Running a strata property or rental property can bring a marathon of legal issues and insurance coverage claims. We act for insurance companies and self-insured corporations in British Columbia and across Canada to defend strata corporations, strata property managers, Council members, rental property managers, and other real estate licensees facing the first steps of litigation.
Our Expertise
Our team is experienced in a broad range of issues arising in strata properties and rental properties. We are regularly featured for comment in various provincial and national news publications, and have been a trusted legal and educational resource for real estate industry associations and non-profit organizations. Our lawyers have assisted in the development and delivery of courses for strata property managers and rental property managers at Vancouver Community College and the UBC Sauder School of Business (Real Estate Division). Our lawyers are published authors and instructors for the BC Real Estate Council, the Condominium Home Owners’ Association (CHOA), the Professional Association of Managing Agents (PAMA) and the British Columbia Arbitration and Mediation Institute (BCAMI). We are also regular speakers at Buildex Vancouver, Western Canada’s largest seminar program for professionals in Designing, Building and Real Estate Management.
Our Services
The Strata Property Practice Group offers a variety of litigation services to those involved with the day to day management of strata corporations and rental properties. Our team has appeared before all levels of court in British Columbia, and offers defense representation in the following matters:
- Human Rights complaints
- Privacy complaints
- Employment disputes
- Civil Resolution Tribunal disputes
- BC Provincial and Supreme Court proceedings
- Strata Property Act Arbitrations
- Residential Tenancy Branch Hearings
- Judicial reviews and appellate proceedings
Industry Involvement
Our team’s contributions to the strata and rental property management industry is demonstrated by our near-monthly speaking engagements and publications, and extensive community involvement. We regularly provide seminars on strata law issues to homeowners, strata council members, strata property managers, rental property managers, arbitrators and lawyers. We have been featured speakers and instructors for the Real Estate Council, the Condominium Home Owners’ Association (CHOA), the Professional Association of Managing Agents (PAMA), Vancouver Community College, Langara College, UBC Sauder School of Business (Real Estate Division) and the British Columbia Arbitration and Mediation Institute (BCAMI). We are also regular instructors at BUILDEX Vancouver, Western Canada’s largest seminar program for professionals in Designing, Building and Real Estate Management. One of our lawyers has also been featured in The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory in the field of Property Leasing.
Our lawyers are also involved in legal education initiatives for the Vancouver Bar Association (2014 Strata Property Law for Solo & Small Firm Section), Law Courts Center (2014 Residential Tenancy Seminar for Amici Curiae Lectures), and the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC (2017 Strata Property Law Update; 2018 Strata Property Act Update; 2019 Strata Property Practice Manual). Our team has also regularly written for property management publications, (Canadian Property Management, Legal Life Newsletter, CHOA Journal, and the Canadian Condominium Institute).
Networks + Affiliations
- Condominium Home Owners’ Association (CHOA)
- Professional Association of Managing Agents (PAMA)
- Strata Property Agents of British Columbia (SPA BC)
- The Canadian Legal Lexpert ® Directory
Representative Matters
We regularly assist insurers and insureds with disputes before the British Columbia Provincial Court (Small Claims), British Columbia Supreme Court and British Columbia Court of Appeal, as well as Administrative Tribunals. We assist clients with residential tenancy disputes, human rights complaints, privacy disputes, employment disputes, defamation claims and arbitrations. We are familiar with the unique complexities of disputes involving multi-unit housing, and we work with our clients to decide the most efficient defense to a claim. Our notable cases include:
- Ganitano v. Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation 2014 BCCA 10
- Kamerling v. Chew 2015 BCSC 881
- Berezowski v. British Columbia (Residential Tenancy Branch) 2014 BCSC 363
- 625536 BC Ltd. v The Owners, Strata Plan LMS 4385, 2017 BCSC 1250
- The Owners, Strata Plan NW 2575 v. Booth, 2018 BCSC 715
- Jay v The Owners Strata Plan NW 3353, 2018 BCSC 780
- Ducharme et al v. The Owners, Strata Plan BCS 753, 2018 BCCRT 262
Our Litigation Work
Our lawyers are experienced in a broad range of defense representation and alternative dispute resolution affecting strata properties and rental properties. We assist insurers and insureds with disputes before the British Columbia Provincial Court (Small Claims), British Columbia Supreme Court and British Columbia Court of Appeal, Residential Tenancy Branch, Employment Standards Branch, Human Rights Tribunal, and Civil Resolution Tribunal. We also defend strata corporations, strata property managers, and Council members in arbitration proceedings under the Strata Property Act.