Duplex and Multiplex Listing Terms, Explained for BC Buyers

A duplex or multiplex listing in BC uses a short set of words that decide what you own, what you pay each month and when you can move in. "1/2 Duplex" means one of the two homes in a building, "strata" means you share a building with neighbours under a strata corporation, and a year built of 2027 on a listing usually means the home is still being built.

Where it helps, we counted how often a word appears in our own copy of the MLS® listing feed. On October 8, 2026, that copy held 637 new homes for sale in Vancouver (507) and Burnaby (130). Our copy keeps only homes built in 2025 or later, so every count here describes new homes.

Home type words: 1/2 Duplex, Townhouse, Row House

The home type tells you how the building is shared.

1/2 Duplex (Half Duplex). You buy one of the two homes in one building. The halves can sit side by side, front and back, or one above the other, and the type does not say which. See our guide to up-and-down and side-by-side duplexes. On October 8, 399 of the 637 new homes for sale in Vancouver and Burnaby were half duplexes.

Townhouse. A home in a group of attached homes, from a fourplex up to a large complex. There were 218 on October 8.

Where are the triplexes and fourplexes? No new listings use a type for them. Our import asks the feed for "Triplex" and "Quadruplex" listings, and on October 8 it held zero new homes under either name. A fourplex home shows up as a Half Duplex or a Townhouse. The clue is a separate field for how many homes are in the development: 51 half duplex listings and 45 townhouse listings in Vancouver and Burnaby gave a count of 4.

Row House (Non-Strata). Only 1 new home in Vancouver or Burnaby used this type on October 8. Across every city in our feed there were 20, and 2 of those listed strata ownership with a monthly strata fee. Read the ownership line on every listing. The same goes for the 19 new homes in the two cities filed as "Single Family Residence": all 19 listed strata ownership.

Ownership words: Strata, Freehold, Fee simple, Bare land strata

The ownership line tells you what your title covers and whether you share decisions with neighbours. On October 8, 532 of the 637 new homes in Vancouver and Burnaby were "Freehold Strata," 103 were "Freehold NonStrata" and 2 were "Leasehold prepaid-Strata."

Strata. Your home is a strata lot. You own it, and you share the building's common parts, such as the roof, outside walls and yard, with the other owners through a strata corporation. Of the 399 new half duplexes, 312 were listed as strata.

Freehold and fee simple. The Land Title and Survey Authority (LTSA), which runs BC's land title offices, explains that ownership of land is also known as fee simple ownership, and the title lists the owners. A strata lot is owned in fee simple too. When a listing says "fee simple" or "Freehold NonStrata," it almost always means the home has no strata corporation. A non-strata half duplex usually sits on its own lot, with a shared wall agreement between the two owners. Our post on strata and non-strata duplexes covers insurance, repairs and decisions for each.

Bare land strata. BC's Strata Property Act defines a bare land strata plan as one where the lot lines are set by survey markers on the ground instead of by the floors, walls or ceilings of a building. In practice you own a piece of land and the home on it, and you share things like a private road. It is rare here: 2 of the 1,309 new homes in every city in our feed used it on October 8, and none were in Vancouver or Burnaby.

Leasehold. The same Act defines a leasehold strata plan as one where the land is subject to a ground lease: you buy the home for the length of a long lease, and someone else owns the land. Two new Vancouver homes were listed this way. Ask your lawyer when the lease ends.

Strata fee: $0

A strata fee of $0 on a new strata home means no monthly fee has been entered on the listing. The shared costs still exist. Of the 312 new strata half duplexes for sale in Vancouver and Burnaby on October 8, 281 showed a fee of $0, 28 showed a fee above $0 and 3 left it blank.

Section 92 of the Strata Property Act says the strata corporation must set up an operating fund for yearly costs and a contingency reserve fund for costs that come less often, and the owners must pay into both through strata fees. Section 13 says the seller of a new strata home must prepare an interim budget for the first 12 months, with each strata lot's monthly share, and give a copy to each buyer before the buyer signs.

Our advice: on any new strata home that lists $0, ask for that interim budget before you write an offer. Our page on strata fees for multiplex homes shows what owners in larger buildings pay.

Suite words: Legal, Unauthorized, Licensed, Lock-off, Flex

Secondary suite. The BC government describes a secondary suite as a private, self-contained living space within the main home, with its own living space, kitchen, sleeping area and washroom. The main home and the suite are one property and cannot be sold separately.

