r/okanagan • u/Outrageous-Singer-97 • Jul 09 '25
ISO Moving to an Okanagan Strata Advice
I'm looking for advice from people who live in a Strata in either the Kelowna or Penticton general area. My wife and I are looking at potentially relocating to the area from the Howe Sound area but would like to know if there are any good Strata Management companies to make note of (and any to avoid). We're in a great community at the moment and have reasonable Strata Fees but would like to get an idea of what differences we could expect in terms of annual maintenance items, wildfire insurance, crime rates, short-term rentals, increase in tourism during the summer etc. I've only spoken to one person previously who said to expect a party town every night during the summer which does bring some increase in small crimes along with a lot of Air BnBs causing noise disturbances regularly. It is not a deciding factor but we have a 3-month old and any risks of buying a place in a poorly managed strata with alot of short-term rentals partying all night would put a lot more strain on already sleep deprived newby parents.
Any advice or personal experiences would greatly be appreciated as we love the area and people but need to make the right decision for our daughter.
3
u/Freckles07 Jul 09 '25
Stay away from any of the townhomes at 3099 South Main St in Penticton. Can't recall the name of the company that manages it but we looked at buying there and couldn't get financing because of how many issues the strata was having. They had mold and structural related issues among other things, and our mortgage broker said they were dealing with multiple lawsuits.
3
u/cizzlewizzle Jul 09 '25
As you live in a strata now you are familiar with the strata corporation being run by a strata council is different than the strata property management company that assists them. Both need to be looked into.
Your concerns about maintenance items, insurance, short-term rentals etc. has nothing to do with the strata management company. That info is going to be in the bylaws, depreciation report and financial information provided to owners. You would request this info from the seller of any property you are interested in making an offer on. You will also be provided with the minutes of the previous 18-24 months of council meetings. You need to review these not just for the decisions being made, but to see if you can determine the dynamic of the council. Are they hawkish or do they seem passive? If they are willing, it would be good to talk to a council member to learn more before making an offer.
Hopefully the other subreddits for the cities you are looking into will have more feedback on how good strata property managers are in those areas. Unfortunately, that field is woefully understaffed and finding a building you like that also has a good strata manager is going to be a challenge.
2
u/KelBear25 Jul 09 '25
HI you're better off posting this on r/kelowna.
There's lots of stratas that do not cater to tourists or air bnbs. Steer clear of Playa del Sol and any of the properties close to the Delta Grand waterfront/ downtown (One Water street, Waterscape etc) as those cater to tourists.
2
u/fleuvage Jul 10 '25
The other piece to consider may be if the land is within the municipal boundaries, or on Reserve land. There are some differences you might not be aware of—not pitfalls, just differences.
2
u/bcrhubarb Jul 10 '25
Just bought a condo & best advice someone gave me was to review the strata’s financials. Make sure they have a large reserved fund.
1
u/mikemikeskiboardbike Jul 09 '25
Uuuck strata... I often wonder why people want to basically still pay monthly (like rent almost) on a place they bought/own. Just me personally but I just wouldn't do it. Maybe someone could enlighten me and explain why someone would want to pay all that extra money every month?
4
u/iamnos Jul 09 '25
The rules are going to vary by strata more so than by the management company. I'm in a strata in West Kelowna, and we have bylaws that prevent short-term rentals. We used to have a bylaw preventing all rentals, but the provincial rules changed that a couple of years ago.
If you're interested in a property, your realtor should be able to get you a list of the bylaws, depreciation report, etc. from the strata. Review them carefully before you make an offer. If you don't like the rules, don't expect to change them. They require a 3/4 vote to change.