Strata-Titling a Duplex or Multiplex in Vancouver and Burnaby

Strata-Titling a Duplex or Multiplex in Vancouver and Burnaby

BC’s newer zoning rules let many Vancouver and Burnaby lots hold a duplex or a small multiplex instead of one house. A question that comes up early in almost every one of these projects is: can each home be sold or owned separately? In most cases the answer is yes, through strata titling. But the timing, the type of unit and a few rules that are easy to miss decide whether it works smoothly.

This guide explains what strata titling is, how it works for new duplexes and multiplexes in Vancouver and Burnaby, which units can and can’t become strata lots, and what to plan for before construction starts.

What strata titling means

Strata titling divides one property into separate legal titles. Each owner gets title to their own home (a strata lot) and shares ownership and responsibility for the rest (the common property), such as the roof, exterior walls, yard, driveway or shared parking, depending on how the strata plan is drawn. The owners together form a strata corporation under BC’s Strata Property Act.

For a duplex or multiplex this means each home can be sold, mortgaged or passed on separately, which is often the reason the project makes financial sense in the first place.

New buildings vs. previously occupied buildings

The most important rule is about timing. Both cities treat a brand-new, never-occupied building very differently from one that someone has already lived in.

Burnaby’s own guide is direct about this: once a dwelling has been occupied, it no longer qualifies for direct registration at the Land Title Office. If you plan to sell units separately, decide that before anyone moves in, including you or a family member.

Which homes can become strata lots

Vancouver

The City of Vancouver’s strata title policy for the R1-1, RT, RM and other residential zones (last amended October 2025) sets out a few rules worth knowing:

• Duplexes, multiple dwellings (multiplexes), infill and two detached houses on one lot: can be strata-titled. As a condition of the development permit, the owner signs a covenant so that the number of strata lots matches the number of approved principal homes.
• Secondary suites and lock-off units: can be rented but can’t be separate strata lots under any circumstances.
• A single house with a laneway house and/or a suite: a covenant on title prohibits registering a strata plan, so the laneway house can’t simply be sold off separately. The City can release that covenant on request no sooner than 12 months after the occupancy permit, but its policy for previously occupied buildings says applications to strata-title a house with a laneway house or suite are not accepted. Treat a Vancouver laneway house as a rental, not a separately sellable home.

Burnaby

In Burnaby’s R1 zone, the City says lots with two or more primary dwelling units are eligible for stratification. That includes duplexes and multiple homes on one lot. Burnaby doesn’t require stratification, so owners can also keep the whole property on one title and rent out the units.

Two Burnaby details to note:

• Secondary suites must stay on the same title as the primary home that contains them.
• Rowhouses are a different route. Each unit sits on its own fee simple lot, which means a subdivision first, with conditions to meet before a building permit is applied for. Fee simple rowhouse units can’t also be stratified.

The steps for a new duplex or multiplex

1. Decide on ownership early. Whether units will be strata lots affects the design: separate services and meters, fire separations between units, how outdoor space and parking are split, and what becomes common or limited common property.
2. Get legal advice before the building permit. Burnaby’s guide recommends independent legal advice before applying for the building permit. A real estate lawyer can also help with the bylaws, budget and documents you’ll need later.
3. Design and permit the building with the number of principal homes you intend to strata-title. In Vancouver, expect the strata covenant to be a condition of the development permit.
4. Build, then keep it unoccupied. Near the end of construction, a BC land surveyor prepares the strata plan showing each strata lot and the common property.
5. Register the strata plan at the Land Title Office. This creates the strata corporation and the individual titles.
6. Sell or transfer the units, with the documents the Strata Property Act requires.

Your obligations as the “owner developer”

Whoever owns the property when the strata plan is registered is the owner developer under the Strata Property Act, even if it’s a family building a duplex for themselves and one buyer. According to the Province’s guidance on new strata developments, the owner developer must, among other things:

• Prepare a 12-month interim budget and give it to buyers before they sign, and cover actual expenses above that budget until the first annual general meeting.
• Pay a lump sum into the contingency reserve fund at the first sale. Since November 1, 2023, the minimum is the lesser of 10% of estimated operating expenses for each year since the plan was deposited, or 50% of those expenses.
• Hold the first annual general meeting on time and hand over records, warranties, plans, keys and money afterward. Late meetings carry set penalties.
• Use the Standard Bylaws, or file different bylaws (Form Y) before the first sale, for example to split costs fairly between units of different sizes.

Rules that are lighter for small stratas

Most duplexes and small multiplexes have fewer than five strata lots, and a few provincial rules treat them differently:

Even when a depreciation report isn’t required, a small strata still needs a sensible plan for shared items like the roof and exterior, and good written bylaws on who maintains what.

Home warranty if you plan to sell

BC’s Homeowner Protection Act requires new homes built by licensed residential builders, including strata homes, to carry third-party home warranty insurance. Buyers, their lenders and their agents will look for it. Owner builders are exempt from that insurance, but if they sell within 10 years they must give buyers an Owner Builder Disclosure Notice and remain personally liable for defects. If the plan is to sell strata units, confirm your warranty and licensing position before construction starts. Our 2-5-10 home warranty guide explains the coverage.

Questions to settle before you design

• How many principal homes does zoning allow on your lot, and how many do you want to strata-title?
• Will any unit be a secondary suite or lock-off (rentable, but not separately sellable)?
• Will anyone live in the building before the strata plan is registered?
• What will be common property, and what will be limited to one unit (yards, parking, decks)?
• Who is your lawyer and land surveyor, and when do they need to be involved?

Related reading

• Duplex vs. multiplex: which makes sense for your lot?
• How many homes can I build on my Burnaby lot?
• Secondary suites in Vancouver & Burnaby: what makes a suite legal
• Construction financing in BC: how draw mortgages work
• BC’s 2-5-10 home warranty explained