Move-in and move-out fees: what a BC strata can charge

The authority

• A strata may charge a user fee for the use of common property or common assets only if the fee is reasonable and is set out in a bylaw or in a rule that has been ratified by the owners (Strata Property Regulation s.6.9).
• A fee that is punitive, unrelated to the cost or wear involved, or charged under an unratified rule has been ordered refunded by the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
• The fee applies to the move, whoever is moving — owners, tenants and occupants alike, as the bylaw states.

Setting the amount

Tie the fee to what the move costs the strata: staff time to install elevator pads and supervise, cleaning, and wear. Many stratas charge a move-in fee and make move-outs complimentary, on the logic that the departing resident has already contributed; others charge both. A deposit refundable against damage is a separate instrument and should be described as such in the bylaw.

Collecting it properly

• Charge it at the time the elevator is booked so the fee is paid before the move, not chased after.
• Issue a receipt naming the unit, the date and the bylaw.
• Route the money into the strata's own bank account, never a manager's or a vendor's float.
• Record waivers and refunds with the reason.

AryaPM's moves desk collects the fee at booking by card, settles it directly into the strata's account, issues the receipt and holds the elevator — with move-outs complimentary if that is what your bylaw says.