Bare Land Stratas: Owning a House in a Strata

A bare land strata can look just like a street of detached houses, but each home sits on a strata lot, with a strata corporation, strata fees and bylaws. Here is what you own, who maintains and insures what, and what to check before you buy one in BC.

The short version

What a bare land strata is

Under BC's Strata Property Act, a bare land strata plan sets the boundaries of the strata lots on a horizontal plane by survey markers, not by the floors, walls or ceilings of a building. Each strata lot is a parcel of land, and the house on it is usually part of the lot. The Province calls these strata subdivisions, and as with a subdivision, an approving officer has to approve the plan before it is deposited at the land title office. Unlike other strata plans, it doesn't have to show where the buildings on the lots sit.

The Province's example is a group of single family homes that can look identical to the houses across the street. What sets them apart is the strata, which is usually responsible for the long-term repair and maintenance of infrastructure such as roads, water, electricity and sewage, and sometimes runs a clubhouse. The strata plan should be clearly labelled as a bare land plan, and it usually shows the lot lines and any common property buildings, not the outline of each house. If the plan shows the houses, the Province notes, the development may not be bare land and the exteriors may be common property, which is a question for a lawyer.

Bare land, building strata or freehold?

• Freehold. You own the land and the house, with no strata corporation, strata fees or strata bylaws.
• Building strata. The lots are defined by walls, floors and ceilings. Under the Standard Bylaws, the strata repairs the structure and exterior, including windows, doors and balconies. Under the Act, it insures the buildings on the strata plan and the fixtures the developer installed.
• Bare land strata. You own and look after your lot and usually the house, while the strata runs the common property, collects fees and enforces the bylaws, and the owners vote at general meetings.

My guide Freehold or Strata? compares every kind of ownership.

Who owns and maintains what

The common property is the land and buildings on the strata plan that aren't part of a strata lot. The owners own it together as tenants in common, in shares based on unit entitlement, and the strata must repair and maintain it and the common assets.

• Your lot and house. Under Standard Bylaw 2, you repair and maintain your strata lot. Standard Bylaw 8 makes the strata responsible for the structure and exterior of strata lots only in plans that aren't bare land plans, so the roof, siding and windows are generally yours.
• Lines that cross your lot. Pipes and wires inside a lot can be common property if they serve another lot or the common property, and the Province notes that registered easements are required so the strata can enter a lot to install, repair, maintain or replace them.
• Bylaws can shift duties. A strata can take on the repair and maintenance of specified parts of the lots by bylaw, or make owners responsible for limited common property they have the right to use.

Insurance: the strata's policy and yours

Every strata must insure its common property, its common assets and the buildings shown on the strata plan, for full replacement value against major perils such as fire, windstorm and water escape, and carry at least $2 million in liability insurance. The rule that also makes a strata insure the fixtures the developer installed on each lot doesn't apply to a bare land strata plan.

• Your house, your policy. A bare land plan generally doesn't show the houses, so the strata's policy usually covers the common property, not your home. The Act lets the owner of a bare land strata lot insure the buildings and fixtures on it, and CMHC notes that property insurance must be in place on the day you close the sale.
• Deductibles. The strata's deductible is a common expense, but the strata can sue an owner who is responsible for the loss to recover it. I explain how your own policy can help in Condo Insurance in BC.

Bylaws and design rules

The Standard Bylaws apply except where a strata has filed its own, and under them you don't need the strata's approval to alter your house: Standard Bylaw 5, which requires written approval before an owner changes the structure or exterior of a building, doesn't apply to a lot in a bare land strata plan.

But bylaws can provide for the control, management, maintenance, use and enjoyment of the strata lots, not just the common property, so a bare land strata's own bylaws can set design rules for your lot, for example on exterior changes, fences or landscaping. An amendment needs a 3/4 vote at a general meeting and takes effect once it is filed at the land title office, and in a new bare land strata, the bylaws can't be amended before the second annual general meeting unless all eligible voters approve. Ask your lawyer or notary to explain anything registered on title, such as a covenant.

For what bylaws can say about rentals, pets and age, see Strata Bylaws in BC.

Strata fees, the reserve fund and depreciation reports

Strata fees pay into the operating fund, for expenses that usually come up once a year or more often, and the contingency reserve fund, for less frequent ones. Your share is normally based on your lot's unit entitlement, which in a bare land strata must be the same whole number for every lot or a number approved by the Superintendent of Real Estate, not the lot's habitable area.

• The reserve fund. Every strata must contribute at least 10% of its operating fund budget to the reserve each year.
• Depreciation reports. Stratas with five or more lots, bare land included, need one at least every five years, and owners can no longer vote to put it off. Only stratas with fewer than five lots are exempt. In Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, a strata created before July 1, 2024 without a report since December 31, 2020 had to get one before July 1, 2026.
• What it covers. A 30-year look at the common property, including roadways, the common assets and any parts of the lots the strata is responsible for, so usually not your house.
• Special levies. If the reserve falls short when a road needs repaving, a special levy generally needs a 3/4 vote.

Low fees aren't always a bargain: roads and water lines are costly to replace, so compare the report's recommendations with the reserve balance. Each lot, with its share of the common property, is also assessed and taxed as its own parcel.

The Form B and other documents

Ask for the strata's Form B Information Certificate before you remove subjects. The strata must provide it within one week of a request, for no more than $35 plus up to 25 cents a page. It shows the strata fees, money the seller owes, approved special levies, the reserve balance, unfiled bylaw changes, legal proceedings, work orders and a summary of the strata's insurance, with the rules, the budget and the latest depreciation report attached.

• The insurance summary. It describes the strata's policy, which in a bare land strata usually doesn't include your house.
• The bylaws. They aren't attached, so ask for them, along with the minutes and financial statements.

I go through the full package in the strata documents to read first.

Financing a home in a bare land strata

• Strata fees count. For insured mortgages, CMHC includes half of any condominium fees, which in BC means strata fees, in the debt service ratios that set how much you can borrow. How Much House Can You Afford? explains how they work.
• Insure the house early. Your own policy usually has to cover the house, and it must be in place on completion day, so get a quote during your subject period.

Questions buyers often ask me

What is a bare land strata in BC?

A strata whose lots are defined by survey markers, not by walls and floors. You own your lot and usually the house, and the strata looks after shared property such as roads and service lines.

Who insures the house in a bare land strata?

Usually you do. The strata insures the common property, common assets and buildings shown on the strata plan, and a bare land plan generally doesn't show the houses, so arrange your own policy from the day you complete.

Does a bare land strata need a depreciation report?

Yes, if it has five or more lots. It must get one at least every five years, and only stratas with fewer than five lots are exempt.

Can a bare land strata tell me what I can do with my house?

It can, through its bylaws. Under the Standard Bylaws you don't need the strata's approval to alter your house, but a strata can file its own bylaws that set rules for the lots, so read them before you remove subjects.

Do I pay strata fees and property taxes?

Yes. Strata fees pay for the common property and the reserve fund, and your lot, with its share of the common property, is assessed and taxed as its own parcel.

Ready to start looking? Browse my featured listings or read From Offer to Keys.

This article is general information, not legal advice. The rules come from the Strata Property Act and Strata Property Regulation and the Province's strata pages, current at the time of writing, and every strata's plan and bylaws differ. For the Province's overview, see kinds of stratas.