Strata InsuranceJuly 9, 2026 · 6 min read

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.

If you own a condo or townhouse in a BC strata, you're already paying for insurance through your strata fees, so it's fair to ask whether you really need your own policy on top of that. For almost every owner, the answer is yes. Your strata's insurance and a personal condo owner's policy protect completely different things, and the space between them is exactly where owners get caught out. Here's what each one covers, where the strata's policy stops, and whether your council can make you carry your own.

What your strata's insurance actually covers

Every strata corporation in BC is required to carry insurance on the common property, common assets, and the buildings shown on the strata plan, including the "original" fixtures your unit was built with. In practice that means the structure, the roof, the hallways, the elevator, the parkade, and usually the original cabinetry, flooring, and fixtures to the standard the developer installed.

What it does not do is insure you as a person or your belongings. The master policy exists to rebuild the building after a covered loss, not to replace your laptop, cover a guest who slips in your kitchen, or pay your rent while repairs drag on. For a full breakdown of the master policy, see what strata insurance actually covers in BC.

Where the strata policy stops, and yours begins

Think of the strata policy as covering the building "as originally built," and your condo owner's policy as covering everything else. The main gaps a personal policy fills:

Your contents — furniture, electronics, clothing, and the appliances you bought, all of which the master policy ignores.
Betterments and improvements — renovations and upgrades you or a previous owner made beyond the original construction: the new quartz counters, the upgraded flooring, the finished den.
Personal liability — if someone is injured in your unit, or water escaping from your suite damages the one below, you can be held responsible.
Additional living expenses — hotel and meal costs if your unit becomes uninhabitable during repairs.
The strata deductible — the big one, covered next.

The deductible: the single biggest reason to own a policy

Here's the part that surprises owners. When the strata makes a claim, it pays a deductible, and for water damage in particular that deductible can be very large. Exact amounts vary widely by building and change at each renewal, so check your strata's current insurance summary or a Form B rather than assuming a number.

The catch is that the Strata Property Act generally lets a strata recover its deductible from an owner who is responsible for the loss, for example a burst hose or an overflowing tub that originates in your unit. That charge can land on you even when you were merely careless rather than negligent, and it can run into tens of thousands of dollars. A good condo owner's policy includes coverage, often labelled "loss assessment" or "deductible" coverage, built for exactly this situation. This single feature is why we tell every owner, in a self-managed or professionally managed building alike, to carry a policy. Our deeper dive on water damage and the strata deductible explains how these chargebacks actually work.

Can your strata require you to carry insurance?

Increasingly, yes, and many councils in smaller buildings now do. A strata can pass a bylaw requiring owners to obtain and maintain their own insurance, and even to provide proof of coverage on request. In a small building, where one uninsured owner's flood can blow up everyone's premium at the next renewal, that is a reasonable thing for a council to want.

A few practical caveats. A bylaw only binds owners if it is properly passed and registered; see how to change strata bylaws in BC for the three-quarter-vote process. It also has to be enforceable in practice: a bylaw can require you to hold insurance, but how far a council can go in policing or penalizing non-compliance is a grey area, and some overreaching rules simply don't hold up. If your council is drafting an insurance bylaw, or trying to enforce one, confirm the exact wording with a strata lawyer before relying on it.

This article is general information about the BC Strata Property Act framework, not legal, insurance, or financial advice. Every building's bylaws and every policy are different. Confirm the specifics with your bylaws, your insurance broker, or a qualified professional.

What a good condo owner's policy in BC includes

When you shop for coverage (it is often sold as "condominium homeowner's" or "strata unit owner's" insurance), look for these pieces:

Contents at replacement cost, sized to what you would actually pay to rebuy everything.
Betterments and improvements high enough to cover your unit's upgrades.
Personal liability, with a limit your broker considers appropriate for your situation.
Loss assessment and deductible coverage sized to your strata's actual deductible, which is why knowing that number matters.
Additional living expenses for temporary accommodation.
Optional riders worth asking about, such as sewer backup and, given where we live, earthquake coverage, which is usually a separate consideration from the strata's own earthquake policy.

Give your broker a copy of the strata's insurance summary. The two policies should be read together so you are neither double-insured on the building nor exposed in the gap between them.

If you rent your unit out, or you're the tenant

Renting changes the picture. A standard owner-occupied policy usually is not the right fit for a unit you lease out. You will typically want a landlord or "rented condo" policy that covers your improvements, your liability, and your loss of rental income, while your tenant carries their own tenant's insurance for their belongings and liability. If you're a landlord in a strata, it's worth reading who pays strata fees when you rent out your unit in BC alongside this one, because the insurance and cost responsibilities go hand in hand.

Frequently asked questions

Isn't the strata's insurance enough on its own? No. The strata's master policy covers the building and common property as originally built, not your contents, your upgrades, your personal liability, or the deductible if a claim starts in your unit. Those gaps are exactly what a personal condo owner's policy is for.

Can my strata legally force me to buy insurance? A strata can pass a bylaw requiring owners to carry and prove their own coverage, and many now do. To bind owners, the bylaw has to be properly passed by a three-quarter vote and registered, and how aggressively it can be enforced varies. Confirm the wording with a strata lawyer.

What happens if water escapes from my unit and damages the suite below? The strata may make a claim and, under the Strata Property Act, can often charge its deductible back to you as the responsible owner, potentially tens of thousands of dollars. The loss-assessment or deductible portion of your condo owner's policy is designed to absorb exactly this.

How much condo insurance do I actually need? Enough to replace your contents, cover your unit's improvements, provide meaningful personal liability, and match your strata's current deductible. Because deductibles change at each renewal, ask your broker to review the strata's latest insurance summary and adjust your coverage accordingly.

Do I still need my own policy if I rent my unit out? Yes, though usually a landlord or rented-condo policy rather than an owner-occupied one, covering your improvements, liability, and lost rent. Your tenant should carry separate tenant's insurance for their own belongings.