Legal Suite, Unauthorized Suite, Licensed Suite. The listing agent picks these values from a list. Here is how the 399 new half duplexes in Vancouver and Burnaby filled the field on October 8:

• 66 included "Legal Suite"
• 17 included "Unauthorized Suite"
• 1 said "Licensed Suite"
• 119 said "None"
• 8 said "Other"
• 190 left it blank

Two listings ticked both "Legal Suite" and "Unauthorized Suite"; ask which space is which. "Licensed Suite" does not say which licence it means, so ask to see it.

A suite becomes legal through the city. The City of Burnaby's secondary suite page says an owner must meet the city's rules and the BC Building Code, get the city's approvals and pass inspections, and must get a business licence to rent the suite while not living on the property. Burnaby also says the Building Code does not allow a secondary suite in a duplex where one home sits on top of the other.

BCFSA, the province's real estate regulator, tells buyers in its guide to misleading real estate advertising to verify the legal status of any "mortgage helper" suite and its ability to produce rental income. Treat an unauthorized suite as extra living space for your family, and keep its rent out of your budget until the city confirms it.

Lock-off. A lock-off is a part of the home with its own outside door, its own bathroom and usually a small kitchen, joined to the main home by a door that locks. Our lock-off suite guide shows how families use one. The suite field has no lock-off value, so you find it in the description and the floor plan.

Flex. Sellers use this word for a room or area that can serve more than one purpose, such as a den, an office or a guest space. Read the floor plan for the size, the window, the closet and the door before you count it as a bedroom. In our view, a family that needs one more bedroom should pay for one on the plan instead of counting on a flex room.

Coach house and laneway house

A coach house or laneway house is a small separate home at the back of the property, usually next to the lane. The BC government lists a laneway home as one kind of accessory dwelling unit: a private, self-contained home on the same property, with its own kitchen, bedroom and washroom. The feed has a field for the area of a detached second home, and only 4 of the 637 new listings filled it on October 8. If a listing mentions one, confirm in writing what the sale includes: the main home, the laneway home, or both.

Timing words: Pre-sale, Under construction, Year built

These words tell you when you move in. In our view, they matter more than any other line, because a pre-sale changes your mortgage timing, your deposit and your moving plans.

Pre-sale. You agree to buy a home before it is finished, and you pay a deposit now and the rest on completion. Ask how the deposit is held and what happens if the home is late, before you sign.

Under Construction. On October 8, 118 of the 637 new listings carried this condition value.

Year built. On a finished home, this is the year it was completed. On a home still being built, the feed uses it for the year the seller expects the home to be done. On October 8 the 637 listings showed:

• 2025: 125 homes
• 2026: 477 homes
• 2027: 30 homes
• 2028: 5 homes

Of the 35 homes with a 2027 or 2028 year, 30 were also marked "Under Construction." A future year is an estimate; your purchase contract holds the dates that count.

Size words: Finished floor area, main, above, below

Finished floor area is the indoor living space, in square feet. The feed splits it by level: main, above main, a second level above main, below main and basement. In all 637 listings on October 8, the levels added up exactly to the total. The split tells you more than the total: 301 of the 637 listings had finished space on a third level, 159 had space below the main floor and 68 listed a finished basement. Space below the main floor may sit partly underground, so ask about ceiling height and windows. Our guide on reading a multiplex floor plan helps you match the numbers to rooms.

Half bath. A half bath has a toilet and a sink and no tub or shower. 468 of the 637 listings had at least one.

Money words: GST included, plus GST

GST is the federal sales tax that applies to the price of a new home. The Canada Revenue Agency lists the GST rate in British Columbia as 5%. On a $1,200,000 home, 5% is $60,000, so "plus GST" changes the amount you need to arrange by that much.

The feed has a yes or no field for whether GST is included in the price. On October 8, 6 of the 637 listings said yes, 463 said no and 168 left it blank. Treat a blank as unknown and ask. Some buyers can get part of the GST back through rebates; our GST guide for new multiplex homes explains who qualifies.

Sale words: Days on market, As is where is, Court-ordered sale, Assignment

Days on market. This is the number of days a home has been listed for sale. Buyers use it to judge how much room there is to negotiate. The BC feed we copy has no days on market field, so ask your agent for the full listing history of the address.

As is where is. The seller sells the home in its present condition and promises nothing about repairs. BC already starts from a "buyer beware" rule: the Civil Resolution Tribunal wrote in Wenzel v. Kurtagic, 2022 BCCRT 413 that a buyer is required to make reasonable enquiries about the property. None of the 637 new listings used the phrase in their public description on October 8.

Subject to court approval, or court-ordered sale. A court must approve the sale before it completes, often after a lender has started foreclosure. Clicklaw's foreclosure guide explains that the buyer's offer goes to a court hearing, where other offers can compete. A later post will cover these sales in detail.

