Strata Management
Townhouse Strata Management in the Sea to Sky
Why managing a townhome or rowhome strata is a different job than running an apartment building, and what Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton councils should watch for.
Written by Avesta Strata team
Key facts
- Defining feature
- Ground-oriented units, lots of limited common property
- Biggest budget items
- Roofs, envelope, snow, drainage
- Typical council size
- 3 members on small townhouse plans
- Governing law
- BC Strata Property Act
Managing a townhome or rowhome strata is not the same job as running an apartment building, even though both fall under the BC Strata Property Act. Townhouse strata management is dominated by the exterior: roofs, siding, decks, fences, driveways, drainage, and, in the Sea to Sky, an enormous amount of snow. Interiors are the owners' problem, but everything from the foundation out is shared responsibility split across a web of common property and limited common property that most owners do not fully understand. This guide covers how townhouse stratas differ from apartment plans, where the disputes start, and how a Squamish, Whistler, or Pemberton council should budget and govern for the building type they actually have.
How townhouse stratas differ from apartment stratas
In an apartment strata the units stack and the shared systems are concentrated: one roof, one envelope, elevators, a parkade, mechanical rooms, common hallways. In a townhouse strata the units sit side by side on the ground, and the shared responsibility spreads out horizontally instead of vertically. That changes the operational load:
- More exterior surface per owner. Each unit has its own roof section, siding, and often its own entry and private outdoor space.
- Multiple roofs and phased construction. Many corridor townhouse plans were built in phases, so roofs and envelopes age on different schedules.
- Ground-oriented private space. Yards, patios, decks, and driveways are usually assigned to units as limited common property, creating a maintenance grey zone.
- Smaller councils. Three-person councils are common, so the volunteer bench is thin and the manager carries more.
None of this makes a townhouse "simpler." It makes it different, and a manager who treats a townhouse plan like a small apartment building will miss the exterior and drainage issues that actually drive the budget.
Limited common property is where the disputes start
The defining feature of townhouse strata management is limited common property (LCP): common property designated for the exclusive use of one or more units. The fenced back yard, the patio, the front driveway, the balcony: on most townhouse plans these are LCP, not part of the strata lot itself. Owners routinely assume "my yard" means they own it outright. They do not. It is common property they have exclusive use of, which means the strata still has a legal interest in it.
This matters because responsibility for repair does not automatically follow use. If you are fuzzy on the distinction, our explainer on common property versus limited common property in BC walks through it. The short version: the strata corporation is responsible for repairing and maintaining common property and LCP unless a bylaw validly shifts that duty to the owner. SPA s. 72 is the section that governs this, and townhouse bylaws vary enormously in how they divide it up.
From our team
The worst townhouse files we inherit are the ones where an owner altered their limited common property, built a raised deck, poured a wider driveway, added a hot tub, with no alteration agreement on record. Years later it fails, and the ownership of the repair is a genuine mystery. Document alterations at the time, every time.
Who maintains what: the exterior split
The most useful thing a townhouse council can do is write down, clearly, who is responsible for each exterior element. Owners fight when the line is fuzzy. Here is the typical split on a Sea to Sky townhouse plan, though your bylaws govern:
| Element | Usually strata | Usually owner |
|---|---|---|
| Roof, gutters, structural envelope | Yes | No |
| Siding and exterior paint | Yes | No |
| Yard mowing, patio sweeping, garden beds | No | Yes (as LCP user) |
| Fences and gates | Varies by bylaw | Varies by bylaw |
| Decks: structure vs surface finish | Structure | Finish (often) |
| Private driveway snow and sealing | Varies | Varies |
| Windows and doors | Varies by bylaw | Varies by bylaw |
The "varies" rows are exactly where townhouse disputes live. A council that leaves them undefined is choosing a future argument. The fix is a maintenance responsibility chart adopted alongside the bylaws so every owner has the same reference.
Set the exterior split in writing
Take one council meeting to build a one-page maintenance responsibility matrix for your plan: list every exterior element down the left, and mark strata, owner, or shared for each, with the bylaw section that supports it. Circulate it with the AGM package. It ends 80 percent of the "I thought that was your job" emails.
Snow, drainage, and Sea to Sky winters
This is where corridor townhouse management gets physical. An apartment building has one entrance to clear. A townhouse plan can have a dozen private driveways, a shared internal road, visitor parking, walkways to every unit, and roof-shed zones where snow slides off and piles against fences and gas meters. Squamish gets heavy wet snow and Whistler gets volume, and both bury townhouse plans in a way a single tower never sees. Two winter items deserve line-item attention every year:
- Snow contract scope. Define exactly what the strata clears (internal roads, visitor parking, shared walkways) versus what each owner clears (their own driveway and entry). Ambiguity here becomes a slip-and-fall liability conversation fast.
- Drainage and meltwater. Plans with grade changes get meltwater pooling against foundations and into crawlspaces during freeze-thaw. Catch basins and perimeter drains need seasonal clearing, not a five-year memory of the last time someone looked.
For context on how the corridor's seasons shape the whole management relationship, see our Sea to Sky strata management overview.
Budgeting for the roof and building envelope
The roofs and the envelope are the money. On a townhouse plan these are large, exposed, and often phased, which makes reserve planning both more important and more complex than on an apartment building. A single tower has one roof to fund; a 24-unit townhouse plan built in three phases can have three roof cohorts aging a decade apart.
