Moving in the Right Direction: The Do’s and Don’ts of Charging Moving Fees

This article was originally published in the Condominium Home Owners Association of BC’s Summer 2026 Journal. 

Moola Manor is a residential strata corporation in Vancouver, British Columbia. Several years ago, the community passed a bylaw enabling the strata corporation to charge owners and tenants a non-refundable move-in and move-out fee to the tune of $200. The rationale for the fee was to offset the associated administrative and maintenance costs arising from ownership and tenancy changes, as well as to receive some revenue arising from the residents’ exclusive use of Moola Manor’s elevator.  Recently, one of the new residents questioned the charge and pushed back on any such payout. The Council wondered….what amounts to a valid moving fee anyway?

Making Cents of Moving Fees

A move-in or move-out fee in a strata corporation is a “user fee”. At the outset, a strata corporation is permitted to charge user fees for the use of common property or common assets. However, the buck doesn’t stop there. The Strata Property Act and its regulations place limits on what these fees can be.

Know your Limit

Section 110 of the Strata Property Act provides that a “strata corporation must not impose user fees for the use of common property or common assets by owners, tenants or occupants, or their visitors, other than as set out in the regulations.” Taking a deeper dive into the regulations to the Strata Property Act reveals that strata corporations may only impose user fees for the use of common property or common assets if all of the following requirements are met:

1. The amount of the user fee is “reasonable”; and
2. The fee is set out in a bylaw; or
3. The fee is set out in a rule and the rule has been ratified under section 125(6) of the Strata Property Act.

Assuming these requirements are met, the strata corporation is free to impose a user fee. The fee can be a fixed amount or an amount to be determined on “a reasonable basis”. What constitutes a “reasonable basis” is open to interpretation, but Section 6.9 of the regulations include the following as non-exhaustive examples:

1. The user’s rate of consumption;
2. The recovery of operating or maintenance costs by the strata corporation;
3. The number of users; and
4. The duration of use.

Typically, moving fees are set at a fixed amount.

More Money, More Problems

The key to a valid move-in or move-out fee really comes down to reasonableness. A moving fee, like any user fee, needs to be grounded in reality and it should not be used as a random revenue stream. Ideally, the user fee will be documented in a bylaw explaining the amount of the fee and the basis upon which it is calculated or applied.

Whether or not the fee is reasonable depends on several factors. In The Owners, Strata Plan BCS 1721 v Watson, 2018 BCSC 164, our BC Supreme Court found that the reasonableness of a moving fee must be determined on an objective standard. This assessment may take into account prevailing market conditions and the actual costs absorbed by the strata corporation for the move. Whatever the fee, the strata corporation should be prepared to justify it.

A quick stroll on the Civil Resolution Tribunal website itemizes a long list of fees that did not make the cut, resulting in fee cancellations and payments to residents……..

• Huang v. The Owners, Strata Plan BCS4348, 2024 BCCRT 993: a $300 move-in fee was cancelled due to the few number of small household items that were moved, and the move occupying all of 30 minutes.
• Craig v. The Owners, Strata Plan VIS3743, 2023 BCCRT 67: a $150 move-in fee was reduced to $50. The strata corporation offered limited evidence to substantiate its costs to facilitate the move, or the administrative work involved.
• Clark v. The Owners, Strata Plan EPS741, 2022 BCCRT 567: a $50 move-in fee for a “move without furniture” was struck as being unreasonable. The strata did not offer any evidence of maintenance costs, administrative expense, or other cost which would justify its charging practices.
• The Owners, Strata Plan BCS 1559 v. Robert et al, 2019 BCCRT 533: a $375 move-in fee was cancelled for not being objectively reasonable. No evidence of actual expenses incurred by the strata corporation was tendered to support the fee.
• West et al v. The Owners, Strata Plan BCS 2637, 2018 BCCRT 695: a $200 move-in fee was reduced to $25. Although the Tribunal member was prepared to accept that a $200 move-in fee is within the range of fees charged by other communities, the fee was lowered due to the resident having few belongings and there being no need to lock out the elevator.

Moving On

In all, strata corporations are certainly permitted to include move-in fees as part of their community’s bylaws or rules. However, communities should routinely examine their charging practices and consider making changes if they cannot justify the amount they seek to collect. Trying to defend an unreasonable moving fee will only serve to waste the strata corporation’s time…… and money.  It’s time to move on from unreasonable moving fees.

If you require additional information or further assistance, please contact Lisa Mackie or a member of our Strata Property team.

This article was originally published in the Condominium Home Owners Association of BC’s Summer 2026 Journal.