Strata Common Areas: Lobbies, Hallways, and Lounges

Most council emails we get about common areas are some version of the same complaint: a stroller in the hallway, a wreath on a door, a chair in the stairwell, a kid's birthday in the lounge that ran past 11. Across many Sea-to-Sky buildings, strata common areas in BC are where a big share of owner-versus-council friction starts, and most of it is preventable. These spaces (lobbies, hallways, lounges, parking areas, grounds) are owned collectively by every owner in the strata, governed by the Strata Property Act, and regulated by your strata's bylaws and rules. The friction comes when people don't know what's shared, what's private, and what the rules actually say. Here's the working guide.

What counts as strata common property

The legal definition is in Strata Property Act s. 1: common property is everything in the strata complex that's not within a strata lot, plus all pipes, wires, ducts, and similar facilities that serve more than one lot. The strata plan registered at the Land Title Office shows the lot boundaries (typically the interior face of unit walls) and everything outside those lines is common.

In a typical BC strata, common property includes:

• Lobby, foyer, mail room
• Hallways, corridors, stairwells, elevators
• Amenity rooms (lounges, gyms, party rooms, theatre rooms)
• Roof, exterior walls, balconies (usually limited common property, see below)
• Parking areas not allocated as parts of strata lots
• Landscaping, grounds, paths, driveways
• Mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, building systems
• Shared utility piping and wiring

What is not common property:

• The interior of your unit (paint inward, generally yours)
• Your fixtures and finishes
• Anything specifically defined as strata lot on the registered strata plan

A separate category, limited common property (LCP), is common property allocated for the exclusive use of one or more (but not all) strata lots. Balconies, patios, and dedicated parking stalls are usually LCP. The strata still owns and maintains the LCP, but only the designated owner can use it. For the full LCP treatment see our limited common property guide.

Your rights as an owner to use common areas

Every owner has an equal right to use common property under SPA s. 71, subject to the strata's bylaws and rules. This is foundational. The strata cannot deny one owner access to common areas that other owners enjoy. But "subject to bylaws and rules" carries a lot of weight, and stratas use that authority to regulate:

• Time of use (quiet hours, amenity-room booking windows)
• Manner of use (no smoking, no commercial activity, no loud music)
• Capacity (maximum occupancy of pools, gyms, lounges)
• Access (key fobs, sign-in sheets, deposit requirements)
• Conduct (children supervised, no pets in pool area, etc.)

Bylaws are made under s. 121 by 3/4 vote and registered at the Land Title Office. Rules are lesser: they can be made by majority vote of council under s. 125, ratified at the next general meeting, and apply only to common property use. The distinction matters: bylaws can regulate strata lot conduct too, rules cannot. For more on the bylaws-versus-rules question see our bylaws vs rules post.

Storage and the "hallway problem"

The most common common-area dispute we manage is personal storage in hallways and stairwells. Owners put bikes, strollers, boots, shoe racks, recycling, plants, mats, and seasonal decorations outside their door, and the rest of the building either ignores it, tolerates it, or eventually complains.

The legal position is clear in almost every BC strata:

• The BC Fire Code requires unobstructed egress paths. Hallways and stairwells must be clear of combustibles and obstructions.
• Most strata bylaws prohibit personal storage in common areas and authorize council to remove items at the owner's expense.
• Council can be liable if an emergency egress is blocked and someone is injured.

The practical playbook for owners:

• Use designated storage (lockers, bike rooms, balconies if permitted)
• A doormat is usually fine; nothing else is
• A wreath on your unit door is usually fine; check the bylaw
• Anything else, ask first

The practical playbook for council:

• Write a clear rule with photos showing what is and isn't allowed
• Enforce consistently: one warning, one notice, then removal
• Document removals with photographs and store removed items for 30 days before disposal

Decorating common areas and unit doors

Holiday decorating is the most predictable common-area dispute on the calendar. Every November our office gets the same email: "Can residents put up Christmas decorations in the hallway?" The legally correct answer is "it depends on your bylaws and rules," but the practical answer is usually a hybrid:

• Inside your unit door, on the door itself. Usually permitted, often with size/time limits.
• In the hallway near your door. Usually prohibited (fire code, obstruction).
• In the lobby. Council-managed only, not individual residents.
• Time limits. Common rules require decorations removed within 14 days of the holiday.

Religious and cultural decorations introduce a sensitivity layer. The BC Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion, so a bylaw that allows Christmas decorations but bans Diwali decorations is unenforceable. Bylaws that regulate "all seasonal decorations" uniformly are safer.

Events, parties, and alcohol in amenity rooms

Most BC stratas with lounges or party rooms allow private bookings by owners. The standard booking framework includes:

1. Advance booking (a set notice window)
2. Refundable damage deposit (amount set by booking rules)
3. Guest count limit based on the room's capacity
4. End time (a posted curfew, often differing between weeknights and weekends)
5. Cleanup requirement with deposit retention if not met
6. Indemnity for damage or claims arising from the event

Alcohol service is generally permitted for private gatherings under BC liquor laws. You don't need a licence to serve alcohol to invited guests at a private event in your own (or your strata's) space. What you cannot do without a licence:

• Charge admission or sell alcohol to attendees
• Hold an event open to the public
• Operate a regular bar

If your event will have any of those elements, you need a Special Event Permit from the BC LCRB. Stratas often refuse permit-required events in amenity rooms because the strata's insurance does not cover commercial activity.

Section 76 grants: exclusive use without a 3/4 vote

When an owner wants exclusive use of a piece of common property (a specific parking stall, a storage locker, a small bit of yard) the strata has two paths:

• Limited common property designation under s. 74, which is permanent and requires a 3/4 vote
• Section 76 grant, which is a licence for up to one year, renewable, and only requires council approval

Section 76 grants are the workhorse for flexible allocation. They let council respond to changing needs without permanent changes to the strata plan. The grant can be revoked at the end of the term or earlier if the owner breaches conditions.

Typical s. 76 grant uses:

• A parking stall reassigned to a new owner whose unit didn't originally have one
• A storage locker temporarily allocated to one owner
• A small piece of yard adjacent to a ground-floor unit
• Exclusive use of a portion of a roof deck

The grant document should specify the term, the area, the consideration (often nominal), and the conditions. Council should keep these in the corporate records and review annually.

Civil Resolution Tribunal decisions on s. 76 grant enforcement have clarified that grants must be in writing to be enforceable against subsequent owners.

When common area disputes go to council, and beyond

If you have a dispute about common area use, the process is:

1. Talk to the other party first if possible
2. Submit a written complaint to council via your manager
3. Council investigates and responds in writing
4. Bylaw infraction process under s. 129 if a breach is confirmed
5. Hearing under s. 135 if requested by the alleged offender
6. CRT application if you are unsatisfied with council's response

For the full enforcement walkthrough see our bylaw enforcement post. For broader common property issues see our common property guide. If the dispute is specifically about noise carrying from common areas, our noise complaints walkthrough covers that procedural angle.

A final note on shared space

Common areas are the part of a strata that determines whether the building feels like a home or like a stack of apartments. Buildings where owners use the lounge, walk the dog with neighbours, and chat in the lobby tend to have fewer disputes about everything else: flooring, BBQs, pets, noise. Buildings where common areas are contested or empty tend to have more. As an owner, you have a real stake in how your building's shared spaces are used. Read your bylaws, follow the booking rules, respect the hallway, and you'll help shape the kind of strata where most days nothing goes wrong, which is what good strata living actually looks like.