Outdoor Space Listings Across Greater Vancouver

Confirm How the Outdoor Space Is Titled Before You Offer

Outdoor space on a Greater Vancouver listing can mean a deck inside your strata lot, a balcony held as limited common property or a roof terrace shared with the whole building, and the distinction decides what you may build, plant or enclose.

Request the strata plan and read where the hatching falls. Limited common property is yours to use but not yours to alter, which is why an awning, a gas heater, a hot tub or a set of raised planters usually needs written approval and sometimes an indemnity agreement. Read the bylaws for restrictions on screening, flooring, barbecues and anything fixed to a wall or railing.

On a detached lot the questions change but do not disappear. Confirm the setbacks, the lot coverage and the tree bylaws with the municipality before you plan a private patio, a covered structure or a garden suite.

Weigh Exposure, Drainage and Ongoing Maintenance

Visit at the hour you would actually use the space. A north-facing balcony in Burnaby stays cool and shaded all summer, a west-facing terrace bakes from mid-afternoon, and a high floor downtown can be too windy to sit on even when the street below is calm. Ask about shade, wind screening and whether an outlet and a hose connection exist.

Then ask who maintains the waterproofing. A deck or terrace built over living space sits on a membrane with a finite life, and where that membrane is common property the replacement is funded by the owners together. Request the depreciation report and the minutes covering any deck or envelope work, and have your inspector check the drainage outlets, the flashing and the guardrail attachment during the subject period.