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/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.