Renting a Strata Unit in Vancouver: What Move-In Rules Can the Strata Corporation Require?
by Platuni | 06 Oct, 2026 | 5 mins read
Platuni
06 October, 2026
5 mins read
1. A move-in fee needs a bylaw or rule, and a cost behind it
A strata has no general right to bill people for moving furniture. The power comes from the user-fee provisions: the amount must be reasonable and written into a bylaw or ratified rule, and the Regulation treats recovering operating or maintenance costs as a reasonable basis.
That standard has teeth. Civil Resolution Tribunal decisions summarised by strata law firms show move fees cancelled where the strata could point to no expense behind them, and others cut sharply, one reported $200 fee falling to $25.
2. BC lets the fee travel to the tenant, but only that fee
Section 7 of the Residential Tenancy Regulation lists the non-refundable fees a landlord may charge. One is "a move-in or move-out fee charged by a strata corporation to the landlord." A landlord billed by the strata can bill the same amount to the tenant.
Two limits keep this honest. The pass-through covers only what the strata actually charged, and the list is closed, so a landlord can't add an "administration fee" for handling the booking.
The list also covers a fee, not a deposit. Nothing in it lets a landlord collect a refundable strata move deposit from the tenant on top of the regular deposit, so treat that amount as the owner's cost.
3. Deposits: two caps, and several things you can't charge
A landlord may hold a security deposit of up to half of one month's rent, fixed at the starting rent. A pet damage deposit is separate and capped the same way, whatever the number of pets. Guide and service dogs are exempt from it.
The province's guidance lists what is off the table: application or screening fees, a monthly pet fee, and any charge for the tenant's first key or access device. Additional fobs can be charged only up to direct replacement cost.
Deposits also matter when a tenant damages the elevator. The strata can assess the owner, and the owner's recovery route is the security deposit, subject to the usual Residential Tenancy Branch rules.
4. Pets: the bylaw decides, and its age matters
A strata can regulate pets by bylaw. Provincial guidance says that includes banning pets, limiting their number, restricting species or size, requiring leashes, and requiring registration. Many stratas keep the standard bylaw of one dog or one cat per unit plus small caged animals and fish, and a tenant is bound as an owner is.
Timing matters. When a new pet bylaw passes, pets already in a unit can generally stay, but they can't be replaced unless the new animal meets the bylaw. Check the date of the bylaw, not only its content.
Certified guide and service dogs sit outside pet bylaws under the Guide Dog and Service Dog Act. Beyond those, human rights law can require a strata to accommodate an animal a resident needs for disability reasons. Treat that as an accommodation request, not a bylaw breach.
A lease can be stricter than the bylaw but never looser. Allowing a second dog in a one-dog building doesn't bind the strata.
5. Parking: check how the stall is held before you promise it
A BC stall is held in one of three ways. A stall in the strata lot transfers with the unit. Limited common property is owned by the strata but reserved for one lot, so the right attaches to the lot. A stall on ordinary common property is different: the strata can grant exclusive use for up to one year at a time under section 76, and that permission attaches to the owner, not the lot.
Leases go wrong on that last structure. An owner advertising "one parking stall included" on a year-by-year permission is promising something that may expire. Provincial parking guidance doesn't address tenant use directly, so the answer comes from the strata's records.
Substantive review means an editor checked this article against the current Strata Property Act and Regulation, the Residential Tenancy Regulation, and published provincial guidance on deposits, pets, and parking. The exact fee a strata charges, the wording and date of its pet bylaw, and how each parking stall is held depend on that strata corporation's own bylaws, rules, and records; verify current requirements with the strata manager, the strata corporation's records, or a BC strata property lawyer before relying on this for a specific tenancy. This is general information, not legal advice. Corrections: compliance@platuni.com
Frequently asked questions
Can my Vancouver strata charge my tenant a move-in fee?
Only a reasonable fee set out in a bylaw or ratified rule. You may then pass that fee to the tenant as a non-refundable charge.
Is there a cap on how much a strata can charge for a move?
No fixed dollar cap, but it must be reasonable and tied to a real cost. The Civil Resolution Tribunal has cut or cancelled unsupported fees.
How much deposit can I take from a Vancouver tenant?
Up to half of one month's rent as a security deposit and up to half of one month's rent as a pet damage deposit if a pet is allowed. Guide and service dogs are exempt from the pet deposit.
Can my strata ban my tenant's dog?
Often yes, if the bylaw limits dogs, since it binds tenants as well as owners. A pet already in the unit when a new bylaw passed can generally stay, and certified guide and service dogs are outside pet bylaws.
Does a tenant automatically get the unit's parking stall?
No. It depends on whether the stall is part of the lot, limited common property, or a one-year common property permission. Confirm with the strata's records and name the stall in the lease.
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