Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
AMENDMENTTOTHESTRATAPROPERTYACTBeawareofasignicantamendmenttotheStrataPropertyActwhichbecamelawinDecember2013.ItisatSection173OtherCourtRemedies.TheoriginalwordingofthissectionauthorizedtheSupremeCourtofBritishColumbiatoorderanownertoperformadutyrequiredbytheActorthebylawsorrulesofthestratacorporation.Thisprovisionwasthemechanismoftenrelieduponbystratacorporationsforexampletoforceownerstorepairtheirbuildings.DuringtheleakycondocrisisandeventodayiftheownersunreasonablyrejectedresolutionstomoveforwardwithrepairprogramsthestratacorporationwouldadvanceitscaseintheSupremeCourtofB.C.citingSection72ThoushaltrepairandmaintainandthecourtwouldrelyonthatprovisionaswellasSection173toorderaspeciallevyontheowners.Basedonaveryoldprecedentcasefromthe1990sthisprocesswasgenerallyreferredtoasaTadesonapplicationnamedafterthecondoownerwhosuccessfullybroughtanactionagainsthisstratacorporationtoforcearepairprogramonhisleakycondo.Thatprecedentcasehasbeenusedmanytimesbyotherstratacorporationstoforcerepairprogramsnotjustforleakycondorepairsandtherequiredfundingbyspeciallevy.Almostinvariablythecourtsgrantedtheorderssoughtbysuchstratacorporationswhenreasonableargumentswereadvancedbythestratacouncilandunreasonableargumentswerecounteredbytheowners.Thecourtsimplymarriedthetwosectionsreferredtoaboveandgrantedanorder.ThenewamendmenttotheActnowaddsasubsectiontoSection173whichmakesthisprocessmucheasier.IfavoteresolutionisproposedtoapproveaspeciallevytoraisemoneyforthemaintenanceorrepairofcommonpropertyorcommonassetsandifthenumberofvotescastinfavouroftheresolutionismorethanofthevotescastontheresolutionbutlessthanthevotenormallyrequiredthenthestratacorporationmayapplytotheSupremeCourtwithin90daysofthemeetingdatetoseekanordergrantingthespeciallevy.ThisisanexcellentamendmenttotheActandwillgreatlyassiststratacorporationstoachieverepairandmaintenanceprogramswhenrequiredincircumstanceswhereatanannualorspecialgeneralmeetingthemajorityofownersapproveoftheresolutionbutnotmorethanofthemvoteinfavour.Donotassumeforamomentthatitisaslam-dunkthough.TheGerryFanakenistheformerCEOofVancouverCondominiumServicesLtd.nowFirstSer-viceResidentialandauthorofUnderstandingTheCondominiumConceptAnInsightfulGuidetotheStrataPropertyAct.BYGERRYFANAKEN4