electrical planning report, and other EV charging reports. A security upgrade is not on that list, so CRF funding for cameras or fobs takes a 3/4 vote.

Remember what a 3/4 vote actually is under section 1: at least 3/4 of the votes cast by eligible voters present in person or by proxy, excluding abstentions — not 3/4 of all owners.

Does the install itself need an owners' vote?

Sometimes. Mounting cameras, running conduit or replacing entry doors happens on common property. Where the work is a significant change in the use or appearance of common property or of land that is a common asset, section 71 requires a 3/4 vote at a general meeting, with narrow carve-outs for EV-related changes (majority vote) and for immediate changes needed to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage. Whether discreet cameras under a soffit are "significant" is a judgment call on your building — document the reasoning either way.

An owner who wants their own doorbell camera is in different territory. Because the strata lot boundary generally runs midway through the structural portion of the wall under section 68, a device screwed to an exterior door frame is an alteration to common property. Standard Bylaws 5 and 6 require the strata's written approval first — given in practice by council, not by a vote of owners — and that approval must not be unreasonably withheld. The condition the Standard Bylaws authorise is the owner's written agreement to take responsibility for the expenses relating to the alteration. Your registered bylaws may go further, so check them.

Fobs, logs and enforcement: questions councils actually ask

Can we fine someone based on a fob log or camera footage?
Only after the full procedure in section 135: written particulars of the complaint, a reasonable opportunity to respond including a hearing if requested, and written notice of the decision as soon as feasible. A fine imposed without those steps is void and cannot be fixed later.

Does a camera or fob log let council enter a strata lot?
No. Entry is governed by Standard Bylaw 7: in an emergency, without notice, to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage; otherwise at a reasonable time on 48 hours' written notice stating the date, approximate time and reason.

Can an owner demand the footage?
Records access under section 36 applies to the records listed in section 35 — footage is not among them, and the Act is silent on it. What section 36 does fix is timing: two weeks for most records, one week for the bylaws and rules. Retention periods in Regulation section 4.1 vary by record type (correspondence at least two years; minutes, books of account and financial statements at least six). Since footage is unlisted, adopt a written retention period, keep it short, and apply it consistently — that discipline, plus limiting who can view recordings, is how you meet BC personal-information expectations under PIPA.

Write it down in the right instrument

How cameras and fobs may be used is best set out in the strata's rules or bylaws. Note the difference: a bylaw amendment has no effect until it is filed in the Land Title Office under section 128, and owners and tenants must be informed as soon as feasible after approval. There is no deadline for filing. Rules, by contrast, are a required attachment to the Form B Information Certificate under section 59, so a fob-replacement fee buried in a rule will be seen by every purchaser — as will any bylaw amendments not yet filed. The certificate is due within one week, for a maximum fee of $35 plus reproduction costs up to 25 cents per page under Regulation section 4.4.

A few practical habits:

• Keep camera and access-control equipment in your maintenance schedule — see Strata Maintenance Planning & Work Orders.
• Check that fob programming and door hardware do not defeat accessible entry; see Accessibility and the Duty to Accommodate in BC Stratas.
• Log fob issuance and deactivation the same way you log keys. Self-managed councils using ManageStrata can keep approvals, notices and the resolution trail in one place.
• Before drafting, run your existing bylaws and past minutes through SearchStrata to see what your strata has already adopted about surveillance or access control.

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.