What are each unit's strata fees for this budget?

What a strata fee is, and why there is no average

A strata fee is what each strata lot owner pays the strata corporation toward its approved annual budget. It funds two things: the operating fund, which covers recurring costs such as insurance, utilities, landscaping, repairs and management, and the contingency reserve fund, which saves for major work in future years. It is not rent, and it is not paid to a landlord. Owners are funding a corporation they collectively own, and section 99 of the Strata Property Act makes that contribution mandatory.

There is no standard or typical strata fee in British Columbia, and any figure quoted as an average is close to meaningless. Two lots in the same building normally pay different amounts, because the split follows unit entitlement rather than a flat per-lot charge, and two buildings with identical budgets produce different fees depending on how many lots share the cost. The only way to get a real number is to divide an actual approved budget by the actual entitlements, which is what the calculator at the top of this page does.

Fees follow unit entitlement — not equal shares, not headcount

Section 99(1) of the Strata Property Act is where the obligation to pay strata fees actually comes from:

"Subject to section 100, owners must contribute to the strata corporation their strata lots' shares of the total contributions budgeted for the operating fund and contingency reserve fund by means of strata fees calculated in accordance with this section and the regulations."

Section 99(2) then sets the formula: each lot's share is its own unit entitlement number divided by the total entitlement of every lot in the strata plan, applied to the total budgeted contribution. It is not a per-unit flat fee, and it is not based on how many people live there — a two-bedroom lot with double the entitlement of a studio pays double, a bare land strata lot with a large entitlement pays more than a small one, regardless of headcount.

Unit entitlement numbers come from the Schedule of Unit Entitlement filed at the Land Title Office under section 246 — usually a fixed number tied to each lot's size or type, set when the strata plan was registered. Boards should pull these from the strata plan or the strata's records, not estimate them.

This calculator does not set the budget itself — that is approved separately, by majority vote at the annual general meeting. It only splits an already-approved budget across units using the section 99 formula.

How much are strata fees in B.C.?

There is no set amount and no legal maximum. Your fee is the strata's approved annual budget multiplied by your lot's unit entitlement divided by the total entitlement of all lots in the strata plan. A larger budget, or a strata with fewer lots to share it, produces higher fees. Enter your own budget and entitlement numbers above rather than working from an average.

What is the difference between a strata fee and a special levy?

Strata fees fund the approved annual budget and are paid on a regular schedule. A special levy is a separate contribution raised for something the budget does not cover, and it needs its own resolution at a general meeting. The standard split is the same section 99 unit entitlement formula, carried by a 3/4 vote under section 108. The special levy calculator covers that case, with section 108 cited and verified there.

What do strata fees actually pay for?

Whatever the approved budget says. Typically insurance for the building, utilities for common property, landscaping and snow clearing, elevator and building maintenance, strata management fees, and the annual contribution to the contingency reserve fund. Fees do not cover work inside your own strata lot unless the bylaws place that obligation on the strata.

Does approving the budget also approve how it's split?

The budget and the apportionment are two different things. The budget total is approved by majority vote at the AGM; once it's approved, section 99 apportions it automatically by unit entitlement — there's no separate vote on each unit's share unless your strata has adopted a different formula under section 100.

Can our strata use a different formula than unit entitlement?

Yes, but only by unanimous vote at an annual or special general meeting held after the strata's first AGM, and the resolution has to be filed at the Land Title Office (s. 100). Until that's done, the section 99 unit-entitlement formula is what applies — a council can't quietly switch to per-unit flat fees or a different split without that vote and filing.

Does this work for a non-residential or mixed strata?

Not reliably. The regulations set out variations for some non-residential, mixed-use and phased strata situations that this calculator doesn't attempt to apply. It covers the standard residential case only — if your strata is non-residential, mixed, or phased, check with your strata manager or the regulations before relying on this.

Where do we find each unit's entitlement number?

On the Schedule of Unit Entitlement filed with the strata plan at the Land Title Office (SPA s. 246), or in your strata's council/AGM package — it doesn't change unless the strata plan itself is amended.

Why doesn't the total split evenly to the cent?

Dividing by unit entitlement almost never lands on a round number. This calculator rounds every unit's annual fee to the cent and puts any leftover cent(s) on the unit with the largest entitlement, so the annual column always adds up to the exact budget approved. Monthly figures are derived from the annual fee and are indicative rather than independently reconciled.

Is this legal or financial advice?

No. It's general information based on the current legislation, verified against the sources linked above. For a contested apportionment or an unusual strata structure, talk to a strata lawyer or your strata manager.