Liens & Collections · British Columbia
Strata Property Act, s. 116
Certificate of Lien
Official text ↗
Checked against the official source on 2 November 2026
At a glance
- When a lien arises
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Lien arises when certificate is registered in land title office
“On registration the certificate creates a lien against the owner's strata lot in favour of the strata corporation for the amount owing.”
- Payment order
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Lien ranks ahead of most other liens except listed exceptions
“The strata corporation's lien ranks in priority to every other lien or registered charge except”
- Lien removal
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Remove lien within one week after payment is received
“On receiving the amount owing, the strata corporation must within one week remove the lien”
- When lien cannot arise
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No lien if paid to court, payment plan made, or fine
“Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply if (a) the amount owing has, under section 114, been paid into court or to the strata corporation in trust,”
Each fact is shown with the exact words of the statute it comes from. Your association's governing documents may also apply.
Official text
Copy retrieved from www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca. Always rely on the official source for the current version.
Show the full text of Strata Property Act, s. 116
Certificate of Lien
116
(1) The strata corporation may register a lien against an owner's strata lot by registering in the land title office a Certificate of Lien in the prescribed form if the owner fails to pay the strata corporation any of the following with respect to that strata lot:
(a) strata fees;
(b) a special levy;
(c) a reimbursement of the cost of work referred to in section 85;
(d) the strata lot's share of a judgment against the strata corporation;
(e) [Repealed 1999-21-25.]
(2) The strata corporation may register a lien against any strata lot, but only one strata lot, owned by an owner as owner developer, by registering in the land title office a Certificate of Lien in the prescribed form if the owner developer fails to pay an amount payable to the strata corporation under section 14 (4) or (5), 17 (b) or 20 (3).
(3) Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply if
(a) the amount owing has, under section 114, been paid into court or to the strata corporation in trust,
(b) arrangements satisfactory to the strata corporation have been made to pay the money owing, or
(c) the amount owing is in respect of a fine or the costs of remedying a contravention.
(4) On registration the certificate creates a lien against the owner's strata lot in favour of the strata corporation for the amount owing.
(5) The strata corporation's lien ranks in priority to every other lien or registered charge except
(a) to the extent that the strata corporation's lien is for a strata lot's share of a judgment against the strata corporation,
(b) if the other lien or charge is in favour of the Crown and is not a mortgage of land, or
(c) if the other lien or charge is made under the Builders Lien Act.
(6) On receiving the amount owing, the strata corporation must within one week remove the lien by registering in the land title office an Acknowledgement of Payment in the prescribed form.
The same topic in other jurisdictions
Arizona · A.R.S. 33-1807 Arizona · A.R.S. 33-1256 Florida · Fla. Stat. 718.116 Florida · Fla. Stat. 720.3085 Ontario · Condominium Act, 1998, s. 85 Oregon · Or. Rev. Stat. 94.709 Pennsylvania · 68 Pa.C.S. 5315 Texas · Tex. Prop. Code 209.0064 Texas · Tex. Prop. Code 209.0092 Texas · Tex. Prop. Code 82.113 Virginia · Va. Code 55.1-1833 Washington · Wash. Rev. Code 64.38.100 Washington · Wash. Rev. Code 64.90.485 Compare liens & collections laws side by side →This page is general legal information, not legal advice, and Harrington Community is not a law firm. For advice about your situation, contact a licensed attorney or your state bar's lawyer referral service.