Strata Documents You Need to Sell Your Kelowna Condo
Missing one document can delay your closing by weeks or kill the deal entirely. Here are the 7 strata documents every buyer's agent will ask for, what they cost, and how far in advance you need to request them.
Updated: May 2026
Giuseppe Gaspari
REALTOR® | Okanagan Real Estate Specialist
Born and raised in Kelowna. Helping families find their perfect Okanagan home.
Last updated: May 2026
Why Strata Docs Can Make or Break Your Sale
A strata document package is a collection of records that tells buyers everything about the building they're buying into: finances, insurance, rules, maintenance history, and upcoming costs. In BC, every serious buyer's agent will request the full strata package before their client removes subjects.
If those documents are incomplete, disorganized, or reveal surprises the buyer didn't expect, one of two things happens: the deal gets delayed while you scramble to track down missing paperwork, or the buyer walks away. I've seen both.
The fix is simple: start gathering your strata documents 3 to 4 weeks before you list. That gives you time to request everything from your strata management company, review the documents yourself, and address anything that might raise a red flag before buyers ever see it.
Start early. The number one mistake I see sellers make is waiting until an offer comes in to request their strata documents. By then you're already on the clock. Request everything the week you decide to sell.
The 7 Essential Strata Documents
Every buyer's agent in Kelowna will request some version of this list. Having all seven ready before your first showing signals that you're organized and have nothing to hide.
1Form B — Strata Information Certificate
The Form B is the single most important document in any BC condo sale. It's a standardized certificate under the Strata Property Act that provides a snapshot of the strata corporation's financial and legal health.
What the Form B includes:
- Monthly strata fees for your unit
- Any outstanding fees, fines, or special levies owed by the seller
- Pending or approved special levies against the strata
- Active lawsuits involving the strata corporation
- Contingency Reserve Fund (CRF) balance
- Any rental, age, or pet restrictions on your unit
$35
Maximum fee (set by law)
7 days
Legal turnaround (budget 2-3 weeks)
2Strata Minutes (Last 2 Years)
Experienced buyer's agents read strata minutes line by line. They're looking for patterns: recurring maintenance issues, disputes between owners, discussions about special levies, or building problems the strata council has been kicking down the road.
Include both AGM (Annual General Meeting) and SGM (Special General Meeting) minutes, plus council meeting minutes. Most buyers ask for 2 years, but having the last 12 months is the minimum. If your strata has been discussing a major project like re-roofing or elevator replacement, it will show up here, and the buyer will ask about it.
3Depreciation Report
A depreciation report is a professional engineering assessment of every major building component: roof, plumbing, electrical, elevator, parking structure, building envelope. It estimates when each component will need replacement and how much it will cost.
Since 2012, BC strata corporations with 5 or more units have been required to obtain a depreciation report unless owners passed a 3/4 vote to opt out. If your building opted out, expect buyers to ask why. An opt-out is a red flag that often means the strata is trying to avoid facing expensive maintenance realities.
Kelowna-specific note: Many Kelowna buildings built in the 1990s and early 2000s are now 25-30 years old. Depreciation reports for these buildings often show significant upcoming costs for roofing, plumbing, and building envelope work. If your report shows big-ticket items in the next 5 years, be prepared to discuss them.
4Financial Statements and Budget
Buyers and their agents look at two things in the financials: the Contingency Reserve Fund (CRF) balance and whether fees have been increasing.
A healthy CRF means the strata has been saving for future repairs. A low CRF relative to the depreciation report's projected costs means a special levy is likely coming. As a general rule, buyer's agents get nervous when the CRF is below 25% of the building's annual operating budget.
Include the most recent audited financial statements and the current year's approved budget. If strata fees have increased more than 10% in any of the last 3 years, the buyer will want to know why.
5Insurance Certificate (Form I)
The Form I shows the strata corporation's insurance coverage: what's covered, the deductible amounts, and the policy expiry date. This has become one of the most closely scrutinized documents in BC condo sales.
Insurance costs in Kelowna and across BC have risen dramatically since 2019. Deductibles that used to be $10,000 are now $50,000 to $250,000 on some buildings. Buyers need to know the deductible amount so they can budget for their own individual unit insurance (which covers the gap between the strata deductible and their personal coverage).
If your building has had water damage claims or is in a higher-risk category, insurance premiums and deductibles will be elevated. Better for the buyer to know this upfront than to find out after they've removed subjects.
