Craig Johnston Personal Real Estate Corporation · Brokerage: Royal LePage Elite West
Craig Johnston Personal Real Estate Corporation · Brokerage: Royal LePage Elite West
A Coquitlam condo or townhouse is two purchases in one: the unit itself, and a partial share of the building it sits in. The building’s liabilities become yours the day you close. Large special levies are not rare in 2026 — and many are visible in the strata documents months before the levy passes. Here’s how to read those documents in the seven days you have during subject removal.
4.9 across 37+ Google reviews Member of a Top 1% Team — GVR, 2023–2025 Tri-Cities resident 47+ yearsForm B (Information Certificate), depreciation report, contingency reserve fund balance, 2–3 years of council minutes, AGM/SGM minutes, bylaws, financial statements.
Roof, envelope, parkade membrane and elevator work are the common big-ticket levy items — the depreciation report shows the projected cost for the building you’re buying into.
There’s no single healthy number. Under-funded CRFs raise the odds of special levies. The depreciation report’s 30-year funding plan tells you how far behind the building actually is.
Repeated discussion of the same problem across multiple meetings, depreciation-report deferrals, insurance claim history, council infighting — these are louder signals than any single line item.
When you buy a Coquitlam condo or townhouse, you’re buying two things: the strata lot itself (your unit), and an undivided proportional interest in the common property of the building. Roof, envelope, parkade, hallways, elevator, lobby, mechanical systems, building insurance — all common property. You don’t own those individually. You own a share of them, and you share the cost when they need repair.
The strata corporation (technically incorporated under the BC Strata Property Act) is the legal vehicle that manages those shared liabilities on behalf of all owners. Monthly strata fees are how the corporation funds ongoing operations and contributes to the Contingency Reserve Fund (CRF). Special levies are how the corporation funds capital projects that exceed what the CRF can cover.
Here’s the part most buyers miss: the building’s deferred maintenance becomes your maintenance the day you close. A $40,000 special levy approved three months after you take possession is a $40,000 bill you owe. The seller is gone. You are the new owner. The lever you control — and the only one — is your subject-removal period, when you can still walk away.
Special levies are often visible in the strata documents months before they pass — which is why careful reading during subject removal matters.
Your subject-to-strata-document-review condition (standard in any well-written BC strata offer) entitles you to specific documents from the strata corporation. The listing agent will deliver them through a strata document service like StrataDocs or Crofton Moore. Here’s what each one is and what to look for.
The strata’s current-status snapshot: strata fees, special levies in effect, CRF balance, fines/arrears owed, parking and storage assignments, bylaws status.
30-year engineering forecast of every major component and its replacement cost. The single most important document for predicting future levy risk.
Often included in Form B and in financial statements. The actual savings account against future capital work. Compare to depreciation-report funding plan.
Where the building actually lives. Look for repeated discussion of the same problems, deferred maintenance, insurance issues, council friction, vendor disputes.
Owner-level decisions, including special-levy votes (passed and failed), bylaw amendments, depreciation-report deferrals, insurance disclosures.
Pet restrictions, age restrictions, rental restrictions (or lack thereof under new BC law), short-term rental policy, parking rules, BBQ rules, smoking rules.
Operating budget vs actuals, CRF transactions, insurance line items, accounts receivable (owners in arrears). Watch the trend.
Depreciation reports are long and dense. You don’t need to read every page. Skip to:
The subject removal post on this site covers the timeline of the 7-day window in detail. Strata-document review is the single most important task inside that window for any strata buyer.
None of these guarantee a levy is coming. All of them, in combination, mean you should walk in eyes open — or walk away.
If several of these are present, plan for the real possibility of a special levy in your first few years of ownership. Decide whether you can carry that cost on top of the purchase price before you waive subjects.
BC’s November 2022 amendments to the Strata Property Act removed most rental restrictions and age restrictions (except 55+ buildings registered as such). But individual stratas can still impose bylaws on:
Many stratas restrict pet count, pet weight and pet type. If your dog exceeds the cap, you may be required to remove it — even if the seller had a larger dog in the unit. Bylaw enforcement isn’t grandfathered to the previous owner.
Provincial law and most municipalities including Coquitlam have moved hard against short-term rentals (Airbnb/VRBO) in 2024–2025. Most strata bylaws now ban or heavily restrict them. If you planned to rent the unit out short-term as an investment, read the bylaw text carefully — and check the City of Coquitlam’s short-term rental rules separately.
