Who Can Access Strata Records and Minutes in BC?

Why this comes up so often

Requests for strata records are common, and BC law is clear about them. Under section 36 of the Strata Property Act, an owner, a tenant who has been assigned the owner's right to inspect records, or a person authorized in writing by either can ask to inspect or get copies of the strata's records. The strata must respond within two weeks, or within one week if the request is about bylaws or rules.

Who can request records

An owner of a strata lot.

A tenant who has been assigned the landlord's right to inspect records under the Act.

A person authorized in writing by an owner or tenant, such as a realtor or lawyer.

Former owners and tenants, for records relating to the period they were an owner or tenant.

Separately, any tenant can ask to inspect and get copies of the bylaws and rules, even without an assignment of the owner's broader rights.

What records are covered

Section 35 of the Act lists the records a strata must keep, and section 36 gives access to them. These include minutes of general and council meetings with the results of votes, the list of council members and owners, books of account, bylaws and rules, contracts, and correspondence sent or received by the strata or council. Notably, correspondence about an alleged bylaw complaint is included.

What a strata does not have to share

There are limits. BC courts have held that legal opinions and communications between the strata and its lawyer are protected by solicitor-client privilege and do not have to be handed over. Emails purely between individual council members are generally not records the strata must produce, though they can become relevant in a formal dispute.

Timelines and fees

The strata must comply within two weeks of a request, or within one week for bylaws or rules. It can charge for copies, up to 25 cents a page, but it cannot charge a fee simply to inspect records. If a strata does not provide records it is required to, an owner can apply to the Civil Resolution Tribunal.

How long the strata must keep each of these records is a separate question, which we cover in how long a BC strata must keep its records.

Making records easy to provide

Records requests are far less stressful when the documents are already organized and searchable. When minutes, bylaws, and financial records live in one place with clear permissions, council can respond within the deadline without a scramble, and owners can often find what they need themselves. That is what OpenStrata is built to support.