Strata Form B Information Certificate: A Buyer's Guide

The Strata Form B Information Certificate is the single most important document a BC strata buyer receives. It's the corporation's official snapshot of fees, levies, debts, insurance, and litigation, and it's mandatory under Strata Property Act s. 59. Read it line by line and you'll spot most major risks. Skim it and you'll close on issues you didn't know existed. After years issuing these for Squamish and Whistler stratas, we've watched buyers miss the same fields over and over. This is the field-by-field guide, with what each section means, what to look for, and what counts as a red flag.

What the Form B is, and isn't

A Form B is a snapshot in time, not an audit. It tells you the strata's status on a particular date for a particular unit. It does not tell you whether the building is well-managed, well-financed long-term, or pleasant to live in. It also doesn't replace reading the minutes, the depreciation report, or the bylaws.

The Form B is mandatory in any BC strata sale. The strata corporation (usually via its manager) must produce it within 7 days of a written request and payment of the statutory $35 fee. If a buyer doesn't have a current Form B in hand, the conveyance cannot complete properly.

Field 1: Strata fees for the unit

The first numerical line on every Form B: monthly strata fees payable on the unit being sold. This is what the buyer will pay each month going forward.

What to do with it:

• Confirm it matches what the listing advertised. Listings sometimes show last year's figure.
• Compare to similar buildings (age, size, amenities) in the same area.
• Look up the fee history in the AGM minutes. Steady modest annual increases = healthy. Flat for several years = a coming jump.
• Calculate per-door per-month. Use the buying strata BC guide for healthy ranges by building age.

Field 2: Special levies approved but not yet collected

This is the high-stakes field most buyers miss. If a special levy has been approved at a general meeting but not yet collected on the seller's unit, the buyer typically inherits the obligation unless the contract of purchase explicitly assigns it to the seller.

What to verify:

• The amount and the per-unit allocation
• The payment schedule (lump sum vs installments)
• The purpose of the levy (envelope, plumbing, lawsuit defense, etc.)
• Whether the seller has already paid their share

A common closing failure: the seller paid the first installment and the buyer assumes that's the whole thing. Always confirm the total assessment for the unit, not just amounts paid to date.

Field 3: Money owed by the seller to the strata

This includes:

• Strata fee arrears
• Outstanding fines
• Unpaid special levies
• Reimbursement claims (e.g. for insurance deductibles the strata has charged back)
• Interest on overdue amounts

A non-zero number isn't always a deal-killer. Sometimes it reflects a single overdue invoice in dispute. But the buyer should know what's owed, why, and confirm it's cleared at closing. s. 116 lien rights mean the strata can register a lien against the unit for unpaid amounts, which encumbers title.

The Form F Certificate of Payment is the parallel document confirming this field. Always cross-check.

Field 4: Agreements affecting the unit

This section discloses any agreements under which the unit owner has paid, or could be required to pay, for any amenity or use right. Examples:

• Storage locker assignments not part of the strata lot
• Parking stall assignments
• Exclusive-use agreements for common property (garden plots, etc.)
• Special service contracts (cable bundles, security)

Read carefully. Some Squamish and Whistler buildings have parking stalls assigned by license rather than as part of the strata lot, which affects resale value and flexibility.

Field 5: Pending litigation and CRT claims

The Form B must disclose any pending court proceedings or CRT claims involving the strata corporation.

How to read this:

• No pending matters: Good baseline.
• One CRT claim, owner-initiated, narrow scope: Usually background noise.
• One CRT claim with potential significant cost (e.g. envelope dispute): Ask for the file number and read the publicly available submissions.
• Multiple pending matters: Dysfunction signal. Step carefully.
• Supreme Court action: Always significant. Get the specifics.

If the buyer relies on a Form B that omits a known pending claim, the CRT has the power to award damages for misrepresentation, and we've seen decisions go that way. Don't rely on remedies. Read the field carefully and ask follow-up questions.

Field 6: Insurance summary

The Form B includes a summary of the strata's insurance, including:

• Insurer name
• Coverage type and limit
• Deductibles (water damage, earthquake, fire, etc.)
• Policy expiration date

What to check:

• Coverage adequate for current replacement cost? Construction costs have climbed sharply in recent years. Materially under-insured buildings are not uncommon.
• Water-damage deductible. This is the one that bites owners. Deductibles have stayed elevated since the 2020 insurance crisis. A high deductible means owners may be charged back significant amounts for losses originating in their unit.
• Earthquake deductible. Often a percentage of insured value, not a flat dollar amount. Read carefully.
• Policy expiration. Coverage shouldn't be lapsing within the next 60 days without confirmation it's being renewed.