Two funds do the work here, and townhouse councils need to understand the difference between them. The operating fund covers routine annual costs (snow contract, landscaping, minor repairs), while the contingency reserve fund (CRF) covers the big, infrequent capital items (roof replacement, envelope work, driveway repaving). Our guide to the operating fund versus contingency reserve fund in BC explains how the two interact. The townhouse-specific risk is under-funding the CRF because the plan "feels" low-maintenance in its first decade, then hitting three roof replacements in five years.
A depreciation report is the tool that prevents this. SPA s. 94 requires most strata corporations of five or more lots to obtain one, and for townhouse plans it is genuinely load-bearing: it stages the roofs, decks, fences, and asphalt on their real replacement timelines so the strata can fund them with steady contributions instead of emergency special levies. For the mechanics of turning that report into an annual number, see how to build a strata budget in BC.
On a townhouse plan, the roofs and the envelope are not a line item. They are the budget. Everything else is rounding.
Small councils and common bylaw flashpoints
Townhouse plans, especially the smaller ones common in Squamish and Pemberton, often run a three-person council. That is the legal minimum for a functioning strata, and it means every resignation is a near-quorum crisis. A professional manager matters more on a small townhouse plan, not less, because there is no deep bench to absorb the records, the correspondence, and the compliance work between meetings.
The recurring townhouse bylaw flashpoints we see:
- Unauthorized LCP alterations. Decks, fences, hot tubs, and expanded parking pads added without approval. A significant change to the appearance of common property needs a 3/4 vote under SPA s. 71, and it should come with an alteration agreement assigning future maintenance to the owner.
- Pets, parking, and short-term rentals. The same enforcement issues as apartment stratas, but with private yards and driveways that make monitoring harder.
- Exterior appearance. Paint colours, satellite dishes, garden structures, and holiday decor that owners treat as "their" space because it is LCP.
Enforcement is not about being heavy-handed. It is about applying the bylaws consistently so that when a real dispute reaches the Civil Resolution Tribunal, the strata has a documented, even-handed record rather than a pattern of selective enforcement.
Next step
If your townhome or rowhome strata is wrestling with an undefined exterior split, aging roofs, or a council stretched too thin over the winter, we can help. Avesta Strata has managed townhouse plans up and down the Sea to Sky corridor since 2011, from Squamish to Pemberton, and we know where the money and the disputes actually sit on this building type. Contact our team for a straight conversation about your plan, or start with the Sea to Sky strata management overview to see how we work.
Frequently asked questions
Do townhouses have strata fees like condos?
Yes. A townhouse strata corporation charges monthly strata fees the same way an apartment strata does, calculated from each unit's share of the annual budget based on unit entitlement. The difference is what the fees pay for. Townhouse budgets lean heavily toward exterior items: roofs, siding, decks, snow removal, landscaping, and drainage, rather than elevators, lobbies, and parkade ventilation. Fees are not automatically lower than an apartment building; a townhouse plan with aging roofs and long private driveways can cost more per unit than a well-run condo.
Who is responsible for maintaining a townhouse yard or deck?
It depends on whether the area is common property, limited common property, or part of the unit itself, and on the bylaws. Most townhouse fenced yards and patios are limited common property assigned to one unit, which usually means the owner handles routine upkeep (mowing, cleaning) while the strata remains responsible for structural repair unless a bylaw shifts that duty. Under the Strata Property Act, the strata is responsible for repairing and maintaining common property and limited common property unless a valid bylaw makes the owner responsible. Read your bylaws and strata plan before assuming, because townhouse plans vary widely.
Are townhouse stratas cheaper to manage than apartment stratas?
Not necessarily. Management fees track the workload, not the building type. A townhouse plan can be simpler in some ways (no elevator contracts, no shared mechanical rooms) but harder in others: multiple roofs instead of one, long private driveways to plow, scattered drainage, and more exterior surface area per owner. In the Sea to Sky, snow and envelope work often makes townhouse operations busier in winter than a comparable condo.
How big is a typical townhouse strata council?
Small townhouse plans in the corridor often run a three-person council, which is the practical minimum. That is a thin volunteer bench: one resignation or one snowbird owner leaving for the winter can stall decisions. A professional manager matters more here, not less, because there are fewer people to absorb the administrative and compliance load between meetings.
Does a townhouse strata need a depreciation report?
Yes. Depreciation report requirements under the Strata Property Act apply to strata corporations of five or more lots regardless of whether they are apartments or townhouses. For townhouse plans the report is especially valuable because roofs, decks, fences, and asphalt all age on staggered schedules, and a current report turns those into a funding plan instead of a series of surprise special levies.
Can a townhouse owner build a deck or fence on their limited common property?
Not unilaterally. Even where an owner has exclusive use of a yard as limited common property, a significant change to the appearance of common property generally needs a 3/4 vote of the owners. Building a deck, adding a fence, or altering the exterior almost always requires strata approval and often an alteration agreement that assigns future maintenance to the owner. Councils that skip this step inherit the liability.
Need a strata manager in Sea to Sky?
Avesta manages strata corporations across Squamish, Whistler, and the Sea to Sky. Send us your building's details and we'll come back with a no-obligation proposal.
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Avesta Strata team · Published July 7, 2026