How Home Size Is Measured in BC: Square Footage Explained

The square footage in a listing is one of the first numbers buyers compare, but BC has no single required way to measure a home, so two honest figures for the same place can differ. Here is where the numbers come from, why they disagree, and how to check a home's size before you rely on it.

The short version

Why the numbers don't match

The same home can carry several sizes, each measured for its own purpose:

• The listing. The figure the seller's REALTOR® advertises, which may come from a measuring company, the agent's own tape, the strata plan or builder's plans.
• The strata plan. Each strata lot's area as shown on the plan filed at the Land Title Office.
• The builder's figure. The size in a brochure or floor plan, which may include space outside the strata lot.
• BC Assessment. The floor areas in its property records, gathered for its assessments.

They differ because they measure from different points, count different spaces or were taken at different times. As an example with made-up figures, one floor of a house measuring 30 by 40 feet outside is 1,200 square feet; with walls 6 inches thick, the same floor measured inside the walls is 29 by 39 feet, or 1,131 square feet, almost 6% less.

The Residential Measurement Standard is Alberta's

The Residential Measurement Standard comes from Alberta, where the Real Estate Council of Alberta requires real estate licensees to use it when they measure and advertise homes; it doesn't bind builders. Its main rules:

• Where to measure. Houses at the exterior walls, at the foundation; apartment condos paint to paint, along the inside surface of the perimeter walls.
• Above grade only. Only levels entirely above grade count toward the RMS area. Basement space can be shown separately if it is clearly labelled.
• Ceiling height. At least 2.13 metres (7 feet); under a sloped ceiling, floor area with at least 1.52 metres (5 feet) of headroom counts if part of the room reaches full height. Open areas with no floor, such as vaulted space, aren't counted.
• Accuracy. Within 2% of the RMS size.

BC has no equivalent rule, so listings for similar homes in Calgary and Coquitlam may not be measured the same way, especially where there is a basement.

How BC REALTORS® are expected to measure

BCFSA, which regulates real estate licensees in BC, says inaccurate measurement is a common area of complaint. It notes that more than one standard can be applied, asks licensees to follow their market's usual practice, and gives one example:

• Floor area. Based on the building's exterior dimensions at each floor level, including interior walls, and for attached homes, measured to the centre line of the common walls. A garage within the building's footprint is netted out.
• Finished area. An enclosed area suitable for year-round use, with walls, floors and ceilings similar to the rest of the house. Garages are excluded.
• Hard spots. Oddly shaped rooms, rooms under a sloping roof and basements are hard to measure, and unlike the RMS, BCFSA's guidance sets no ceiling height below which space stops counting.

BCFSA also says advertising statements must be current, accurate and verifiable, and a statement that could be read in different ways needs its meaning spelled out in plain language or a disclaimer. If you are selling, ask your REALTOR® how your home will be measured, what the figure will include and where it will come from.

Strata lots: the plan, the brochure and the tape measure

• The area. The Strata Property Act requires the strata plan to show each strata lot's area in square metres, and a BC land surveyor endorses the plan. To convert, multiply by 10.764: 75 m² is about 807 square feet.
• The boundaries. Unless the plan shows otherwise, a strata lot's boundary runs midway through the walls, floors and ceilings that separate it from its neighbours and the common property. BCFSA notes that strata lots are usually measured from the centre line of the demising walls.
• Habitable area. Where unit entitlement is based on size, a BC land surveyor works it out from habitable area, the area that can be lived in, leaving out patios, balconies, garages, parking stalls and storage other than closets.

Builders' figures need a closer look. BCFSA warns that developers have in many cases made strata lots look bigger by including balconies, large patios and even parking stalls, so check the plan for a note that its areas include them. A stall or locker can also be part of the strata lot, adding its area to the lot's total; I explain how stalls are held in Parking Stalls and Storage Lockers. BCFSA suggests listing limited common property, such as a balcony or parking spaces set aside for your exclusive use, separately from the strata lot's size. Plans have occasionally been wrong, for example when a builder departed from them, so BCFSA advises licensees to physically measure the unit.