6Bylaws and Rules
Bylaws are registered with the Land Title Office and govern the major rules of the strata: pet policies, rental restrictions, age restrictions (55+), Airbnb rules, noise policies, and renovation procedures.
Buyers with dogs, investors who want to rent the unit out, or younger buyers looking at a 55+ building will all focus on this section. Provide the full bylaw package as registered, plus any house rules adopted by the strata council. If your building recently changed its rental or pet bylaws, include the amendment documentation.
7Engineering and Building Envelope Reports
If your building has had a building envelope assessment, rainscreen retrofit, or structural engineering report, include it. This is especially relevant for Kelowna buildings constructed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when leaky condo issues were widespread across BC.
A completed envelope remediation is actually a selling point. It means the work has been done and paid for. An outstanding envelope issue with no remediation plan is a deal-killer for most buyers and their lenders.
How to Get Your Strata Documents
The process is straightforward, but timing matters. Here's how to get everything you need.
1Contact Your Strata Management Company
Most Kelowna stratas are managed by a property management company (Associa, Fireside, Stratawest, or similar). Call or email them and request a "seller's document package." They know exactly what this means and will usually bundle everything together.
If your strata is self-managed (no management company), contact your strata council president directly. You may need to request each document individually.
2Know the Costs and Turnaround Times
| Document | Cost | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Form B (Information Certificate) | $35 max | 7 days (legal max) |
| Strata minutes (2 years) | $0.25/page | 1-2 weeks |
| Depreciation report | $0.25/page | 1-2 weeks |
| Financial statements & budget | $0.25/page | 1-2 weeks |
| Insurance certificate (Form I) | Free | 1-2 weeks |
| Bylaws and rules | $0.25/page | 1-2 weeks |
| Engineering reports | $0.25/page | 1-2 weeks |
Under the BC Strata Property Act, the strata corporation cannot charge more than $0.25 per page for copies of strata records (other than the Form B, which is capped at $35). Total cost for a full seller's package is typically $50 to $150.
3Review Everything Before Listing
Don't just hand the documents to your agent without reading them. Go through the Form B, financials, and minutes yourself. Look for anything that might surprise a buyer: upcoming special levies, low CRF, active litigation, or insurance deductible increases. It's much better to know about these issues before your first showing than to have a buyer discover them during their due diligence and use it to negotiate your price down.
What If Your Strata Docs Reveal Problems?
Not every strata document package is clean. If yours reveals issues, here's how to handle the most common ones.
Pending special levy
If a special levy has been approved or is being discussed in council minutes, you must disclose it. Be upfront in the listing. Savvy buyers will find out anyway, and trying to hide it will cost you more in lost trust than the levy itself. In some cases, paying the levy before listing is the better strategy.
Low Contingency Reserve Fund
A CRF that's low relative to the depreciation report's projected costs is a yellow flag. It suggests fees may increase or a special levy is coming. You can't fix this as an individual owner, but you can price your condo competitively to account for it and be transparent about the building's financial position.
Active litigation
If the strata corporation is involved in a lawsuit (either as plaintiff or defendant), this will appear on the Form B. Common examples include construction defect claims and insurance disputes. Litigation doesn't necessarily kill a deal, but it does scare some buyers. Your agent should be prepared to explain the status and likely outcome.
High insurance deductibles
A $100,000+ strata deductible means the buyer needs significantly more individual unit insurance. This affects their carrying costs and may affect their mortgage approval. Disclose the deductible amount in the listing so buyers can factor it into their budget from the start.
My honest take:
In 15+ years of real estate in Kelowna, strata documents have killed more deals than bad inspections. The issue is almost never the documents themselves. It's that the seller didn't know what was in them. I've had sellers find out about a $15,000 special levy from the buyer's agent rather than from their own strata package. That's a terrible position to negotiate from. My approach is to pull the full document package early, read through it with the seller, and build the disclosure into the listing strategy. A building with a well-funded CRF, clean minutes, and a current depreciation report is a selling point. Frame it that way and buyers respond well. Transparency builds trust, and trust closes deals.
Not sure if your strata docs are buyer-ready?
I can review your strata package before you list, flag anything that might concern buyers, and help you build a disclosure strategy that protects you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get Form B in BC?▼
Can a buyer back out over strata documents?▼
Do I have to disclose special levies when selling?▼
What does a depreciation report cost in BC?▼
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Not Sure If Your Strata Docs Are Ready?
Giuseppe can review your strata package before you list, identify anything that might concern buyers, and help you build a selling strategy around your building's strengths.
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