Your strata’s depreciation report finally arrived, and windows made the list. So, what happens next?

If you manage a strata property in BC, you already know the report itself is only step one. It tells you what’s coming and roughly what it will cost, but it does not tell you how to actually get from a line item to a finished, documented project your council can stand behind. That gap, between “windows are flagged for replacement” and “windows are replaced”, is exactly what this article covers. For the official rules behind the 2026 requirement itself, BC’s official depreciation report guidelines are the best starting point.

Key Takeaways:

• BC’s 2024 rule changes removed the annual deferral vote, and reports now run on a five-year cycle, so if your report is already in hand, the time to act on it is now
• Windows tend to get flagged for repair or replacement alongside roofs and cladding because they are all part of the building envelope, and BC’s funding rules require strong documentation before council can bring a levy to a vote
• Getting from a flagged item to finished windows takes five specific stages, and fewer vendors involved in engineering, permitting, and installation means fewer places for a project to stall
• Your council, your insurer, and your next depreciation report will all expect the same paperwork, engineering sign-off, permits, and warranty terms, so confirm you will receive it before the project starts
• A short list of direct questions can tell you, in one conversation, whether a contractor will actually keep a multi-unit project on schedule

Let’s start with where the deadline actually stands right now.

The 2026 Deadline, in Brief

Back in 2024, BC changed how depreciation reports work for strata corporations. Owners used to be able to vote, every year, to defer getting a report. A 75 percent majority was all it took, and plenty of buildings did exactly that for a decade or more. That option is gone.

The rules on mandatory strata reports BC now enforces are straightforward: if your strata has five or more units, a depreciation report is mandatory, prepared by one of six designated professional groups, engineers, architects, applied science technologists, and a few related fields.

Beyond that, a strata that has never had one, or has one dated before December 31, 2020, needs a new report by its regional deadline. That’s July 1, 2026 for Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, and the Capital Regional District, or July 1, 2027 everywhere else in BC. After that, reports renew on a five-year cycle regardless.

Key takeaway: The cost of a depreciation report typically depends on building size, ranging from roughly $5,000 to $8,000 for a small townhouse complex (5 to 15 units) up to $22,000 to $30,000 or more for a large high-rise, with the process taking three to five months from engagement to draft report. The earlier your strata gets this in hand, the more room you have to plan and budget for whatever it identifies, windows included, instead of scrambling once the deadline has already passed.

Why Windows Show Up So Often in Depreciation Reports

If you have reviewed a depreciation report before, you already know windows come up a lot, and there is a reason for that.

Windows are part of what is called the building envelope, the outer shell that keeps water out, controls air movement, and holds indoor temperature steady. Roofs, cladding, and windows all belong to that same system, and they tend to wear out on a similar timeline. When one starts showing wear, the others are usually not far behind.

That matters because building envelope components are some of the most expensive items a strata will ever fund, and the ones most likely to cause damage elsewhere if left too long. A failed window can lead to water intrusion, and from there, to mold or interior repairs that cost far more than the windows themselves.

If windows are flagged, your council will eventually need to decide how to pay for the work, and BC’s rules are specific about how that vote works. For anything over $1,000 per unit, a special levy needs a 75 percent majority vote from owners to pass. Owners are far more likely to support a levy when they understand exactly what they are paying for and why it cannot wait.

Worth knowing: A depreciation report gives you three possible funding paths to bring to your council: 

1. The contingency reserve fund, 
2. A special levy
3. Some mix of both. 

This is really the core of window replacement strata funding and reserve fund planning for any strata, and CHOA is a solid resource if you want to walk through how those funding models typically play out for buildings your size.

Knowing the funding model is one thing. Knowing what to actually do with it once windows are on the list is another question entirely, and it is the one most guides skip past.

If your report has already named your windows as a funding priority, you do not need to start from scratch or wait for another report to tell you what you already know. The next step is simple: a scoped assessment of your building and a clear proposal your council can act on. 

Our team can walk you through what that looks like for your building.

From Line Item to Completed Project: The Five Stages

So what actually has to happen between a council vote and a finished window? It comes down to five stages.

Having managed strata window projects across the Lower Mainland for over two decades, we have seen these same stages determine whether a project stays on schedule or stalls.

Stage 1 — Council Education and Scope Definition

Before anything goes to a vote, your council needs three things in front of them: a defined scope, a real cost range, and a decision on whether the project runs all at once or in phases across the building. One thing worth confirming first: whether your windows are Common Property, Limited Common Property, or the individual owner’s responsibility, since that determines who is actually paying. Our full strata project toolkit breaks down that distinction along with vendor vetting and resident communication in more depth.

Stage 2 — Engineering and Permit Coordination

Once scope is set, this stage covers two distinct pieces of work: a qualified professional needs to review and sign off on the engineering, and someone needs to secure the building permit from the city before installation can start.

