Duplex 101 / 02
No Strata Fees on a Duplex: What It Really Means
By Sonia Felix, REALTOR® | byfelix.
Oakwyn Realty Downtown
The picture the listing paints
You see it on a listing. No strata fees. No monthly bill, no council, no meetings about the landscaping budget. You picture keeping that money every month, forever.
How duplexes in Vancouver are usually titled
When a duplex is built to be sold as two homes, it is almost always stratified. Each owner holds a strata lot, and the two owners together form a strata corporation under the Strata Property Act.
A two unit strata is still a strata. It is expected to hold an annual general meeting, approve a budget, and keep a contingency reserve fund. The main break small stratas get is on depreciation reports, which are only required once a strata has five or more lots.
Some duplexes are not stratified at all. They sit on a single title owned by two parties, or on a subdivided lot. Those have no strata structure and no fund requirement whatsoever.
Where "no fees" actually comes from
In practice, many two unit stratas never set a fee. The two owners each insure their side, handle their own repairs, and agree to deal with shared items when they come up.
That works until the roof over both units needs replacing, or the shared foundation, drainage or plumbing needs work. The cost did not disappear. It was deferred to a day with no plan and no fund, split between two owners who may or may not have saved.
Zero fees means zero forced saving
That is the real translation. A low monthly cost looks like a benefit on the listing. It becomes a liability the day a large bill arrives and one neighbour is ready to pay while the other is not.
What to do before you buy
Ask the seller for the strata plan, any bylaws, the minutes of the last meetings, the current budget, the contingency reserve balance and any written agreement between the owners. If none exist, that tells you something.
After you buy, set up a monthly contribution with your neighbour into a proper contingency fund, sized to the roof, envelope and shared systems. It protects you both, and at resale it reads as a well run building instead of an open question.
Set it up properly
There is a simple way to set this up that also makes the duplex worth more when you sell. Ask me how it works on any duplex you are considering.
Common questions
- Do duplexes in Vancouver have strata fees?
Many stratified duplexes list no fees because the two owners never set one. The strata corporation still exists, and BC law still expects a budget and a contingency reserve fund.
- Does a two unit strata need a depreciation report in BC?
No. Depreciation reports are required for stratas with five or more lots. A two unit strata is exempt from that requirement, but not from keeping a contingency reserve fund.
- What is a cost sharing agreement for a duplex?
It is a written agreement between the two owners setting out how shared costs are split, how much each contributes monthly, and how decisions get made. It is useful whether or not the duplex is a strata.