Civil Resolution Tribunal to begin early intake of strata claims in mid-July

British Columbia’s Civil Resolution Tribunal has just announced that it will start accepting strata-property claims for early intake on 13 July 2016. Early intake will give people involved in strata-property disputes and the tribunal “a chance to test our process to make sure it works as well as possible for the public once we’re fully open. It will also allow us to provide a little help for people with ongoing strata disputes who are eager to take Read more…

Alex Longson joins Strata Property Law (Phase Two) Project Committee

BCLI is pleased to welcome Alex Longson as a new member of its volunteer committee for the Strata Property Law Project—Phase Two. Alex started his career in real estate in 2005, shortly after emigrating from the United Kingdom, where he had 20 years’ experience in the automotive-engineering industry working as a test engineer for Ford Motor Company. He became licensed for strata management in 2006 with a brokerage in the Okanagan, and subsequently became licensed Read more…

BC Supreme Court finds strata corporation responsible for installing railings needed to bring rooftop balcony up to code

In Frank v The Owners Strata Plan LMS 355, 2016 BCSC 1206, the Supreme Court of British Columbia considered whether a strata corporation or a strata-lot owner who has the benefit of a limited-common-property rooftop balcony should be held responsible for bringing the balcony up to the standard required by the BC Building Code. The case contains some interesting observations on (1) designations of limited common property, (2) significant changes in the use or appearance Read more…

Third-anniversary update of the Strata Property Law—Phase Two Project

BCLI officially started Phase Two of the Strata Property Law Project on 4 July 2013. This post is a review of the highlights of the project’s first three years. Terminating a strata The early years of the project were focussed on terminating a strata. In 2014, the committee published its Consultation Paper on Terminating a Strata (PDF). This consultation paper garnered one of the highest levels of public response of any of BCLI’s law-reform consultations. These Read more…

BCLI receives visit from scholar researching strata properties and natural disasters

Earlier this month, Prof. Elizabeth Toomey visited BCLI to discuss legal issues that may arise for strata properties in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Prof. Toomey is a faculty member of the School of Law, University of Canterbury, which is located in Christchurch, New Zealand. In late 2010, the Canterbury earthquake struck that city, causing widespread damage. An aftershock in 2011, which was centered even closer to Christchurch proper, caused even greater damage and loss Read more…