How to win depreciation report and condition assessment contracts in BC
BC's depreciation report rules for stratas, who may prepare them, how public buyers buy building condition assessments, and how to price and win the work.
Short answer
In BC, strata corporations with five or more lots must get a depreciation report every five years, and since July 1, 2025 only set professional groups may prepare them. Housing providers, municipalities and school districts buy similar building condition assessments for capital planning. Work is bought by request for proposals and scored on qualifications, sample reports and price.
A depreciation report looks at every part of a building, estimates when each part will need repair or replacement, and plans how to pay for it. Stratas need them by law in BC, and public building owners buy similar condition assessments to plan their capital budgets.
Who buys this work?
- Strata corporations, which can no longer defer the report with an annual vote.
- Housing providers, co-ops and BC Housing, for capital planning across their buildings.
- Municipalities and school districts, for facility condition assessments and asset management plans.
- Health authorities and Crown corporations, for building portfolios.
What are BC's rules for strata reports?
Stratas with five or more lots must get a depreciation report every five years. The Province closed the option to skip it by annual vote. A BC strata report must include:
- An on-site visual inspection.
- An inventory of common property components, with expected service life over 30 years.
- Projected repair and replacement costs.
- The current reserve fund.
- At least three 30-year funding models.
Who may prepare a report?
Since July 1, 2025, BC depreciation reports can only be prepared by members of designated groups. They include professional engineers, architects and architectural technologists, applied science technologists and certified technicians, accredited appraisers, certified reserve planners and professional quantity surveyors. The report must name the preparer, their qualifications and their errors and omissions insurance.
How do public condition assessments differ?
Public owners usually want a facility condition assessment: each building's systems rated, with costs and timing, loaded into their capital plan or asset management system. They may ask for a condition index, photos and data in a set format. Portfolio studies can cover dozens of buildings, priced by building or by phase.
How do I price it?
A fixed fee per building or report, scaled by size, age and complexity. Include site time, any destructive testing or specialist reviews, drafting the funding models and a meeting to present results. Many requests also ask for prices for updates in later years.
What wins?
- The right designation, named in the proposal.
- Sample reports that are clear to non-experts.
- Experience with similar buildings and portfolios.
- Errors and omissions insurance at the limits asked.
When does this work come up?
Strata reports follow the five-year cycle, so each strata needs one on a fixed timetable. Public owners commission condition assessments ahead of capital planning, often in the fall, so results feed next year's budget. Larger portfolio studies may be tendered once every few years.
What are common mistakes?
- A proposal that doesn't name the qualified preparer.
- Missing funding models or a short planning horizon.
- Reports full of jargon that boards can't use.
Where to go next
Read how to write an RFP proposal, and the building envelope trade page for the work these reports lead to.
What to do next
Sources
Rules and forms change. Check the official page before you rely on a detail here.