A Form B, officially the Information Certificate, is the strata corporation’s official snapshot of one specific unit and the building it sits in. It tells you the monthly fee, what is owed on that unit, whether a special levy is coming, how much is in the reserve fund, and which parking stall and locker actually come with the home.
What Is a Form B and Who Provides It?
The strata corporation or its management company issues it. Any owner, buyer, or person authorized by them can request one. The strata can charge a maximum of $35 plus 25 cents per page for copies, and must provide it within 7 days.
If you are buying a strata in BC, this is the single most important document you will read, and it takes about ten minutes. It is one piece of the wider package covered in our guide to reviewing strata documents before buying in BC.
The Eight Lines That Matter Most
The form covers sixteen categories. These are the ones that change what you should offer.
1. Monthly strata fee for this unit. Confirm it matches the listing. Listings are wrong surprisingly often, and a $120 monthly difference is roughly $25,000 of purchase power at current rates. If the number looks low for the building type, read what strata fees are supposed to cover before you treat it as a bargain.
2. Amounts owing by the current owner. Unpaid fees, fines or levies attached to the unit. These follow the unit, not the seller, so they become yours unless dealt with on the statement of adjustments. Your notary handles this, but you need to know the number.
3. Special levies approved but not yet collected. This is the big one. If the owners voted a levy and your unit’s share is $34,000, that obligation exists whether or not the money has been collected. Who pays it, buyer or seller, is negotiable in the contract, and it is a common and expensive oversight.
4. Contingency Reserve Fund balance. The building’s savings account. A number on its own means little, so compare it to the annual operating budget and to the repairs coming in the depreciation report.
5. Parking and storage. The form states what is allocated to the unit and how. Watch for a stall that is a limited common property allocation versus one that is simply “assigned by council,” because the second one can be reassigned. If parking matters to you, this line is worth reading twice.
6. Rental restrictions. Long term rental bans are no longer enforceable in BC, but short term rental restrictions and age restrictions of 55 plus still are. If you plan to rent, confirm here and against the municipal rules in our guide to short term rental rules in North Vancouver.
7. Age restrictions. A 55 plus bylaw is still valid and enforceable. It affects who can live there and who you can eventually sell to.
8. Bylaw amendments passed but not yet filed at the Land Title Office. Changes approved but not registered do not show up in the bylaw package you were given. This line is where pet bans, smoking bans and rental rules hide.
The form also flags any current court proceedings, arbitration, or tribunal claims involving the strata, plus outstanding work orders from local government. A live lawsuit against the developer over building envelope failure is the sort of thing that belongs on your radar before subject removal, not after, and our guide to leaky condos and building envelopes on the North Shore explains why that single line can outweigh everything else on the form.
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Required Attachments
A Form B is not complete on its own. It must come with:
- The strata corporation’s rules
- The current budget
- The most recent depreciation report
- Any electrical planning report
- Details of any pending resolutions, alteration agreements, legal proceedings and outstanding work orders
If your package is missing the depreciation report, do not assume there isn’t one. Ask.
Red Flags That Should Change Your Offer
| What you see | What it usually means |
| Reserve fund under about 25% of one year’s operating budget | Underfunded. Special levies are a question of when, not if |
| A special levy approved but uncollected | Negotiate who pays it, in writing, in the contract |
| Strata fees notably below comparable buildings | Often deferred maintenance rather than efficiency |
| Ongoing litigation involving the strata | Ask what it is about before anything else |
| Outstanding work orders from the municipality | Someone has to fix it, and the cost lands on owners |
| Bylaw amendments not yet filed | Read them. This is where the surprises live |
| Depreciation report older than five years or missing | The strata may be out of compliance with current rules |
| Large unpaid amounts owing on the unit | Sloppy strata administration, or a seller in distress |
None of these are automatic dealbreakers. A building with a low reserve and a known levy coming is fine if the price reflects it. The mistake is not spotting it and paying as though the building were fully funded. Work through the full North Vancouver condo buyer checklist so the Form B is read in context rather than on its own.
If you want a second read on a Form B before subject removal, Navid Hakimi goes through these documents on North Shore strata purchases every week and can flag what actually matters in your specific building.
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How to Get a Form B and How Recent It Must Be
Ask the listing agent first. A well prepared listing already has one, along with the last two years of minutes, the budget, and the depreciation report.
If it is not there, request it through the strata or its management company. Seven day maximum, $35 plus copy costs. Rush fees may apply if you need it faster.
On currency: information on the form must be current to the date on the form. There is no fixed expiry date in the legislation, but a certificate more than 60 days old is stale in practice, and most buyers’ agents ask for one dated within 30 days. Things change. A special levy approved at a general meeting last month is exactly what you need to see.
Standard practice is to make your offer subject to review and approval of strata documents, then use that window to read the Form B, the minutes for the last two years, the budget and the depreciation report together. The Form B tells you the current position. The minutes tell you where it is heading. How that clause is drafted matters, so see how subject conditions work in a BC contract, and remember that in a competing situation you may be asked to shorten it, which our guide to multiple offers in BC covers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for the Form B?
Usually the seller as part of preparing the listing, but a buyer can request and pay for their own.
How much does it cost?
A maximum of $35 plus 25 cents per page for copies. Rush requests may cost more.
How long does the strata have to provide it?
Seven days from the request.
How recent should it be?
Aim for within 30 days of your subject removal. Anything past 60 days is worth refreshing.
What is the difference between a Form B and a Form F?
Form B is the information certificate about the unit and the building. Form F is the Certificate of Payment confirming the seller owes the strata nothing, and it is needed to register the transfer.
Does the Form B include the depreciation report?
The most recent depreciation report must be attached, along with the rules and current budget.
Can a strata refuse to give me one?
Not if you are an owner, a buyer, or someone they authorized. It is a statutory obligation.
If a special levy is approved before completion, who pays it?
Whatever your contract says. Absent a clause, this becomes an argument. Address it in the offer.
Are rental restrictions still valid in BC?
Long term rental bans are not enforceable. Short term rental restrictions and 55 plus age restrictions are.
What if the Form B contradicts the listing?
The Form B is the strata’s official statement and it governs. Raise the discrepancy before subject removal.
Want a Second Set of Eyes on a Form B? Send It Over
Most buyers read a Form B once, in a hurry, on the day before subject removal. That is the wrong time to discover an approved $34,000 levy or a parking stall that is not actually yours.
Navid Hakimi reviews strata documents for North Shore buyers as a matter of course, and will tell you plainly when a building’s numbers do not support the asking price. If you are still shortlisting, start with the MLS search and send over anything you want checked.
Send over the strata package on any unit you are considering and get a straight read on it before your subjects come off.
Current as of September 2026. Strata legislation changes; confirm specifics with your lawyer or notary.
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