Low & Mid-Rise
Low and mid-rise buildings are our sweet spot, and they're often too small for the big firms to bother with. We keep the common areas, elevators, and building envelope on a sensible maintenance schedule while handling day-to-day requests through our ticket tracker. You get hands-on attention and financials you can actually follow.
The buildings the big firms find inconvenient
A 20 to 60 unit wood-frame or concrete low-rise is, from a large management company's perspective, an awkward size. It carries nearly all the work of a tower — an AGM, a budget, an insurance renewal, an envelope to worry about, an elevator to certify — spread across too few doors to be interesting. So it gets assigned to whoever has capacity, and the council spends the year chasing answers.
This is the size of building Onehive exists for. Low and mid-rise communities are the core of what we manage, and the systems we run are built around them rather than adapted down from something larger.
What actually needs managing
The building envelope is the defining risk. BC's wood-frame low-rise stock carries a long, expensive history with water ingress, and the difference between a building that ages gracefully and one that faces a seven-figure levy is usually a decade of small decisions: sealant renewed on schedule, drainage kept clear, membranes inspected before they fail, and a depreciation report that is read rather than filed. We keep those on a calendar and put the recommendations in front of council while they are still cheap.
Elevators are the second recurring theme. One or two cars means no redundancy, so a modernisation is disruptive as well as costly, and the lead times are long. It belongs in the reserve plan years before the maintenance contractor starts using the word.
Common areas and life-safety are the ordinary rhythm: corridor and lobby upkeep, annual fire-safety testing and sprinkler certification, parkade cleaning, and the small repairs that arrive through the ticket tracker and either get handled or quietly accumulate into a complaint at the AGM.
Alongside that runs everything a strata corporation needs regardless of size — monthly financials reconciled to the bank, bylaw enforcement with proper notice, insurance renewal managed on a timeline rather than a deadline, and Form B and Form F turned around fast enough that owners' sales do not stall.
Frequently asked questions
Are we too small for professional strata management? Almost certainly not. Buildings of 4 to 20 units are harder to place than owners expect, but they are placeable — and small buildings are our specialty rather than our smallest account.
What should a low-rise be budgeting for first? Envelope and roof, in most cases. They are the largest single item and the one where deferral compounds fastest. A current depreciation report should be driving the number.
Do you handle elevator contracts and life-safety testing? Yes — scheduling, contractor coordination, and keeping the certification records where an insurer or a buyer's lawyer can find them.
Other property types we manage
Managing low & mid-rise?
Tell us about your property. We'll review it, be honest about fit, and send a tailored proposal within one business day.