The Civil Resolution Tribunal and strata disputes

Strata corporation, strata owners, residents and strata council members may use the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) to resolve many strata disputes and for small claims up to $5,000.

Learn more on this page:
Overview of the Civil Resolution Tribunal
The CRT and strata disputes
The CRT and other types of disputes
CRT fees for strata disputes

Overview of the Civil Resolution Tribunal

The Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) is Canada’s first online tribunal for resolving strata and other types of disputes including small claims disputes up to $5,000.

The CRT offers new ways to resolve your disputes and legal issues in a timely and cost-effective manner. The CRT:

• encourages a collaborative, problem-solving approach to dispute resolution, rather than the traditional courtroom model.
• aims to provide timely access to justice, built around your life and your needs. It does this by providing legal information, self-help tools, and dispute resolution services to help solve your problem, as early as possible.
• is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from a computer or mobile device that has an internet connection. Your interaction with the other participant(s) and/or the CRT can be done when it is convenient for you. CRT services are also available by phone.

Your direct and active participation will help you reach a resolution with the other participant(s). The CRT will make a decision for you only if you and the other participants can’t agree on your own solution.

Learn more about the Civil Resolution Tribunal at the CRT website.

The CRT and strata disputes

The CRT can resolve a wide variety of disputes between strata owners and strata corporations, such as:

• non-payment of monthly strata fees or fines
• unfair actions by the strata corporation or by people owning more than half of the strata lots in a complex
• unfair, arbitrary or non-enforcement of strata bylaws (such as noise, pets, parking, rentals)
• issues of financial responsibility for repairs and the choice of bids for services
• irregularities in the conduct of meetings, voting, minutes or other matters
• interpretation of the legislation, regulations or bylaws
• issues regarding the common property

The event triggering the dispute must have occurred within BC in order for the CRT to be able to hear it.

Learn more about how the CRT works at the CRT website.

When can’t I use the CRT for strata disputes?

The CRT is not able to decide some types of strata disputes. Some strata disputes will need to be filed in the B.C. Supreme Court. And some strata disputes may not be valid legal claims at any court or tribunal.

The CRT cannot decide matters that affect land, such as:

• ordering the sale of a strata lot
• court orders respecting rebuilding damaged real property
• dealing with developers and phased strata plans
• determining each owner’s percent share in the strata complex

The CRT cannot decide the following matters relating to significant issues in a strata complex:

• appointment of an administrator to run the strata corporation
• orders vesting authority in a liquidator
• applications to wind up a strata corporation (strata termination)
• allegations of conflicts of interest by council members
• appointment of voters when there is no person to vote in respect of a strata lot

In addition the CRT cannot:

• resolve a dispute if the event triggering it did not occur in BC
• decide a dispute if the claim is against the government, or the government is a party
• resolve a dispute if it has already been filed for dispute resolution at the CRT. It also cannot decide a claim if that dispute has already been filed or resolved through another legally binding process or other dispute resolution process
• resolve a dispute if the claim is frivolous or vexatious or an abuse of process
• resolve an issue requiring the application of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• resolve a dispute if the limitation period has expired.

The CRT and other types of disputes

The CRT handles other types of disputes including small claims, motor vehicle accidents and injuries, societies and co-operatives.

Learn more at the CRT website about the types of disputes the CRT can handle.

CRT fees for strata disputes

Learn more about CRT fees for resolving strata disputes.

There are fee waivers for people with low incomes.

Find it fast: a handy site map listing all the strata housing pages.

The information on this website about strata housing is provided for the user’s convenience as a basic starting point; it is not a substitute for getting legal advice. Learn more about the site’s purpose and limits. The content on this website is periodically reviewed and updated by the Province of British Columbia as per the date noted on each page: May 18, 2022.