BC Townhome Buying Rules: Strata vs Fee Simple

Presales (REDMA)

a presale buyer must receive the developer's disclosure statement (REDMA s. 18, deposits held in trust) and has a 7-day rescission period from the later of signing or acknowledging it (REDMA s. 21) — the frame for Kings Crossing and any other developer sale surfacing in this band.

Rental-restriction bylaws are void

Short-term rentals are prohibited in Pitt Meadows at the city layer — short-term rental accommodation is not a permitted use in the City's Zoning Bylaw, per the City's zoning bylaw amendments staff report; the provincial voiding does not create a short-term rental right here. Do not price any South Meadows home on short-term-rental income.

Taxes and rebates

PTT is 1% on the first $200,000, 2% from $200,000 to $2 million, 3% above $2 million, plus a further 2% on the residential portion above $3 million; a page row reading "Over $3M — 5%" is a compression of the 3% tier plus that further 2% — the tier math governs. A purchase in this band pays only the 1% and 2% tiers. Worked examples, inputs stated: (1) an $800,000 townhouse at the band ceiling, no exemption = 1% × $200,000 ($2,000) + 2% × $600,000 ($12,000) = $14,000. (2) a $600,000 townhouse, no exemption = $2,000 + 2% × $400,000 ($8,000) = $10,000; a qualifying first-time buyer on the same $600,000 purchase, exempt on the first $500,000, pays 2% × $100,000 = $2,000 on those inputs. FTHB GST rebate — Bill C-4, Royal Assent March 13, 2026 per CRA News No. 122 (100% of GST to $1M, maximum $50,000, phasing to $1.5M, agreements Mar 20, 2025–2031); New Housing Rebate 36% / maximum $6,300 / $350K–$450K; HBP $60,000; FHSA $40,000 lifetime / $8,000 per year; CMHC premiums 0.6%–4.5%. 5% GST applies to new construction, not resales — in this band that means developer sales (for example any remaining developer unit at Viva) and presale contracts, not the resale stock.

Form B diligence

A buyer of a strata townhouse is entitled to an Information Certificate (Form B) under s. 59 of the Strata Property Act, to be provided within seven days of request; the fee is capped at $35 plus up to 25 cents per page for paper copies. The Form B states the monthly strata fee, money the owner owes the strata, any special levies approved but not yet due, the contingency reserve fund (CRF) balance, the strata's insurance, its rules, its current budget and financial statement, any Rental Disclosure Statement, and the current depreciation report attached (BC Government, strata Forms information: Strata Property Act, s. 59).

PTT

general rates 1% of fair market value up to and including $200,000; 2% of the portion greater than $200,000 and up to and including $2,000,000; 3% of the portion greater than $2,000,000. Worked anchors: $700K → $12,000; $1.0M → $18,000; $1.2M → $22,000; $1.5M → $28,000. Newly built home exemption: full threshold $1,100,000, phasing out over the $50,000 range above it and eliminated at $1,150,000.

Age

Only 55+ age bylaws are valid since November 24, 2022 (Strata Property Act ss. 123.1/123.2 and Regulation 7.01; spouse/caregiver/legacy exemptions including the May 1, 2023 expansion; a 45+ bylaw is void and does not convert to 55+).

BC Townhome Buying Rules: streets and boundaries

• The boundary that matters on this page is which level of government sets which rule. The Strata Property Act, the Home Buyer Rescission Period and Property Transfer Tax (PTT) are provincial; Goods and Services Tax (GST) on new homes is federal; secondary-suite and parking rules are municipal; and pet, smoking and alteration rules for a specific complex are set by that strata corporation's own bylaws.
• A townhouse is usually a strata lot: the Province states strata housing includes townhouses, and that you cannot tell by looking whether a townhouse is strata-titled or a non-strata rowhouse — the legal test is whether a strata plan was filed at the Land Title Office.
• Where a rule below is municipal, it differs by city; where it is provincial or federal, it applies the same way in every BC municipality.

BC Townhome Buying Rules: rules that affect buyers

• Strata basics: a strata corporation is created when a strata plan is filed at the Land Title Office; owners own their strata lot individually and own the common property together as the strata corporation.
• Rental restrictions are gone: as of November 24, 2022, no strata corporation in British Columbia may have a residential rental-restriction bylaw, and all such bylaws are invalid — although short-term rental bylaws are still allowed.
• Age restrictions are narrowed the same way: since November 24, 2022 a strata may only restrict age to 55 years or older, with exemptions added May 1, 2023 for caregivers, previous residents, children (including adult children) and younger spouses or partners.
• Depreciation reports are now mandatory on a cycle: every strata corporation with five or more strata lots, including bare-land stratas, must obtain one every five years, and owners may no longer defer it by an annual three-quarter vote.
• Insurance is mandatory for every strata corporation, including bare-land developments with townhouses: the Strata Property Act requires property and liability insurance, and the Province advises owners to carry their own policy for contents, upgrades and liability because the strata policy is not homeowner insurance.
• Municipal suite rules sit on top of strata rules: for example, the Township of Langley zoning bylaw definition allows one secondary suite per principal dwelling unit, including in a townhouse, capped at 120 square metres — the city you buy in sets its own figure, so check that city's bylaw, not a provincial page.

BC Townhome Buying Rules: development and new projects

• No single development belongs to this province-wide topic page; project-level entries are carried on the neighbourhood and city pages where the project sits.
• Rule changes acting like a development pipeline: the strengthened depreciation-report regulations took effect July 1, 2024, and the owner-developer contribution toward first reports for new stratas begins July 1, 2027. Status: in force / scheduled as stated (as of November 3, 2026).

BC Townhome Buying Rules: getting around

• This is a topic page, not a place: the "getting around" step is getting the right document from the right office. Title and the strata plan itself come from the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA), because a strata corporation exists only once its plan is filed at the Land Title Office.
• Strata disclosure (Form B, budget, rules, depreciation report) comes from the strata corporation, which must answer a Form B request within 7 days.
• Tax questions split by level: PTT exemptions are claimed on the provincial Property Transfer Tax return at registration, while GST rebates are claimed from the Canada Revenue Agency or credited by the builder.