A strata drainage contract in BC is won in three conversations: one with the strata manager, one in front of the council, and one a year later at renewal. The first decides whether you get on the agenda, the second whether you get the building, and the third whether you keep it. This guide is for drainage company owners who want scheduled work from strata corporations. It's general marketing guidance, not legal advice; anything about the law belongs with the strata and its advisers. If you'd rather have the materials built for you, see our strata and property-manager programs.
Why strata matters in BC
Strata is a large share of British Columbia's housing. The provincial government estimates that about 1.5 million people live in strata housing, which can include condos, townhouses, duplexes and single-family homes in bare-land strata corporations (gov.bc.ca, as of October 2026). Everyone in those buildings must follow the province's strata legislation and the strata's own bylaws and rules.
For a drainage company, three facts from the province's own pages matter:
- The strata corporation repairs and maintains common property. The province says the strata corporation must repair and maintain common property and common assets, while owners have their own responsibilities (repairs and maintenance). Which drainage lines count as common property in a particular building depends on its strata plan and bylaws.
- Maintenance is framed as proactive. The same page encourages careful maintenance to prevent premature ageing of buildings and avoid unexpected costs. That's the language a council already hears from its own government, and your proposal can echo it.
- Money is planned. The province's operating-a-strata pages cover strata fees, the contingency reserve fund, special levies and depreciation reports (operating a strata). Councils think in budgets and reserves, so your offer should too.
Don't go further than this in your marketing. Who pays for which repair, what a depreciation report must contain, and how a vote must be taken are questions for the strata, its manager and its lawyers.
Who actually decides
There are usually three people or groups involved, and each wants something different.
| Who | What they care about | What you give them |
|---|---|---|
| Strata manager (if the strata uses one) | Fewer complaints, fewer emergencies, easy paperwork, vendors who show up | A one-page onboarding sheet, a fixed price, a reliable dispatch line |
| Strata council | Cost against budget, owners' complaints, avoiding special levies | A two-page explainer and a sample findings report |
| Owners | Not being flooded, not paying more | A lobby card and, where the council wants it, a short notice explaining the program |
Some smaller stratas are self-managed. In that case the council treasurer or president is effectively the manager, and the explainer pack does double duty.
Step 1: get in front of managers
Start with management firms, not individual councils. One firm may manage dozens of buildings in your service area, and a recommendation from its manager is how most vendors reach a council's agenda.
How to do it:
- List the firms operating in your service area. Your crews already know which logos are on the lobby boards of buildings they've been called to.
- Start with warm ones. Any firm whose buildings called you for an emergency in the last two years has seen your work.
- Write, then call. A short letter or email (sent within Canada's anti-spam rules) followed by a call to the manager who handles maintenance, not the firm's general inbox.
- Offer one concrete thing. "A camera inspection of one building's main lines, with a written findings report you can share with council" is a much easier yes than "let us quote on your portfolio".
Step 2: build the council pack
Councils meet with long agendas and limited time. Your pack should be readable in five minutes. A good council explainer has six parts:
- What's included: which lines, drains, sumps or catch basins you service, in plain words.
- How often: for example two scheduled visits a year, timed for before and after the wet season on the coast.
- What they get after each visit: a findings report with photos, locations and recommendations.
- What it costs: an annual figure, broken down per visit, that a treasurer can drop into a budget line.
- What happens in an emergency: your after-hours number and expected response, stated honestly.
- Who you are: your capability statement, insurance summary and WorkSafeBC coverage, worded as on the documents.
Include one sample findings report from a real job, with the building's permission and identifying details removed.
Step 3: present the plan
If you're invited to a council meeting, keep it short. Ten minutes is plenty:
- Two minutes on what you found if you did a pilot inspection, using two or three photos.
- Three minutes on the plan: what, how often, what it costs.
- Two minutes on emergencies: who answers, how fast, what owners should do while waiting.
- The rest for questions.
Don't argue about what the strata is legally required to do. If a council member asks, the right answer is "that's a question for your manager and your advisers; here's what our service covers".
Step 4: price it so it can be budgeted
Councils dislike surprises more than they dislike cost. Price drainage maintenance as an annual figure with a fixed number of visits, and say clearly what triggers extra charges (an emergency callout, for example, or work outside the agreed scope).
A worked illustration, with assumed numbers: a 60-unit strata with two main stacks, a parkade with six drains and one sump. You propose two visits a year at $1,150 each, including jetting, a camera check of the mains and a findings report, for $2,300 a year. Spread across 60 units, that's about $3.20 per unit per month. Presenting the per-unit figure alongside the annual one helps a council see the cost the way owners will.
Step 5: deliver in a way that sells the renewal
The renewal is decided by what happens during the year, especially the night something goes wrong.
- Send reminders to the manager a week before each visit, and notices owners can post if access is needed.
- Send the findings report within two business days, with the three-line summary at the top.
- Answer the after-hours line. If a parkade drain fails at 2 a.m. and your number reaches a person, you've probably renewed.
- Log everything so the manager can answer owners' questions without calling you.
Step 6: renew before the budget
About 60 to 90 days before the agreement's anniversary, or before the council's budget is drafted (whichever comes first), send the manager a renewal letter that includes:
- the visits completed and what they found
- any problems prevented or caught early
- the proposed schedule and price for next year
- one suggestion, such as adding a building's parkade or another line
Then ask whether other buildings in the manager's portfolio would benefit from the same plan. Strata programs grow sideways through managers far more than through cold outreach.
Common mistakes
- Pitching councils directly without the manager's knowledge.
- Using legal language that sounds like advice about the Strata Property Act.
- Variable pricing that a treasurer can't budget.
- Long, technical findings reports that nobody reads.
- Overpromising response times across a wide service area.
- Naming buildings or managers in marketing without written permission.
What to do next
If you have a few strata buildings already, start by turning them into references and sample reports. If you have none, start with management firms whose buildings have called you for emergencies. Our British Columbia page covers the wider BC market, and our capability statement guide explains the document every manager will ask for. To discuss your own strata program, call, text or email.
Frequently asked questions
Who signs a strata drainage maintenance agreement?
The strata corporation, acting through its council, usually on a recommendation from the strata manager where there is one. Exactly how spending is approved depends on the strata's bylaws and the Strata Property Act, which the strata and its advisers interpret.
When should we pitch a strata?
A few months before the council drafts its annual budget. Ask the manager when each building's fiscal year starts and work backwards.
What should a findings report include?
Three lines at the top (what we found, what it means, what we recommend), then photos or camera stills, locations, and the date of the next scheduled visit.
Should we offer a discount to win the first building?
We'd rather you offered a smaller first scope, such as one camera inspection of the main lines, than a lower price. It's easier to grow from a fair price than to raise a cheap one.