Two Homes in a Small Strata With Your Parents: How Votes, Fees and Council Work in BC (2026)

In a BC strata, each strata lot has one vote at a general meeting, so your family's 2 homes carry 2 votes: every vote in a duplex strata, 2 of 3 in a triplex and 2 of 4 in a fourplex. Fees are split by each home's unit entitlement, a number set when the strata plan is filed. A lawyer or notary reviews the strata documents, and our team can get them and read them with you.

How votes are counted

Section 53 of the Strata Property Act gives each strata lot one vote at a general meeting. Parents who own one home together share its vote, which is not counted if they tell the chair they disagree (section 57).

The Act defines three votes:

• Majority vote: more than 1/2 of the votes cast by voters present. It passes the budget (section 103).
• 3/4 vote: at least 3/4 of the votes cast by voters present. It passes a bylaw change (section 128) or a special levy (section 108).
• 80% vote: at least 80% of the votes of all eligible voters, present or not. It ends the strata (sections 272 and 277).

What your 2 homes can decide

With every lot voting, under the Standard Bylaws:

• Duplex, 2 lots: you hold both votes, so every vote passes when your family agrees.
• Triplex, 3 lots: 2 of 3 votes, or 67 percent. A majority vote passes. A 3/4 vote fails if the third owner votes no, and passes if that owner stays away or abstains. An 80% vote needs all 3 lots.
• Fourplex, 4 lots: 2 of 4 votes, or 50 percent. If the other two vote against you, a majority vote ties, and the president may break it (Standard Bylaw 27). A 3/4 vote needs 3 lots and an 80% vote all 4.

In our view, a family with half of a fourplex should expect to agree large costs with a neighbour.

Who sits on council

Standard Bylaw 9 puts all owners on council when the strata plan has fewer than 4 lots or the strata has fewer than 4 owners, and each lot then has one council vote (section 29).

• Duplex: your family is the whole council. Standard Bylaw 18 gives the president a tie-break only in a strata of more than 2 lots.
• Triplex: your 2 homes hold 2 of 3 council votes.
• Fourplex: voters elect a council of 3 to 7 (Standard Bylaw 9) at each annual meeting (section 25), with one owner per home at a time, so your family holds at most 2 seats. If the same people own both homes, ask your lawyer how that counts.

A strata can file its own bylaws instead, so read them.

How fees are split

Under section 99, each home pays its unit entitlement divided by the total for all homes, times the budget. Unit entitlement is the home's habitable area in square metres, one number for every home, or a number the Superintendent of Real Estate approves (section 246). It is on Form V, filed with the strata plan at the land title office.

For a new home, the company that created the strata must give you a 12-month budget with each home's monthly share before you sign (section 13). At least 10 percent of the operating budget goes to the contingency reserve fund, the strata's repair savings. A strata of 4 or fewer lots needs no depreciation report, a written repair plan, so ask how repairs are planned.

When owners disagree

The BC Civil Resolution Tribunal "has jurisdiction over most strata claims in BC, of any amount." A strata claim costs $125 online or $150 by email or mail, plus $100 for a final decision.

Who explains strata rules to buyers

People's Law School suggests having a lawyer or notary review the contract and strata documents before you offer, or making your offer subject to that review. On our team, Gary Paul, REALTOR®, Personal Real Estate Corporation, of Grand Central Realty, and Michael Lee, REALTOR®, Personal Real Estate Corporation, of eXp Realty, can get a home's bylaws, minutes, budget and Form B information certificate and read them with you. The Government of BC and the tribunal's free Solution Explorer also explain the rules.

Homes a family could buy together

On October 28, 2026, we counted 29 strata developments of 3 or 4 homes in Vancouver and Burnaby with two or more homes for sale at one address: 64 homes, in 22 developments of four homes and 7 of three, 14 in Vancouver and 15 in Burnaby. One of them, at 5953 Winch Street in Burnaby, is four detached homes on one lot. Listings that give no number of homes are left out. Neither Gary nor Michael lists any of the 64. Ask for the strata plan to confirm the number of lots.

See also what a half duplex is, half duplex or townhouse, a two-home strata and choosing the homes.

Questions buyers ask

Can my parents and I both sit on council?

Yes, in a strata of fewer than 4 lots.

Can our 2 homes outvote the other 2 in a fourplex?

No. A majority vote needs more than half, and 2 of 4 is half.

Who sets each home's share of the fees?

The company that creates the strata, when it files the plan. A new formula needs a unanimous vote (section 100).

Next step

Talk to our team to find two homes at one address and read their strata documents.

Sources

• BC Laws, Strata Property Act, Part 1, section 1: definitions of majority, 3/4, 80% and unanimous votes, and unit entitlement, current to October 27, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Laws, Strata Property Act, Part 3, section 13: interim budget, current to October 27, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Laws, Strata Property Act, Part 4, sections 25, 29, 53 and 57: council and votes, current to October 27, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Laws, Strata Property Act, Part 6, sections 99, 100, 103 and 108: fees, budget and special levies, current to October 27, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Laws, Strata Property Act, Part 7, section 128: bylaw changes, current to October 27, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Laws, Strata Property Act, Part 14, sections 245 and 246: Schedule of Unit Entitlement, current to October 27, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Laws, Strata Property Act, Part 16, sections 272 and 277: ending a strata, current to October 27, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Laws, Strata Property Act, Schedule of Standard Bylaws, bylaws 9, 18 and 27, current to October 27, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Laws, Strata Property Regulation, sections 3.01, 6.1, 6.22 and 14.11, current to October 27, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• Government of British Columbia, "The contingency reserve fund (CRF) in strata corporations", published April 22, 2024, read October 31, 2026.
• Government of British Columbia, "Strata depreciation report requirements", published November 12, 2025, read October 31, 2026.
• Government of British Columbia, "First time owners" (buying and selling strata), published January 21, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Civil Resolution Tribunal, Solution Explorer, "Strata Property", no date shown, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Civil Resolution Tribunal, "What kinds of claims can the CRT take?", updated October 2, 2026, read October 31, 2026.
• BC Civil Resolution Tribunal, "Fees", no date shown, read October 31, 2026.
• People's Law School, "Buying a condo or other strata", reviewed for legal accuracy November 2019, read October 31, 2026.
• MultiLiving count of Active MLS® listings in Vancouver and Burnaby marked Freehold Strata, in developments of 3 or 4 homes by the record's count of homes, another listing at the same street address, or the listing text, with two or more homes for sale at one street address. A home listed twice under two types is counted once. Counted October 31, 2026, 2:18 AM PT, from listings last updated October 28, 2026, 10:33 PM PT. Our copy of the MLS® listings holds homes built in 2025 or later.