Condo renovation rules in Toronto and Vancouver

A city building permit is permission from the municipality. It is not permission from the people who own the rest of the building. In a Toronto condominium or a Vancouver strata, you need written board or strata approval before work starts, on top of whatever the city requires. Doing the work on a city permit alone is how people get stop-work orders from their own corporation.

Every building writes its own rules. What follows is the pattern, not your declaration. Read the renovation bylaw, the insurance section, and the move-in and work-hour rules before you request quotes. This is not legal advice.

What almost every Toronto board will ask for

Toronto condominium corporations typically want a package, not a conversation in the hallway. Expect drawings of what is coming out and what is going in, especially if you are moving plumbing, electrical, or a wall. Expect proof of WSIB coverage or a valid exemption, and commercial general liability naming the corporation as additional insured, commonly $2 million to $5 million. Many buildings also want a security or damage deposit, contractor names and contacts, and a schedule that fits the building's work hours.

Review times of four to ten weeks are normal. A contractor who says they can start Monday has not allowed for the board. Elevator bookings, loading-dock slots, and quiet hours are part of the job, and they belong in the quote.

Vancouver and the Strata Property Act

In British Columbia, strata renovations sit under the Strata Property Act and the building's bylaws. Standard bylaws 5 and 6 are the usual starting point: you need written strata approval before altering the strata lot in ways the bylaws capture, and you do not touch common property without permission. WorkSafeBC coverage and liability insurance are the parallel to Ontario's WSIB and CGL requests.

A wet-area renovation that touches a stack, a membrane, or a common wall is where strata and the city overlap. Waterproofing failures in a wood-frame or concrete condo are neighbouring-unit problems, which is why strata packages are strict about who does the membrane and how it is inspected.

City permit and condo approval are not substitutes

• Moving a plumbing fixture, adding a bathroom, or removing a wall often needs both
• Hardwood, tile, and flooring in a condo may be a building rule (sound rating) even when the city does not care
• Electrical panel work still needs the provincial electrical process, plus building access for the inspector
• Balcony, window, and exterior work is usually common property, which means you do not own the decision

What to put in the contractor's court

The contractor should assemble the insurance certificates, WSIB or WorkSafeBC clearance, and the drawings the board wants, because they know what their broker issues. You still submit the package, because the corporation's contract is with you.

1. Get the renovation form, bylaws, and insurance wording from management before you tender.
2. Send that package to every contractor with the scope, so quotes include deposits, after-hours labour, elevator, and protection of common areas.
3. Do not pay a large deposit until written approval is in hand, or write the contract so work cannot start without it.
4. Keep copies of the approval, the insurance certificates, and the closed city permit. You will need them when you sell.