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British Columbia · Strata Property Act

When do we have to answer this records request?

Pick what was asked for and the day it arrived. Get the legal deadline to comply — the Act runs two different clocks, and using the wrong one is how councils end up late.

Comply no later than

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✓ Verified August 15, 2026 · Strata Property Act

Sources checked automatically every Monday. Last check October 5, 2026, no change found. See the record

An unpaid fee can hold up the copies, not the clock. The strata may charge a fee for copies up to the amount set in the regulations, and may refuse to supply them until it is paid (s. 36(4); for a Form B, s. 59(7)). That is a limit on handing over copies — it is not a licence to ignore the request, and inspection is a separate right from copying.

Who is entitled to ask

If the requester is not on this list, check the section before releasing anything.

  • An owner.
  • A tenant who has been assigned the landlord's right to inspect and copy under s. 147 or s. 148.
  • Anyone authorised in writing by such an owner or tenant.
  • A former owner or former tenant, but only for records relating to the period when they were an owner or tenant.
  • Any tenant may ask for the bylaws and rules, whether or not rights were assigned.
  • For a Form B: an owner, a purchaser, or a person authorised by either.

Strata Property Act ss. 36(1), 36(1.1), 36(2) and 59(1).

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More BC strata tools

Two clocks, and the one most councils miss

Section 36 of the Strata Property Act sets the deadline for producing records, and it is not a single period. The whole rule sits in one sentence:

"The strata corporation must comply with a request under subsection (1), (1.1) or (2) within 2 weeks unless the request is in respect of bylaws or rules, in which case the strata corporation must comply with the request within one week."

So the default is two weeks, and bylaws or rules are the exception at one week. A council that treats every request as a fortnight job is already late whenever someone asks for the bylaws.

The Information Certificate — Form B — runs on a separate clock in a different Part of the Act, and it is the short one:

"Within one week of a request by an owner, a purchaser or a person authorized by an owner or purchaser, the strata corporation must give to the person making the request an Information Certificate in the prescribed form."

These are plain calendar counts from the day the request came in. Unlike meeting notice, there is no deemed-receipt period and no clear-day arithmetic to apply here — the Act says "within 2 weeks" and "within one week", so that is what this tool counts.

The fee, and what it does and does not delay

Section 36(4) lets the strata charge a fee for copies, capped by the regulations, and lets it "refuse to supply the copy until the fee is paid". Section 59(7) does the same for a Form B. That is worth understanding precisely: it is a hold on handing over copies pending a permitted fee, not a general extension of the deadline, and it does not touch the separate right to inspect records. Treat the date this tool gives you as the date you must have complied by, and deal with the fee promptly rather than using it as a reason to sit on the request.

Does the clock start the day the request arrives or the day after?
The Act says the corporation must comply "within 2 weeks" (or one week) of the request. This tool counts forward from the date you enter, so a request received on the 1st has a two-week deadline of the 15th. If a request lands close to the line, produce the records early rather than arguing about the first day.
What if the request mixes bylaws with other records?
The one-week period applies where the request "is in respect of bylaws or rules". A mixed request is safest handled on the shorter clock for the bylaws and rules portion — send those within one week and the rest within two — rather than putting everything on the longer period.
Do weekends and holidays extend it?
Nothing in section 36 or section 59 says so. Treat these as straight calendar periods, and if the deadline lands awkwardly, respond before it rather than after.
Can we refuse because the requester will not pay the fee?
You may refuse to supply the copies until the permitted fee is paid (s. 36(4), and s. 59(7) for a Form B). That is narrower than refusing the request: the entitlement to inspect is separate, and the fee is capped by the regulations.
What about a former owner?
Section 36(1.1) entitles a former owner or former tenant to records relating to the period when they held that status, whenever those records were created. The same two-week and one-week deadlines apply.
Is this legal advice?
No. It's general information based on the current legislation, verified against the sources linked above. For a contested or unusual request, talk to a strata lawyer or your strata manager.