Where this often breaks down: split across separate vendors, this step can turn into a relay race where nobody is quite sure who is holding the baton. When one company manages both together, that handoff disappears entirely.

Stage 3 — Staged Installation Planning
Multi-unit buildings are not like single homes. You are coordinating access across different floors, different unit layouts, and residents who all have their own schedules. A well-planned installation moves through the building in a sequence that limits how much any one household is disrupted at a time, while still holding the approved timeline. It’s part of why at A1 Windows we sequence installations by floor, unit, or room, rather than wherever is most convenient for the crew.

Stage 4 — Communication During the Project
This is where projects earn or lose goodwill from residents, even when installation itself is going smoothly. People want to know when crews are coming to their unit, how long it will take, and what to expect. A short update before each phase goes a long way toward keeping complaints off your desk, it’s a standard step on our own projects for exactly this reason.

Stage 5 — Post-Project Documentation
Once the last window is in, ask for warranty terms in writing, as-built records of what was installed, and documentation you can hand to whoever prepares your next depreciation report. This is what makes the next cycle easier, and confirming it upfront is simply part of how we work.

Key takeaway: What ties these five stages together is accountability, someone clearly responsible at each step, from scope to documentation. Gaps between stages, whether that’s vendors, communication, or paperwork, are where projects tend to lose time.

What Council, Insurers, and Future Reports Will Expect to See

Finishing the installation is not quite the end of the story. There is a paper trail that matters just as much as the windows themselves.

Start with the engineering sign-off, which confirms the work was designed and reviewed by a qualified professional, and is often the first thing an insurer or a future buyer will ask to see. Alongside that, you want your permit records on file, proof the city reviewed and approved the work as it was actually done. Then there is your contractor’s safety standing, their WorkSafeBC record and any certifications like COR (Certificate of Recognition Program), which tell you how seriously they take job site safety across an occupied building full of residents.

Your insurer may ask for this documentation at renewal, a prospective buyer’s lawyer may ask for it during a resale, and whoever prepares your next depreciation report will need it to accurately record what was replaced and to what standard.

Key takeaway: Before your project closes out, confirm in writing that you will receive the engineering sign-off, permit documentation, and warranty terms. If a contractor cannot produce these clearly, that is worth noting before the next council meeting, not after.

Questions to Ask Before You Shortlist a Window Contractor

By now you have a good sense of what the process involves. The last piece is knowing what to ask before you bring a contractor’s name to council.

Is your team certified for safety on multi-unit sites?

Ask about WorkSafeBC standing and whether the company holds or is pursuing COR (Certificate of Recognition Program) certification, which requires a documented safety management system and a third-party audit confirming it’s actually being followed. This matters beyond the job site and workers safety. A contractor’s safety record can influence your building’s insurance terms and how reliably the project stays on schedule. We cover why that matters to building owners, not just contractors, here.

Do you handle engineering and permitting in-house, or is that outsourced?

In-house coordination between engineering and permitting means one point of accountability instead of three vendors pointing fingers at each other. This is worth asking upfront, because a split process is one of the more common places a schedule quietly slips, often without anyone realizing until it’s already behind.

Where are the windows manufactured?

Local manufacturing tends to mean shorter lead times and easier access if something needs adjusting after installation. On a project spanning dozens of units and a fixed schedule, it also means fewer supply chain unknowns to account for. Some local manufacturers, including A1, also welcome council or site visits to their facility, which can be worth confirming if your council wants to see firsthand how the windows going into your building are actually built.

Can you provide references from other strata projects, ideally similar in size or complexity to ours?

A contractor who has handled multi-unit buildings before should be able to point to real examples, not just single-home projects.

Key takeaway: Asking these questions upfront is what separates a smooth project from one that stalls in month three.

A few other questions come up often enough that we’ve answered them here too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if our strata has fewer than five units? Does this rule still apply?

No. Strata corporations with four or fewer lots are exempt from the mandatory depreciation report requirement under the current rules.

What happens if our strata misses the depreciation report deadline?

The requirement does not disappear, it becomes overdue. Your strata remains out of compliance with the Strata Property Act, which can raise questions from insurers, buyers, and owners during resale or renewal, so it is worth prioritizing even after the date has passed.

Does the depreciation report itself authorize window replacement, or do we still need a separate vote?

The report identifies the need and outlines funding options, but it does not authorize spending on its own. Any special levy over $1,000 per unit still requires a 75 percent majority vote from owners.

Conclusion

A depreciation report that flags your windows is not the end of the story, it is the start of a five-stage process that ends with a documented, warrantied installation, not just a compliance checkbox.

The deadline was never really the hard part. Getting the project done properly, without stalling somewhere in the middle, is. If your building’s windows are already flagged, the next step is getting real numbers in front of your council. That starts with a detailed quote for your building.