The short version: selling a strata property as part of an estate involves everything a standard probate sale does, plus the strata-specific documentation every strata sale requires — most importantly the Form B Information Certificate. None of this is unusual or difficult, but it does add steps and time that are worth planning for.
What is a Form B, and why does it matter here?
The Form B Information Certificate discloses key information about the specific strata lot and the strata corporation as a whole — current fees, any special levies, outstanding legal proceedings involving the strata, and more. Strata corporations are required to provide it within a set number of days of a request. For an estate sale, obtaining this early matters just as much as for any strata sale — buyers and their lenders will want to see it, and delays getting it issued can hold up closing.
Depreciation reports
Under BC's Strata Property Act, strata corporations with five or more lots are generally required to have a depreciation report updated regularly (current requirements run on a roughly five-year cycle, with some further regional deadlines being phased in). The most recent depreciation report is attached to the Form B when available, and it tells buyers a lot about the building's physical condition and funding for future repairs — genuinely useful information for an estate that may not have detailed knowledge of the building's history.
Strata approvals and bylaws
Some strata corporations have bylaws affecting a sale directly — age restrictions, rental restrictions, or approval processes for new owners. An executor selling on behalf of an estate needs to confirm these apply (or don't) the same way any seller would, since they affect who can actually buy the unit.
Where local expertise really shows up: Mark Jontz has handled estate sales across many of the Okanagan's strata communities and knows which ones have straightforward processes and which require more lead time for approvals or documentation — that kind of building-specific knowledge genuinely speeds up what can otherwise be a slow-moving extra step in an already complex sale.
Special levies and outstanding strata fees
If the strata corporation has an outstanding special levy, or if strata fees were behind at the time of death (a real possibility if the owner was managing their own finances alone before becoming unable to), these get identified through the Form B and handled as part of closing — similar to how unpaid property taxes are resolved, covered in more detail in our taxes and liens guide.
This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Every situation is different — please consult a lawyer or notary about your specific circumstances.