Strata BasicsJuly 9, 2026 · 6 min read

Common Property vs Limited Common Property in BC Stratas

Common property and limited common property aren't the same thing in a BC strata — and the difference decides who pays for balconies, parking, and repairs.

If you own a unit or sit on council in a smaller Metro Vancouver or Fraser Valley building, one distinction quietly drives more repair disputes and surprise bills than almost anything else: the difference between common property and limited common property. They sound like the same idea with an extra word attached. They are not. Getting them straight tells you who fixes your leaking balcony, who pays for the parkade membrane, and whether that repair lands on the whole strata's budget or on one owner's chequebook.

Here is the plain-English version, grounded in how BC's Strata Property Act frames things, written for the kind of building we manage day to day.

Common property: what the strata owns together

Common property is the part of your development that belongs to all the owners collectively through the strata corporation, rather than to any single strata lot. Think of it as the shared bones of the building.

In a typical small BC strata, common property usually includes things like:

The land the building sits on
The roof, exterior walls, and structural framing
The lobby, hallways, stairwells, and elevator
Shared mechanical systems: the boiler, sprinkler lines, and the plumbing and electrical that run between units
Amenity spaces the whole building shares

Every owner has an undivided interest in common property, and the strata corporation is generally responsible for maintaining and repairing it. The cost of that upkeep flows through your strata fees and, for bigger jobs, through the contingency reserve fund or a special levy. If you have ever wondered what your monthly payment actually buys, most of it is the care and feeding of common property (we break that down in what strata fees cover in BC).

Limited common property: shared, but reserved for you

Limited common property (often shortened to LCP) is a special slice of common property that has been set aside for the exclusive use of one strata lot, or a small group of them. It is still technically common property, but only certain owners get to use it.

The everyday examples are the ones people picture immediately:

Your balcony, deck, or patio
The parking stall assigned to your unit
A designated storage locker
Sometimes a private yard area in a townhouse-style strata

The key word is exclusive. Your neighbour cannot park in your LCP stall, and you cannot barbecue on theirs. But because it started life as common property, the strata still has an interest in it — which is exactly why the repair question gets confusing.

LCP is created in one of two ways. Most commonly, it is drawn right onto the registered strata plan when the building is first created, so those balconies and stalls are marked as limited common property from day one. Alternatively, owners can designate common property as LCP later on, though this usually requires a specific type of owner vote. If your council is thinking about redesignating an area, confirm the exact resolution and threshold with a strata lawyer before you put anything to a vote — the process for changing this is closer to amending your bylaws than to a routine council decision.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Every building's strata plan and bylaws are different, so confirm the specifics for your strata before acting.

Why the label changes who pays

This is where the distinction stops being trivia and starts costing money.

As a general rule under the Strata Property Act, the strata corporation maintains and repairs common property — including limited common property. So even though only you use your balcony, the structure of that balcony is often the strata's responsibility to keep in good shape.

But there is a catch, and it is the source of most of the arguments we referee: bylaws can shift responsibility for limited common property onto the owner who uses it. Many BC stratas have adopted bylaws saying the owner is responsible for routine upkeep of their LCP (keeping the balcony clean and clear, for example), while the strata stays on the hook for the major structural elements. The exact split varies enormously from building to building.

That is why "who fixes the balcony?" has no universal answer. It depends on:

Whether the item is common property, limited common property, or part of your strata lot
What your specific bylaws say about LCP maintenance
Whether the problem is routine wear or a structural failure

We wrote a whole guide on untangling this — strata versus owner repairs and maintenance in BC — because it is the single most common question small-building owners ask us.

Insurance adds another wrinkle. For insurance purposes, limited common property is generally still treated as part of the building the strata insures, which can matter a great deal when water travels from a balcony or a pipe into a unit below. Who ultimately eats the cost often turns on the strata's insurance deductible and any bylaw allocating it — a topic we cover in water damage and the strata deductible.

How to find out what applies to your building

You do not have to guess. For any given feature, three documents settle it:

The strata plan. This registered drawing shows what is common property and what is marked as limited common property. Balconies and assigned parking are usually visible right on it.
Your bylaws. These tell you whether the strata or the owner is responsible for maintaining and repairing LCP, and how any insurance deductible is allocated.
A Form B Information Certificate. When buying or selling, this often discloses which parking stalls and lockers are allocated to a unit. If you are unsure what it covers, see what a Form B Information Certificate is.

If you sit on council for a self-managed or small building, keeping these documents accessible and understood is half the battle. Most repair disputes we see could have been settled in ten minutes with the strata plan on the table.

Grey areas that trip up small stratas

A few recurring flashpoints are worth flagging:

Balcony membranes and railings. The waterproof membrane and structural railing are frequently the strata's responsibility even when the balcony is LCP, because a failure there threatens the whole building. Confirm against your bylaws.
Windows and doors. Whether the window in "your" wall is common property or part of your strata lot is genuinely building-specific. Check the plan and bylaws before assuming.
EV charging in a parking stall. Because assigned stalls are usually LCP, installing a charger touches both the individual owner and the shared electrical system. Plan it properly — our guide on EV charging in BC stratas walks through the infrastructure and approval side.
Planters, hose bibs, and fixtures on a balcony. These sit in that fuzzy zone between "the owner's stuff" and "attached to common property." Bylaws usually decide.

When in doubt, do not let a repair drift. Document the issue, pull the strata plan, read the relevant bylaw, and if real money or liability is on the line, get a strata lawyer's read before the strata commits to who pays.

Frequently asked questions

Is limited common property the same as common property? Not quite. Limited common property is a type of common property, but it is reserved for the exclusive use of one or a few strata lots — like your balcony or assigned parking stall. Plain common property, by contrast, is shared by everyone, such as the lobby or roof.

Who is responsible for repairing my balcony in a BC strata? It depends on your building. As a general rule the strata maintains common property, including limited common property, but many stratas have bylaws putting routine upkeep of LCP onto the owner who uses it. Check your bylaws and strata plan, and confirm with a strata professional for structural work.

How do I know if my parking stall is limited common property? Look at the registered strata plan, which marks LCP, and check a Form B Information Certificate if you are buying or selling. Some stalls are LCP; others are allocated by lease, licence, or bylaw, so the document matters.

Can a strata turn common property into limited common property? Yes, owners can designate common property as LCP, but it generally requires a specific owner vote rather than a simple council decision. Because the threshold and process can change, confirm the current requirements with a strata lawyer before proceeding.

Does the distinction affect my strata fees? Indirectly. The strata's cost to maintain common property (including LCP it is responsible for) is funded through fees, the contingency reserve, or special levies. Where a bylaw shifts LCP upkeep to individual owners, those specific costs fall outside the shared budget.