What BC Assessment's figures are for

BC Assessment's property details include first floor area, second floor area and basement finish area. It gathers them from owners, inspections, municipal permit information, building plans and imagery, so they may not reflect a recent renovation, and it encourages owners to review them after renovating or finishing a basement. Owners can submit corrections, which aren't appeals.

The figures exist for assessment, not to guarantee size. In a 1998 BC Supreme Court case, a buyer relied on BC Assessment's record of 309 acres; a survey after closing showed 258.5 acres, and the buyer lost. BCREA's lesson: don't rely on BC Assessment for a property's accurate size. I explain how assessed value differs from market value in BC Assessment vs Market Value.

What a listing does and doesn't promise

Listing information on the MLS® System generally carries a disclaimer that it isn't guaranteed and should be checked if it matters to you. Every REALTOR® who supplies MLS® information is still responsible for its accuracy, but the disclaimer shapes what a court expects of you:

• Saberi v. Angell Hasman & Associates (2008). A listing put a lot in the wrong size range. The BC Supreme Court dismissed the buyer's claim because he hadn't reasonably relied on it: he never discussed lot size with the listing REALTOR®, he could view the property, and the MLS® disclaimer was a clear warning.
• Manarin v. Stelmaschuk (2010). A listing showed 2,669 square feet, a total that included an unfinished loft over the garage; the buyer, a former REALTOR®, measured 2,274. The BC Provincial Court dismissed his claim, applying "buyer beware" and treating a home's size as an obvious point for a buyer to check.

Outcomes turn on the facts, and BCFSA notes that quoting figures from inaccurate plans has cost some licensees substantial damages. A claim generally depends on what was said, whether you reasonably relied on it, any disclaimer, your contract and whether you lost money.

How to check the size before you buy

• Ask for the source. Local board rules require it in the REALTOR® Remarks, which your agent can check. Who measured, when and how? Does the total include a basement, a loft or space under sloped ceilings?
• Compare with the strata plan. Check the strata lot's area, any notes on what it includes, and which balconies, patios and parking stalls are limited common property.
• Measure. Measure the rooms that matter to you, or hire a measuring company. Where furniture must fit a room, BCFSA says a buyer's agent should independently verify the listing agent's measurements.
• Use the contract. If size matters, make your offer subject to confirming it, and if the price depends on size, ask your lawyer or notary about a warranty as to area in the Contract of Purchase and Sale.

If a home turns out materially smaller than advertised after completion, talk to a lawyer promptly. If you believe a licensee broke professional rules or standards, you can raise a concern with BCFSA, though it doesn't regulate disputes between buyers and sellers.

Questions buyers and sellers often ask me

Does BC use the Residential Measurement Standard?

Not as a requirement. The RMS is Alberta's standard, required there for real estate licensees. BC has no single mandatory standard, and BCFSA says more than one can be applied.

Why doesn't my condo's listed size match the strata plan?

They may be measured differently. The strata plan shows the lot's area in square metres, generally to the middle of its walls, while a listing or builder's figure may include balconies, patios or parking.

Is the basement included in a home's square footage?

It depends on who measured. Alberta's RMS leaves below-grade space out of the main figure, but BC has no such rule, so a listing's total may include a finished basement. Ask how each level was counted.

Can I rely on BC Assessment's floor area?

Treat it as a reference only. BC Assessment gathers its details for its assessments, they may not reflect recent renovations, and BCREA's legal commentary warns against relying on them for size.

What can I do if the home turns out smaller than advertised?

Talk to a lawyer promptly. Any claim turns on the facts, including whether you reasonably relied on the figure and lost money, and in some cases BC courts have expected buyers to check size themselves.

Buying a condo or townhouse? Read the strata documents to read first, see how subject clauses work, or find out how size feeds into a comparative market analysis.

This article is general information, not legal advice. The details come from BCFSA's guidance on property measurements and advertising, the Strata Property Act and Regulation, BC Assessment, BCREA's Legally Speaking case summaries and the Real Estate Council of Alberta, and were current at the time of writing; the wall example uses made-up figures. For BCFSA's guidance, see property measurements.