Assignment. The first buyer of a pre-sale home sells their contract to you before the home is finished. You take over their contract and pay them for it. BC's home flipping tax applies to profit from selling a pre-sale contract within 730 days, at 20% within the first 365 days, and that cost falls on the person selling the contract. Have your lawyer check that the original contract allows an assignment.

What this comes down to

• Read the ownership line before the home type. A type name can say "Non-Strata" while the ownership says strata.
• Triplex and fourplex homes appear as Half Duplex or Townhouse. Look for the count of homes in the development.
• A $0 strata fee on a new strata home is a missing number. Ask for the interim budget the law requires.
• "Legal Suite" is the seller's statement. Check it with the city before you count on rent.
• A year built of 2027 or 2028 is an estimate. Your contract holds the dates.
• A blank GST field means unknown. On a $1,200,000 home, the difference is $60,000.

Frequently asked questions

What does 1/2 duplex mean on a listing?

It means you are buying one of the two homes in one building. The halves can be side by side, front and back, or one above the other, and the listing type does not say which. On October 8, 2026, 399 of the 637 new homes for sale in Vancouver and Burnaby in our MLS® copy were half duplexes.

What is the difference between strata and freehold on a listing?

"Freehold Strata" means you own a strata lot and share the building's common parts with other owners through a strata corporation. "Freehold NonStrata" means there is no strata corporation, and a half duplex usually has a shared wall agreement instead. On October 8, 2026, 312 new half duplexes were strata and 87 were not.

What does fee simple mean in BC?

Fee simple is the legal name for ownership of land in BC, as the Land Title and Survey Authority explains. A strata lot is also owned in fee simple. On a listing, "fee simple" almost always means the home has no strata corporation, so you handle insurance and repairs with your neighbour under a written agreement.

What is a legal suite?

It is a self-contained living space inside the home, with its own kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area, that the city has approved. The listing value is the seller's statement. BCFSA tells buyers to verify a suite's legal status and its ability to produce rent before relying on it. On October 8, 2026, 66 new half duplexes included the value.

What does unauthorized suite mean on a listing?

It means the seller says the suite does not have the city's approval. Use the space for your family, and leave its rent out of your budget until the city confirms the suite. On October 8, 2026, 17 of 399 new half duplexes for sale in Vancouver and Burnaby included this value.

Why does a strata duplex show a $0 strata fee?

It means no monthly fee was entered on the listing. BC's Strata Property Act requires owners to fund an operating fund and a reserve fund, and requires the seller of a new strata home to give buyers an interim budget before they sign. On October 8, 2026, 281 of 312 new strata half duplexes showed $0.

What does year built 2027 mean on a home for sale?

It usually means the home is still being built and the seller expects it to be finished in 2027. On October 8, 2026, 30 new homes in Vancouver and Burnaby showed 2027 and 5 showed 2028. Of those 35, 30 were also marked "Under Construction." Your purchase contract holds the binding dates.

What is a lock-off suite?

A lock-off is part of a home with its own outside door, bathroom and usually a small kitchen, joined to the main home by a locking door. Families use it for parents, grown children or rental income. The MLS® suite field has no lock-off value, so look for it in the description and on the floor plan.

What does plus GST mean on a new home?

It means the 5% federal GST is added on top of the listed price. On a $1,200,000 home, that is $60,000 more. On October 8, 2026, only 6 of 637 new listings in Vancouver and Burnaby said GST was included, and 168 left the field blank, so always ask.

Why is a fourplex home listed as a townhouse?

No new listings in the BC feed use a triplex or fourplex type, so those homes appear as Half Duplex or Townhouse. A separate field gives the number of homes in the development. On October 8, 2026, 51 half duplex and 45 townhouse listings in Vancouver and Burnaby gave a count of 4.

What does days on market mean?

It is the number of days a home has been listed for sale, and buyers use it to judge how much room there is to negotiate. The BC feed we copy does not include this number, so ask your agent for the listing history of any home, including earlier listings of the same address.

What is an assignment in real estate?

An assignment is when the first buyer of a pre-sale home sells their purchase contract to you before the home is finished. You take over their contract with the seller. BC's home flipping tax charges the person selling the contract 20% of their net taxable income if they sell within 365 days of signing.

General information only. Definitions come from the sources linked above, as we read them in October 2026, and the GST example is made up to show the math. This is not legal, tax or mortgage advice; ask an independent real estate lawyer to review any contract before you sign.

Want help reading a listing? Browse new duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes on our site, or talk to our team and we will go through the listing words with you line by line.