How to Retrieve the Legal Description of Property

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF A STRATA LOT?

It is important for Owners and the Strata to be able to have the correct legal description of a Strata Lot because this is what is used by the Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) when retrieving official documents.

The LTSA is the place to retrieve official records, including:

• A Strata's official Bylaws.

• The Strata Plan.

• The Strata's Official Mailing Address.

• Title to the Common Property and Strata Lots.

HOW CAN YOU IDENTIFY THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF A STRATA LOT?

The legal description of a Strata Lot in BC follows a similar structure for most Strata Lots.

The structure is:

1. Strata Lot #.

2. Strata Plan #.

3. Legal Description of the larger plan.

4. Reference to interest in the common property as shown on Form V for Strata Lots created after July 1, 2000).

For example:

Strata Lot 1, Plan EPS4233, Section 33, Esquimalt Land District, together with an interest in the common property in proportion to the unit entitlement of the Strata Lot as shown on Form V.

All properties in BC also include a Property Identification Number or Permanent Parcel Identifier (PID). A PID is a nine-digit number that is unique to each title and is created by the Registrar of land titles.

WHAT IS THE EASIEST WAY TO GET THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF A STRATA LOT?

The easiest way to get the legal description of a Strata Lot is by using the BC Assessment Website.

If You Know the Mailing Address

On the website, there is a very convenient "Find your property assessment" banner:

The option for "Civic Address" is useful if you have the street address for the Strata.

For example, the street address for EPS4233 is 3111 Havenwood Lane, Victoria. If you put in 3111 Havenwood Lane Victoria in the field, an option to select all units is presented:

If you click on that bar, a table is populated providing all the properties in that Strata:

Clicking on one of the units will link to the BC Assessment "Property Information" for that property. The Property Information includes the "Legal description and parcel ID".

If You Know the Strata Corporation Number

The process is the same when you know the Strata Corporation Number as it is when you know the street address for the Strata, except that you have to select "Plan" instead of "Civic Address" as the left hand option.

To follow the same, example, here is what it looks like when Plan EPS4233 is entered into the form:

There is an option to insert the "lot #" as well. If this is done, then the BC Assessment "Property Information" for that property will be displayed.

However, the "lot #" field can be left blank. If it is left blank, then a table is populated providing all the properties in the Strata:

IS THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF A STRATA LOT PRIVATE INFORMATION?

The legal description of a Strata Lot is not private information and it is easily accessible through the internet, including through the webpage for BC Assessment. The information provided by BC Assessment also includes the mailing address, the property details, the property valued history and the sales history.

It is important that Owners and Stratas understand the how to get the legal description of a Strata Lot because that description is how official documents can be retrieved from the LTSA.