Reports and guides for BC property owners

Market reports, regulatory briefs and practical guides on rental, strata and buying and selling in British Columbia. Every figure links to its source.

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Annual Report · Oct 8, 2026BC 2026: Strata Owners Face Rising Reserve Pressure as Values FallThe 2026 BC Assessment roll, valued as of July 1, 2025, shows strata values falling in most of the Lower Mainland.

Owner's GuideBeyond the RTB-1 — Professional Lease Clauses BC Landlords Actually UseThe RTB-1 standard form is a starting point, not a complete landlord lease. This guide covers the professional clauses — assignment restrictions, pet deposit structure, insurance requirements, utility apportionment, strata bylaw incorporation — that property managers add on top of the RTB-1 to protect owners in dispute, rent collection, and move-out scenarios. BC-specific, dispute-tested, RTA-compliant.

Owner's GuideTenant Screening Done Right — Application Review for BC LandlordsA bad tenant is the most expensive mistake a BC landlord can make. Screening is where that outcome is decided — but BC landlords operate under PIPA, the Human Rights Code, and the Residential Tenancy Act, which constrain what you can ask, how you collect it, and how you decide. This guide lays out a defensible screening workflow that maximises signal and minimises legal exposure.

Strategy GuideFixed-Term vs Month-to-Month Leases — Which Serves the BC Landlord BetterFixed-term leases lost most of their landlord-side advantages when BC’s 2017 Bill 16 amendments took effect. Outside one narrow statutory exception, a fixed-term tenancy auto-converts to month-to-month at term end — same rent, same 12-month cap. This guide walks through when fixed-term still makes sense and when month-to-month is the stronger default.

Owner's GuideHow to Read the CMHC Rental Market Report — A BC Owner's GuideCMHC publishes the most authoritative rental data in Canada. This guide explains the survey methodology, the four numbers that actually matter to BC owners, and how to translate national data into a Metro Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, or Peace River decision.

Strategy GuideRental Property Tax Strategy — CCA, Expenses, and Holding StructureThe after-tax return on a BC rental property is a function of three decisions: how the property is held, what expenses are classified as current vs capital, and whether Capital Cost Allowance is claimed or deferred. None are trivial, and all compound over the hold period. This guide lays out the tax strategy that actually matters for BC rental owners, with the specific CRA rules and 2026 traps.

Quarterly Snapshot · Apr 18, 2026BC Q1 2026: Rental Slack and Rate Pause Push BC Owners Toward ResilienceThe Bank of Canada held the overnight rate at 2.25% on March 18, 2026, and that pause — not any price move — is the defining feature of Q1 for British Columbia property owners.

Strategy GuideMetro Vancouver vs Peace River — Two BC Rental Markets, Two Investment ThesesMetro Vancouver and the Peace River region are not the same market with different rents. They are different demand structures, different cost bases, and different risk profiles. This guide compares the two on the metrics that actually drive return, and lays out when each thesis works and when it breaks.

Owner's GuidePreparing a BC Strata AGM — Budget, Notice, Resolutions, QuorumA BC strata AGM is a statutory meeting, not a polite get-together. The Strata Property Act fixes the timing, the notice package contents, the quorum, the resolution thresholds, and the record of what happens next. This guide is the operational checklist a self-managed treasurer or council secretary can run through six weeks before the meeting date to stay inside the statute and inside the cost.

Owner's GuideRunning a Strata Council Election — Roles, Process, and Common PitfallsA strata council election looks routine until it goes wrong — a poorly-noticed AGM, a disputed vote, an ineligible candidate sworn in — and then it becomes a year of governance friction and, worst case, a Civil Resolution Tribunal decision setting the result aside. This guide walks through the SPA rules on who can stand, notice, voting, and the mistakes that trigger a re-election.

Decision FrameworkSelf-Managed vs Professionally Managed Strata — A Decision FrameworkUnder the BC Real Estate Services Act, anyone paid to manage a strata must be BCFSA-licensed — but owners volunteering on their own council are exempt. The question for most BC stratas is not whether they are allowed to self-manage, but whether they should. This framework compares cost, risk, and capability so a council can make the call with its eyes open.

Owner's GuideBC Rental Pricing Seasonality — A Timing Framework for OwnersRental demand in BC is not flat across the calendar. Lease-up speed, achievable rent, and tenant quality all move with the seasons. This guide gives owners a defensible framework for timing renewal notices, vacancy listings, and turnover-driven repricing.

Regulatory Brief · Apr 18, 2026BC Strata Bylaws — What Councils Can and Cannot EnforceStrata bylaws are enforceable rules, but they are not unlimited. The SPA sets a specific procedure for enforcement, caps the fine amount, requires a hearing opportunity, and gives the CRT final say on whether a council acted properly. Councils that skip the procedure, fine above the cap, or enforce selectively, lose at the CRT. This guide sets out what councils can and cannot do.

Regulatory Brief · Apr 18, 2026BC Home Buyer Rescission Period — The 3-Day Cooling-Off WindowCanada’s first statutory cooling-off period for resale residential purchases has been in force in BC since January 3, 2023. Property Law Act s.42 gives buyers three business days to rescind for any reason, against a 0.25% fee payable to the seller. The mechanics sound simple; in practice, when each clock starts and who the rule applies to are where buyers and sellers catch themselves out.

Owner's GuideBC Assessment Authority — How to Read Your Notice and File an AppealThe BC Assessment Notice that lands in early January is not a municipal bill and not a guess. It is a statutory valuation as of July 1 of the previous year, and it drives the following year’s property tax across every BC municipality. Owners who read it carefully and file a Notice of Complaint by January 31 when warranted routinely recover real money. This guide walks through how.

Regulatory Brief · Apr 17, 2026BC Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act — 2026 Enforcement UpdateTwo years into the STRAA rollout, BC has registered roughly 20,000 of the original 28,000 listings, pulled non-compliant ones from Airbnb and VRBO, and begun opting additional communities in or out based on CMHC vacancy data. This brief covers what has changed since May 2024 — principal residence, the provincial registry, platform duties, penalties, and the 2026 opt-out rules.

Decision FrameworkBC Strata Reserve Fund Funding Models — Cash Flow vs Threshold vs ComponentEvery BC depreciation report presents three funding scenarios — but the choice between them has long-term consequences for owner equity, special-levy frequency, and intergenerational fairness. This guide explains the three models, when each is defensible, and what the 2023 contribution-floor change means in practice.

Regulatory Brief · Apr 17, 2026GST/PST on Residential Rentals — When It Applies and How to ComplyMost BC landlords collect no GST and no PST on residential rent — but the exceptions are where the tax bill gets large and the penalty for getting it wrong is worse. The GST treatment depends on stay length, whether substantial renovation occurred, and whether the PBRH rebate applies. This guide lays out the residential tax rules on rent, acquisition, and conversion.

Regulatory Brief · Apr 17, 2026BC Rent Increase Cap Explained — How the 2026 Limit WorksBC sets the 2026 maximum allowable rent increase at 2.3%, down from 3% in 2025. This guide explains how the cap is calculated, the notice and timing rules that determine whether your increase is enforceable, and what to do when costs rise faster than the cap.

Decision FrameworkBC Strata Special Levy — A Decision and Communication Framework for CouncilsSpecial levies are the most contested item on the BC strata council agenda. Getting the legal mechanics right — vote thresholds, notice timing, payment terms, and the court override path — is necessary but not sufficient. This guide also covers the communication framework that determines whether the levy passes.

Annual Strata ReportLatest: 2026 · Oct 8, 2026All editions →

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