For a deeper read, see our BC strata insurance recap and confirm the strata has a clear deductible-recovery bylaw under s. 158.

Strata Insurance Disclosure

The summary in the Form B may not be the full policy. Request the full policy or certificate of insurance for any building you're seriously considering.

Field 7: Bylaws and rules

The Form B includes (or attaches) the current bylaws and rules. This is one of the most-skipped sections and one of the most consequential.

Read for:

• Rental restrictions (short-term and long-term)
• Age restrictions (must be 55+ to be valid)
• Pet bylaws (size, number, breed)
• Renovation approval requirements
• Parking, storage, and common-property use rules
• Move-in fees and demerit/fine schedules
• Anything unusual or restrictive

Cross-check against the Land Title Office. The bylaws attached to the Form B should match the bylaws filed at LTO under s. 128. They often don't, which means the strata is operating off an outdated or unfiled draft.

Field 8: Most recent budget and financial position

The Form B summarizes the current operating budget. Look at:

• Operating fund balance
• Contingency reserve fund balance
• Major variances from prior year
• Reserve fund versus depreciation report recommendations

The headline number isn't enough. A strata with a healthy-looking CRF can still be under-funded once you read the depreciation report and see substantial work coming in the next 5 years. Read both documents together.

Field 9: Depreciation report status

The Form B must disclose:

• Whether a depreciation report exists
• When it was completed
• Whether the strata has voted to waive the requirement (now rare and restricted)

Under s. 94, most stratas must commission a depreciation report every 5 years. A report older than 5 years is a yellow flag and indicates the strata may be non-compliant. A waived report is increasingly hard to defend.

If the report exists, read it (it's a separate document, usually 30–80 pages). See our depreciation report buyer's guide for the field-by-field walkthrough.

Field 10: Parking and storage information

The Form B identifies parking stalls and storage lockers associated with the unit, and their legal status (part of strata lot, exclusive use of common property, or licensed).

What this affects:

• Resale value
• Ability to sell parking separately (in some buildings)
• Whether the right can be revoked

In Squamish and Whistler buildings with limited parking, this field matters more than buyers expect.

Field 11: Number of rental units allowed

Even though rental restrictions were largely repealed by 2022 SPA amendments, short-term rental rules and grandfathered bylaws still apply. The Form B should disclose:

• The number of strata lots rented at the time of issue
• Any short-term rental restrictions in the bylaws or rules
• Any rental disclosure requirements

For investors and buyers considering Airbnb income, this field is determinative.

How to spot a sloppy Form B

A well-prepared Form B from a competent manager is clean, complete, and current. Warning signs of a sloppy one:

• Missing fields or fields marked "N/A" without explanation
• Bylaws attached as an older version than the LTO-filed copy
• Insurance summary without deductible figures
• Dated more than 60 days before closing
• Inconsistent dollar figures between fields
• Pending litigation listed without a case reference

A sloppy Form B is often a proxy for a sloppily managed strata. Push for clarification, and if you can't get it, that's information too.

Practical workflow before subject removal

If you're 48 hours from subject removal:

1. Confirm the Form B is dated within 30 days of your offer date.
2. Read every field, don't skim.
3. Cross-check the bylaws against LTO.
4. Note any special levy approved but not yet fully paid; address in the contract.
5. Note any pending litigation; ask for the case ID and submissions.
6. Confirm the insurance deductibles and your own homeowner policy covers them.
7. Read the most recent depreciation report.
8. Compare per-door fees to the healthy ranges.

If the Form B raises questions you can't resolve in the time available, request a subject-removal extension. A reasonable seller will grant one.

After closing: keep your copy

The Form B is the snapshot of the building you bought into. Keep it. When you sell later, your own Form B will tell a different story, and the comparison is useful: both to confirm the building has been well-managed and to identify any unwanted drift.

For more on the broader BC strata purchase process, see our complete buying strata BC guide. If you want a second set of eyes on a Form B before subject removal, our team reviews dozens of these monthly and can spot the issues a realtor missed in 30 minutes. Get in touch.