British Columbia Landlord Compliance · Return a deposit
Renting a Strata Unit in Vancouver: What Move-In Rules Can the Strata Corporation Require?
A Vancouver owner books the freight elevator for a tenant's Saturday move-in and gets a $200 move-in fee from the strata manager. In BC that fee can go on the tenant's bill, which surprises landlords used to Ontario rules. The catch is that the strata has to be able to defend the fee, and many cannot.
Written by PlatuniThe short answer
- 1.A BC strata can charge a move-in or move-out fee only as a user fee for common property, and the amount must be reasonable and set out in a bylaw or ratified rule. [Strata Property Act, R.S.B.C. 1998, c. 43, s.110; Strata Property Regulation, B.C. Reg. 43/2000, s.6.9]
- 2.Unlike Ontario, BC lets a landlord pass a strata's move fee on to the tenant. The Residential Tenancy Regulation lists it as a permitted non-refundable fee with no dollar cap of its own. [Residential Tenancy Regulation, B.C. Reg. 477/2003, s.7(1)(f)]
- 3.Deposits are a different matter. A landlord can take a security deposit of up to half of one month's rent and a separate pet damage deposit of up to half of one month's rent. Application fees and monthly pet fees are not allowed. [Residential Tenancy Act, S.B.C. 2002, c. 78, ss.19-20]
- 4.A strata pet bylaw can ban pets, cap their number, or restrict their type, and it binds tenants too. It cannot reach certified guide and service dogs, and human rights law can require accommodation of other assistance animals. [Strata Property Act, Part 5 (bylaws and rules); Guide Dog and Service Dog Act]
- 5.Whether a tenant gets a parking stall depends on how it is held. A stall in the strata lot or limited common property goes with the unit; a common property stall rests on a permission that attaches to the owner and lasts up to a year. [Strata Property Act, s.76]
- 6.The Form K duty still applies: bylaws, rules, and Form K to the tenant, and a signed copy to the strata within two weeks. [Strata Property Act, s.146]
This Covers
- · Why a move-in fee a landlord can legally pass on may still be one the strata can't defend
- · Which deposits a landlord can take and which fees are shut out
- · How a parking stall's structure and a pet bylaw's age change what you can promise in a lease
Usually Exempt
- · Rental restrictions and the 2022 end of rental caps, covered in Platuni's separate Vancouver rental-restrictions guide
- · Tenant registration and the Form K filing in detail, covered in Platuni's separate Vancouver tenant-registration guide
- · Fines and violation enforcement after move-in, covered in Platuni's separate Vancouver tenant-violations guide
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.
Do this instead
Ask the strata manager for the bylaw or rule number that authorises the move fee, and for a short note of what the amount covers. If neither exists, pay under protest if the move can't wait, then dispute it at the Civil Resolution Tribunal rather than passing an unsupported charge to the tenant.
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.
Do this instead
Put the strata's move fee in the tenancy agreement or move-in notice as a separate, named charge, attach the strata's invoice, and charge exactly what the strata charged. Leave any refundable strata move deposit out of the tenant's charges.
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.
Do this instead
Itemise the lease at signing: rent, a half-month security deposit, a half-month pet deposit if a pet is approved, and the strata move fee as a named pass-through. Anything else, such as a fob deposit for the first fob or a monthly pet charge, comes out of the document.
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.
Do this instead
Before approving any pet, read the current pet bylaw and note the date it was passed. Write into the lease that the pet must comply with the strata's bylaws, and ask the strata in writing if the animal might qualify as an accommodation.
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
Reading this as a tenant?
A strata move fee can be passed to you, but only the amount the strata actually charged your landlord. You can be asked for a security deposit and a pet deposit of up to half a month's rent each, and nothing for an application, a monthly pet fee, or your first key. If you never received the bylaws and a Form K, you may be able to end the tenancy without penalty.
Sources and review
- 1.Strata Property Act, R.S.B.C. 1998, c. 43, s.76 (exclusive use of common property), s.110 (user fees), s.146 (tenant's notice of responsibilities). bclaws.gov.bc.ca. Checked 5 Oct 2026.
- 2.Strata Property Regulation, B.C. Reg. 43/2000, s.6.9 (user fees). bclaws.gov.bc.ca. Checked 5 Oct 2026.
- 3.Residential Tenancy Regulation, B.C. Reg. 477/2003, ss.6-7 (access device fees; non-refundable fees including a strata move-in or move-out fee charged to the landlord). bclaws.gov.bc.ca. Checked 5 Oct 2026.
- 4.Province of British Columbia, tenancy deposits and fees (security and pet damage deposit limits; prohibited fees). www2.gov.bc.ca. Checked 5 Oct 2026.
- 5.Province of British Columbia, strata pet bylaws guidance. www2.gov.bc.ca. Checked 5 Oct 2026.
- 6.Province of British Columbia, Guide 29: Parking Spaces and Storage Lockers. www2.gov.bc.ca. Checked 5 Oct 2026.
- 7.Province of British Columbia, tenants in stratas. www2.gov.bc.ca. Checked 5 Oct 2026.
- 8.AHBL, "Moving in the Right Direction: The Do's and Don'ts of Charging Moving Fees" (summary of Civil Resolution Tribunal decisions on move fees). ahbl.ca. Checked 5 Oct 2026.
Substantive review means an editor re-checked each cited section against the current code, not that the page was re-saved. 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.