Frequently asked questions

Getting started

Do we need an accountant or a bookkeeper? No. The finance section is built for a volunteer treasurer. If you can use online banking you can keep these books. Start with finances overview.

How long does setup take? About 45 minutes for the essentials — corporation, lots, council. A week to do it properly including documents and opening balances. See your first week.

Do we have to enter years of history? No, and it's rarely worth it. Pick a clean start date, enter opening balances, and record accurately from there. Your old statements live in the document library.

Can we try it before paying? The Free plan is free forever for up to 4 lots. From 5 lots the plan is Council, and its first 30 days are free with no card taken — see plans and billing.

Can ManageStrata set up our lots for us? If the SearchStrata registry has a lot count for your building, yes. Type your strata plan number when you register and choose Start free trial and add N lots. The lots are created, numbered 1, 2, 3…, once the 30-day Council trial starts; rename them and add unit entitlements afterwards. Set up your corporation →

Is the SearchStrata registry an official BC record? No. BC has no official registry of strata corporations. SearchStrata's is built from public land-title and assessment records, so treat what it says as a starting point and check it against your strata plan.

Compliance

When is our depreciation report due? It depends where you are. Every BC strata corporation with 5+ lots needs one, but the first deadline is regional: July 1, 2026 for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Capital Regional District — now passed — and July 1, 2027 for the rest of BC. Then every 5 years. There is no waiver. Depreciation report →

Why is our depreciation report amber when we haven't missed anything? Your regional district isn't set and there's no report on file, so ManageStrata can't rule out the earlier Metro Vancouver / Fraser Valley / Capital RD deadline, which has passed. Set it under SettingsComplianceRegional district to see your actual date. Compliance calendar →

Why is a component from our depreciation report shown as overdue? Remaining life counts from the year the report was written, not from today. A 2021 report giving the roof 2 years means 2023. Schedule the work, or edit the component if it's been done. Assets →

Why is the CRF contribution item amber when we've set a reserve line? The calendar reads the adopted budget only. Adopt it, and check the reserve line against Recommended from your study on the budget page. Contingency reserve fund →

We have 4 lots — does it apply? No. In BC the requirement starts at 5 lots.

Does ManageStrata produce the report? No. You engage a qualified provider; ManageStrata tracks the deadline, records the report, and turns it into a reserve projection.

Can we skip it if owners vote to? The BC waiver mechanism has been narrowed considerably. Don't rely on an old waiver — check current requirements.

Meetings

How much notice for an AGM? 14 days in BC. Your bylaws may require longer, and if they do, your bylaws govern. ManageStrata calculates the statutory floor. Notice and agenda →

Can owners vote electronically? Yes, on every plan including Free, with a live tally. Owners without a login have their vote recorded on their behalf. Voting →

Which vote threshold do we need? BC has four, and the Act names them directly — "ordinary resolution" and "special resolution" are Ontario/Alberta terms that appear nowhere in it. Majority vote for budgets and routine business. 3/4 vote for bylaw amendments, levies allocated by entitlement, and significant alterations. 80% vote for winding up and certain dispositions of common property. Unanimous vote to change the fee formula, or for a levy allocated on any basis other than unit entitlement. Note that majority and 3/4 count votes cast, while 80% and unanimous count all eligible votes — so reaching for "the higher threshold" of 3/4 does not cover you on an 80% matter. Voting →

Does the AI write our minutes? It drafts them from the agenda and recorded results. A council member reviews, edits and approves before anything is distributed. Minutes →

Money

Can owners pay by card? Not yet — card payment is built but switched off while the pricing is settled, so no corporation has it. Owners pay by cheque, e-transfer or pre-authorised debit and the council records it. Billing →

I recorded a payment against the wrong lot. Use Move to another lot, with a reason. The cash stays in the fund; only the lot credited changes. Fixing mistakes →

Can I delete a transaction? No, deliberately. Corrections are posted beside the original with a reason, which is what keeps your ledger answerable to an owner later.

How do we charge late fees? You don't — BC has no statutory late fee. What you can charge is interest on overdue strata fees and special levies, and only if your own bylaws set a rate, capped at 10% per annum compounded annually (SPR 6.8). Record your bylaw rate under SettingsFinancial controls, then use the interest panel above the owner-ledger list on Finances — it states your rate, when interest was last charged, and previews the run before anything posts. With no bylaw rate on file there's no button at all, because nothing can be charged. Arrears →

Can it bill fees automatically each month? Billing is a deliberate action, and it takes about two minutes. With a budget adopted, FinancesBudget works out each lot's share and bills the next unbilled month in one press; without one, Charge all units bills a flat amount. Either way the review that comes with it catches things an automatic run would miss.

How does the strata fee get calculated? From the adopted budget: each lot's share of the operating budget and the CRF contribution together, by unit entitlement (s.99). It's not a setting — s.100 needs a unanimous vote and a Land Title Office filing to use any other formula. Budgets →

Documents and AI

Where do AI answers come from? Only your corporation's own records and uploaded documents, with the source page cited. Not the internet. How AI works →

The AI can't find something I know we have. Check it's uploaded and finished processing. Then try different wording — your bylaws may say "animals" where you said "pets".

Will AI do things without asking? No. It drafts, proposes and flags. Every action is taken by a person, recorded against their name.

Can the Assistant record things for me? Yes, on the Council plan and above. Tell it rather than ask it — "Record a $450 cheque from lot 12" — and it shows the same review step the form would, with a Confirm button. Nothing is saved until you press it. Council members and managers can record an expense or a payment, log a standard duty as done, file a work order, or post an announcement; owners can report a repair to the council. Fee runs, special levies, arrears interest, opening balances, closing the books and emailing owners stay on their own pages — the Assistant links you there. The Assistant →

Does the AI see owners' names? The Assistant and minute drafting replace every name on your roster with a placeholder before anything goes to the AI provider, and put the names back in what you read. Names not on the roster, and the other AI features, aren't covered yet. Details →

Can owners use the document search? Yes, on the same library you read. It's one of the most useful things in the product — an owner who can look up the pet bylaw doesn't email the council.

Access and roles

Can we have one shared council login? You can, and you shouldn't. It destroys the audit trail — "who approved this?" stops having an answer. Individual logins cost nothing.

Can owners get notices by text message? Not at the moment. Announcements and owner notices go by email only.

Someone signed up and sees an empty account. They almost certainly used a different email than the one you invited. Re-invite them at the address they actually used. Invitations →

Can owners see our finances? No. Owners see their own account only. It's enforced at the database, not just hidden in the menu. Roles →

A council member resigned. What do I do? End their council seat, from Edit on their council row. Their owner seat is untouched, so they keep their own account. Do it the same week. Roster →

The business

Is our data in Canada? Hosted in a Canadian region under PIPA/PIPEDA. AI processing happens in the United States under contract. Privacy →

Does ManageStrata publish our building or bylaw details anywhere? Only if your council ticks Share these facts with the public strata registry under SettingsCorporation. It's off until you do. Answers go to the SearchStrata registry, where a person reviews them before anything is published, and nothing names anybody. Unticking stops new answers going but doesn't withdraw what was already sent. Sharing with the registry →

How long do you keep the emails we send? 24 months by default. Change it under SettingsRecords (1–240 months); older entries are purged weekly. Minutes, financial records, documents and the audit trail are never purged. Corporation settings →

Can we cancel? Any time. Your data stays available through the period you've paid for — export what you need before it ends.

Does it work on a phone? Yes. It's a progressive web app — add it to your home screen and it opens like an app.

Can a property manager use it across several buildings? Yes. One account, several corporations, completely separate data. Portfolio views are a Property Manager feature.