How do I tell whether a BC condo or townhouse building has leaked, or been fixed?

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No public list names the buildings that leaked; the strata's minutes, depreciation report and any building envelope reports, and the warranty on a rebuilt envelope, are where it shows. In BC's leaky condo crisis, water got through the walls of tens of thousands of strata homes and rotted the frame inside. Many buildings were rebuilt, and the rules for new homes changed. A buyer today wants to know whether a building leaked, whether it was fixed properly, and whether a bill is still coming. Look up the address or PID on PlaceDossier to see the record for that lot. What happened: The Province set up the Barrett Commission of Inquiry into the Quality of Condominium Construction in 1998, and by 2003 the Homeowner Protection Office had identified about 65,000 leaky condos across BC. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation calls a leaky condo a catastrophic failure of the building envelope that lets water into the building's frame, leading to rot, rust, decay and mould. A provincial interest-free loan for owners ended in 2009 (CBC News, April 2018). The building envelope: The envelope is the barrier between the inside and the weather: the exterior walls, windows, doors and roof. A building envelope renovation repairs defects that let water in, or the damage water caused (BC Housing's building envelope renovations page). It is the whole building's, so in a strata it is mostly common property the strata corporation repairs and pays for (our reading; see buying a strata home). Is it still a risk?: The commission led to higher standards for design, engineering and the building code, but buildings that were never repaired are still out there, and those quoted in that CBC report advised buyers to have the building checked, to make sure it has a reliable depreciation report, and to ask whether a rainscreen (an air gap behind the cladding) has been installed (CBC News, April 2018). A rebuilt envelope's warranty: A building envelope renovation on a building of three or more homes, covering 60% or more of the cladding on the building or one face and costing at least $10,000, or $2,000 a unit, must be done by a licensed Building Envelope Renovator with home warranty insurance in place first: 2 years on labour and materials and 5 years on the renovated envelope, water penetration included. Rental buildings, buildings more than 25 years old and work under an existing home warranty are among the exemptions (the Building Envelope Renovation Regulation, as BC Housing's page summarises it). The renovation schedule: Before such a renovation starts, the renovator files a Building Envelope Renovation Schedule naming the building envelope consultant on the job, signed by the consultant, the renovator and the strata corporation; it is needed for the building permit (BC Housing's page). Ask the strata for it and for the warranty policy when a building says its envelope was redone. Newer buildings: A home built by a licensed residential builder has at least the 2-5-10 home warranty insurance, which stays with the home on resale until it expires. A strata home has two policies, one on the home and one on the common property, and the common property's starts when the first unit in the building is occupied or sold, so it can run out before a unit's. The owner can get a claims history from the warranty provider for a small capped fee, and BC Housing suggests a buyer ask for it (its buying a previously owned home page; see new home warranty). Where it shows in the strata's records: Leaks, envelope reviews, special levies for the envelope, insurance claims and disputes appear in the council and general meeting minutes; the depreciation report sets out the envelope's expected life and cost; and an approved special levy, or notice of one to be voted on, is on the Information Certificate (Strata Property Act ss. 35, 59, 94; see buying a strata home). Who can judge it: A home inspection looks at the unit you're buying; a building envelope consultant, an engineer or architect who does this work, is who assesses the walls of the whole building, and the strata may already have their report (our reading). What it means for a buyer: A building that leaked and was rebuilt under warranty can be a sounder buy than one never checked; one with water stains, rot or a pending envelope review in the minutes may face a large special levy shared by every owner by unit entitlement (our reading). A report on the lot reads the land under the building, not its walls.

How do I tell whether a BC condo or townhouse building has leaked, or been fixed?

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Before you buy: who to ask