Townhomes (bare-land and conventional)

Two kinds of townhome strata, and the difference matters

Almost every disagreement in a townhome complex traces back to one question: where does the strata's responsibility end and the owner's begin? In a townhome the answer depends on which kind of strata you are.

In a conventional strata, the strata plan usually draws the lot boundary at the mid-point of the walls. The roof, the siding, the structure and the land between the buildings are common property, and the strata corporation maintains and insures them. In a bare-land strata, the lot is a surveyed piece of ground. What you build on it is generally yours — roof included — and what the corporation maintains is the shared infrastructure: the roads, the drainage, the water and sewer mains, the lighting, and whatever amenity land the plan sets aside.

Those two models produce very different budgets. A conventional townhome strata is saving toward roofs and envelopes on a 20–30 year cycle. A bare-land strata is saving toward asphalt, culverts and underground utilities that fail on a different schedule and cost a great deal to reach. Neither is cheaper in the long run; they are simply expensive about different things, and a reserve plan copied from the wrong model will be wrong by a wide margin.

What we do differently in townhome complexes

The first thing we do on taking over a townhome strata is read the strata plan and the registered bylaws together, and write down the boundary in plain language for the council. It sounds elementary. In practice a surprising number of complexes have been operating for years on a shared assumption that nobody has checked against the plan, and the discovery usually arrives attached to a repair invoice.

From there the work is ordinary and relentless: quotes sourced from trades who actually work on low-rise wood-frame and site infrastructure, a maintenance schedule that anticipates the roof rather than reacting to it, and a contingency reserve fund tracked against a depreciation report that reflects the right model. Owners get a portal for payments, bylaws and minutes; council gets financials they can read before the meeting rather than during it.

Townhome complexes are also where self-management is most common and most viable, so if you are weighing it, we would rather have that conversation honestly — including the version where you keep running the strata and hand us only the books.

Frequently asked questions

Is a bare-land strata cheaper to run than a conventional one? Not reliably. Owners take on their own roofs and exteriors, which lowers the strata's building costs, but the corporation still funds roads, drainage and utilities — infrastructure that is costly to replace and easy to underfund because it is out of sight.

Who pays for a townhome roof? In a conventional strata the roof is normally common property and the corporation pays. In a bare-land strata it is normally the owner's. The strata plan decides it, not custom — check it before budgeting.

Can a small townhome complex get professional management? Yes. Small complexes are the buildings we are built for, and where the big firms are least interested. Full management and financial-only management are both options.