Strata Insurance
How a Strata Insurance Claim Actually Works in BC
A pipe fails on the fourth floor and water reaches the first. Here is what happens next, in order, and where the money comes from at each step.
7 min read
Coverage
Strata insurance in British Columbia
What the corporation's policy covers, what the deductible leaves you holding, and why BC premiums went where they did.
Strata insurance became a crisis subject in BC around 2019 and has never entirely stopped being one. Premiums rose sharply, deductibles rose further, and a great many owners discovered mid-claim that the building's policy and their personal policy did not meet in the middle the way they had assumed.
Two ideas do most of the work here. The first is that the strata corporation insures the building — including, in most cases, the original fixtures inside your unit — while your own condo policy covers your betterments, your contents, your living expenses if you are displaced, and your liability. The second is the deductible, which is where the real money sits. A $250,000 water-damage deductible is not a theoretical number; when a claim lands under it, the strata pays, and the strata may then look to recover from an owner whose negligence caused it. That single mechanism accounts for most of the insurance questions we are asked.
The articles here cover what the policy actually responds to, how deductibles are allocated, why earthquake coverage is priced the way it is on the coast, what an owner's own policy needs to include, and the concrete steps a building can take to bring a premium down at renewal. The last one is the most actionable: insurers price risk, and risk is something a council can change.
9 guides in Strata Insurance
Strata Insurance
Loss Assessment Coverage: The Part of Your BC Condo Policy That Matters Most
It's a line item most owners have never read, and in a building with a $250,000 deductible it's the difference between an inconvenience and a five-figure bill.
6 min read
Strata Insurance
What Does Strata Insurance Actually Cover in BC?
BC strata insurance covers the building, common property, and original fixtures at full replacement value — but not your contents, upgrades, or a charged-back deductible.
7 min read
Strata Insurance
Strata Insurance Deductibles in BC: What's Normal in 2026
Water-damage deductibles now run $25k–$250k across BC stratas. Here's what's normal in 2026, who pays, and how much loss-assessment coverage owners need.
7 min read
Strata Insurance
Why Is Strata Insurance So Expensive in BC?
Why did BC strata premiums explode? The reinsurance squeeze, water-damage claims, flood risk in areas like Richmond, and what the market looks like in 2026.
6 min read
Strata Insurance
How to Lower Your Strata's Insurance Premium in BC
After years of hard-market hikes, BC councils aren't powerless. Here's how a small strata can de-risk, shop, and rethink deductibles to cut its premium.
6 min read
Strata Insurance
Do You Need Condo Owner's Insurance in BC? (What Strata Insurance Doesn't Cover)
Your strata's policy insures the building, not your contents or the deductible. Here's the gap condo owner insurance in BC fills, and whether council can require it.
6 min read
Strata Insurance
How Strata Earthquake Insurance Works in BC
How strata earthquake insurance works in BC: why the deductible is a percentage of building value, and what a large earthquake deductible could mean for owners.
7 min read
Strata Insurance
Water damage and the strata deductible, explained
Water damage is the costliest claim most BC stratas face. Here's how the deductible works, when it can be charged back to an owner, and why loss-assessment coverage on your own policy matters.
6 min read
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