Hiring a ManagerJuly 9, 2026 · 7 min read

How Much Does Strata Management Cost in BC? Real Per-Unit Ranges

Q: What is the average strata management fee in BC?

Most fall between $30 and $60 per unit per month, with small buildings paying a monthly minimum of roughly $1,500–$2,500. Effective per-door cost rises sharply below about 25 units.

Q: Are Form B and Form F fees regulated?

Yes. A strata can charge no more than $35 for a Form B (plus up to 25 cents per page for copies) and $15 for a Form F. Learn what a Form B contains.

What does strata management actually cost in BC? Real 2026 per-unit ranges, why small buildings pay more per door, and the extra fees to watch for.

Most BC strata management contracts fall between about $30 and $60 per unit per month, but small buildings almost always hit a monthly minimum of roughly $1,500 to $2,500 — so the fewer doors you have, the more each one pays. Your real quote depends on scope, building age, and location, and the headline per-unit rate is rarely the whole story.

How strata management fees are structured in BC

Strata management in BC is a licensed activity. Your manager works for a brokerage licensed under the Real Estate Services Act and regulated by the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA), which is why a legitimate firm holds your money in a regulated trust account and keeps formal records. That professional overhead is baked into the fee.

Almost every contract is built from two numbers:

A per-unit (or "per-door") rate — a monthly amount multiplied by the number of strata lots.
A monthly minimum — a floor the fee won't drop below, no matter how few units you have.

Whichever is higher is what you pay. A 60-unit building is priced on the per-door rate; a 12-unit building almost always pays the minimum. Fees are quoted before GST, and most firms review them at renewal.

Real per-unit ranges for 2026

Here are realistic Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley ballparks for the base management fee, before GST and before extras:

Under ~15 units: the minimum dominates, so the effective cost often lands around $100–$180 per door.
15–40 units: roughly $40–$75 per door.
40–100 units: roughly $30–$55 per door.
100–150 units: roughly $25–$45 per door.

A few worked examples make the minimum effect obvious (illustrative, plus GST):

10-unit building: priced at a ~$1,600 minimum = about $160/door.
30-unit building: $50/door = $1,500/month (right around the minimum).
70-unit building: $40/door = $2,800/month.
120-unit building: $32/door = $3,840/month.

These are starting points, not quotes. A tired 1970s building mid-repipe costs more to manage than a five-year-old woodframe with tidy books.

Why smaller buildings pay more per door

It surprises a lot of councils, but much of the work is fixed regardless of size. A 12-unit strata still needs one budget, one AGM, one insurance renewal, monthly financial statements, and a compliant trust account — the same core tasks as a 90-unit building, just spread across fewer owners. That's the whole reason the monthly minimum exists, and why per-door costs climb as buildings shrink.

It's also why fit matters so much for small stratas. A large firm may treat a 20-unit building as a rounding error; a boutique manager built for communities under 150 units usually gives it real attention. (Onehive works exclusively in that range — see how we manage strata.)

What the base fee usually includes

Scope varies, so read the contract, but a typical base fee covers:

Trust accounting, monthly financial statements, and collecting strata fees
Preparing the draft budget and attending the AGM
A set number of council meetings per year
Owner and council correspondence, and maintaining the strata's records
Arranging (not performing) repairs and coordinating contractors
An emergency intake line for after-hours issues

What usually costs extra

This is where two "similar" quotes stop being similar. Common add-ons:

Extra meetings beyond the contracted number, and any special general meetings (SGMs)
Document and conveyancing fees — a Form B Information Certificate (capped by regulation at $35 plus copying) and a Form F Certificate of Payment (capped at $15), plus optional "information packages"
Onboarding or takeover fees to set up a new building
Special-levy or major-project administration, sometimes a flat fee or a percentage of the project
Postage, printing, and bulk mailouts
After-hours emergency callouts beyond basic intake
NSF and late-payment handling

Some of these are capped by the Strata Property Regulation (the Form B and Form F fees, for example); most are not. Always ask for the full fee schedule.

What moves your quote up or down

Building age and condition — deferred maintenance and active projects add work.
Scope — full financial management vs. basic bookkeeping; on-site caretaking coordination.
Meeting load — councils that meet monthly cost more than those that meet quarterly.
Litigation or Civil Resolution Tribunal activity — disputes eat hours.
Cleanup — taking over a self-managed building with disorganized books is more work upfront.
Location — travel time across a scattered portfolio can matter.

How to compare proposals apples-to-apples

Get the full fee schedule, not just the per-door headline.
List what's included vs. extra — meetings, callouts, documents, mailouts.
Confirm the firm is BCFSA-licensed and uses a regulated trust account.
Check the term and cancellation terms — in BC you can cancel on two months' notice with a 3/4 vote (here's how).
Ask who your manager will be, how many buildings they carry, and their response-time commitments.

Is a manager worth it?

For most stratas, yes — the manager keeps you compliant with the Strata Property Act, protects owners' money in trust, files what needs filing, and absorbs the 9 p.m. flooded-parkade call. Self-management can work for tiny, simple buildings, but it puts real legal and financial liability on volunteers. The question usually isn't whether to hire a manager, but which one fits a building your size.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average strata management fee in BC? Most fall between $30 and $60 per unit per month, with small buildings paying a monthly minimum of roughly $1,500–$2,500. Effective per-door cost rises sharply below about 25 units.

Are strata management fees the same as strata fees? No. Your strata fees fund the whole operating budget and contingency reserve; the management fee is just one line item within it. See what strata fees actually cover.

Why does our small building pay so much per unit? Because much of the work is fixed no matter how many units you have, and the monthly minimum gets divided among fewer doors. It's normal, not a markup.

Are Form B and Form F fees regulated? Yes. A strata can charge no more than $35 for a Form B (plus up to 25 cents per page for copies) and $15 for a Form F. Learn what a Form B contains.