Many stratas adopted "no smoking on common property, balconies, or in units" bylaws in 2018–2020. If you smoke, read this carefully — enforcement varies but bylaw fines do stick.
Parking stalls and storage lockers may be: (a) part of your strata lot (owned), (b) common property assigned by long-term lease, or (c) common property assigned at the discretion of the strata council. Type (c) means the council can theoretically reassign your spot. Form B tells you which type yours is. Verify before close.
Many stratas charge a move-in fee and may require a damage deposit. Trivial on its own but worth noting before you book the movers.
Strata fee per square foot is the comparison number used across listings, but the headline number alone tells you nothing. The decomposition matters:
For example, a $0.55/sq ft fee with 40% going to CRF is healthier than a $0.40/sq ft fee with 10% going to CRF. The cheap-fee building looks attractive on listing day but can point to special levies down the road.
Compare the headline fee against three things: the comparable buildings on the same block, the depreciation-report funding plan, and the CRF balance. If your target building’s fee looks 25% lower than the comparables and its CRF balance is below the recommended funding plan, the difference is the levy you’ll pay later. Cheaper fees aren’t a deal — they’re a financing structure.
You’ve read the documents. The CRF is thin, the depreciation report shows roof and envelope work in year 4 with $1.2M projected, and the 30-year funding plan says owners are contributing 60% of the recommended amount. You have three moves.
Subject removal is a one-way door. Before you walk through it, you can withdraw without penalty (some boilerplate language permitting). If the future levy risk plus the headline price exceeds what comparable healthier buildings cost, walking is rational. The next buyer will discover the same documents you did.
Quantify the expected levy exposure (depreciation report makes this much easier than buyers realize). Take it back to the seller as a price reduction. Many reasonable sellers will consider a reduction tied to documented capital exposure, especially in a buyer’s market. Document your reasoning in the addendum.
Sometimes the unit, location, or price is right enough that absorbing the levy risk makes sense — you wanted that specific townhouse, you can carry an $30K levy in year 3, you’re holding 10+ years. If you choose this, write the expected levy into your own budget. Don’t pretend it’s not coming.
Which option is right for your file depends on your timeline, your cash position, and the local market. That’s the kind of judgment call that’s easier with a second set of eyes — a 20-minute strategy call is the fastest way to talk it through before subject removal closes.
BC strata regulation is governed by provincial statute and ongoing amendment. The most important sources for any buyer:
Methodology: Fee ranges and levy band estimates are illustrative based on typical Coquitlam buildings and current market conditions. Every strata is different — this guide is education and does not replace the document-by-document review of the specific building you’re buying into. For a property-specific read on strata risk during subject removal, talk to a REALTOR® who reviews strata documents for a living, or pay a strata-document review service.
I review strata documents on every condo or townhouse deal I write — because reading them carefully during subject removal is the best protection a buyer has against a special-levy surprise. If you’re considering a Coquitlam townhouse or condo and want a second set of eyes on the documents before you waive, book a 20-minute strategy call here.
The pages below cover the rest of the Coquitlam buyer’s decision stack.
Live MLS® of Coquitlam townhouse inventory across Burke Mountain, Westwood, and central Coquitlam.
SkyTrain corridor, Town Centre, and Burquitlam condo inventory.
The 7-day window where you read the strata docs. Day-by-day checklist.
What you actually qualify for after the federal stress test. Worked Coquitlam examples.
The full pillar — everything a stretching-into-first-home Coquitlam buyer needs.
Should you go subject-free on a strata in 2026? The risk math.
The full Coquitlam buyer playbook — pillar page.
Side-by-side comparison — townhomes vs condos vs detached at $1.2M.
What to look for when choosing a realtor in 2026 — especially one who actually reads strata docs.
A 20-minute call walks the depreciation report, CRF, and recent minutes with you — while there’s still time to negotiate or walk. Getting a strata wrong can be expensive for years. The call is free.
Craig Johnston, REALTOR® (BCFSA Licence #187645) · Royal LePage Elite West · 604-202-6092
About the author
9+ year Burke Mountain resident, 47+ year Tri-Cities native, Member of a Top 1% Team — Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, 2023–2025, Member of a Top 2% Team — Royal LePage nationwide, 2023–2025, Member of a Medallion Club Team, 2021–2025, with Royal LePage Elite West. BCFSA Licence #187645, regulated by the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA).
Specializes in Coquitlam, Burke Mountain, Westwood Plateau, Heritage Mountain, Port Moody, Anmore acreage, and Belcarra Indian Arm waterfront. Move-up family representation, first-time buyer guidance, $2M+ luxury.
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