B.C. suffering an acute shortage of strata managers

The growing demand for multi-family condo and townhome projects is making an already-dire shortage of strata managers in B.C. worse.

“We could use 300 more managers tomorrow,” said Tony Gioventu, executive director of the Condo Home Owners Association (CHOA).

There is not only a need for more strata managers, but also for them to be qualified in a way that is changing from what was needed a generation ago, according to those in the industry. Given that the value of new construction permits and real estate sales runs in the billions of dollars, municipalities and the provincial government should consider investing in better training programs for strata managers whose jobs are getting harder, they say.

There are currently 1.5 million people living in stratas and about 1,405 strata managers licensed in the province, according to the B.C. Financial Services Authority.