/strata/common-property-maintenance-bc
What a strata maintenance plan should include in BC.
A strata maintenance plan is not a depreciation report. It is the working document that says what gets checked, how often, who acts, and what was done. SENTiNEL builds that plan around the shared common property areas that drive most cost, then keeps it current.
Six common property areas that drive most maintenance.
Roofs and drainage
Membranes, flashings, scuppers, and downspouts. Reviewed for current condition and clearing readiness before storm season.
Envelope and sealants
Cladding, sealants, windows, and transitions. The interfaces where small failures become expensive water damage.
Balconies and guardrails
Decking, waterproofing, attachments, and code exposure. A core safety and shared liability area.
Parkades and slabs
Slab condition, traffic coatings, drainage, and visible structural exposure. Documented before deterioration becomes urgent.
Exterior safety
Walkways, stairs, lighting, and access points. Reviewed quarterly so issues are addressed before incident, not after.
Shared mechanical
Visible boiler, ventilation, irrigation, and domestic water conditions. Flagged for specialist follow up where needed.
01
Inventory and condition
An Initial Asset Assessment establishes what shared building areas exist and what condition each is in today.
02
Prioritized plan
Findings are ranked and grouped into now, next, and monitor, so council can budget maintenance against real building data.
03
Quarterly upkeep
Recurring walkthroughs keep the plan current, update priorities, and document completed work.
A maintenance plan is not a depreciation report.
Depreciation report
A long-range funding study produced by a qualified provider under the Strata Property Act. It estimates component lifecycles and funding scenarios over decades, and it is updated on a five-year cycle.
Maintenance plan
A working operational document. What gets inspected, on what cadence, who acts, what was completed, and what is being monitored. It changes every quarter because the building does.
The two are complementary. BC guidance on repair and maintenance documentation expects a strata corporation to keep records of what was inspected and repaired. A maintenance plan is how those records get produced in the first place, and it is what makes the next depreciation report update start from evidence instead of a single visit.
Five things every plan should name.
01
Scope
Which shared components are covered, and which are explicitly out of scope because they require an engineer or a specialist trade.
02
Cadence
How often each area is reviewed. Seasonal items such as drainage and sealants need a different interval than interior common areas.
03
Priority
A consistent urgency scale so council can separate act now from plan and monitor. SENTiNEL uses Priority 1 through 4.
04
Accountability
Who is responsible for each action: council approval, property manager coordination, trade execution, and independent verification.
05
Record
Where findings, photos, dates, and completed work are stored so the history survives council turnover.
Questions councils ask about common property.
- What counts as common property?
- In a BC strata, common property generally includes shared building areas such as roofs, exterior cladding, drainage, parkades, balconies in many cases, hallways, and shared mechanical systems. SENTiNEL focuses on the shared areas council is responsible for maintaining.
- Why prioritize maintenance instead of just reacting?
- Reactive maintenance is almost always more expensive. Most shared building failures progress quietly. A documented, prioritized maintenance plan keeps work scoped, scheduled, and within the operating budget instead of the levy budget.
- Do you coordinate trades and engineers?
- We diagnose the issue, scope the work, and recommend vetted professionals. Council approves and hires. SENTiNEL documents progress and verifies the work against the agreed scope.
- How does this fit with our property manager?
- It supports them directly. The property manager runs the strata. SENTiNEL provides the technical record and prioritization so they can plan maintenance without becoming the building expert themselves.
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