One of the recurring observations from BC council members in their first year is that nobody handed them a calendar. They learn the obligations one missed deadline at a time: the fire inspection that was due in March, the backflow test that should have been booked in April, the AGM notice that needed to go out six weeks before the meeting.

Below is the calendar we wish someone had given us. It’s not a substitute for your strata’s specific filings or your PM’s task list — those will vary with your building, your fiscal year, and your bylaws. But the rhythm of the council year is broadly the same across BC, and laying it out month-by-month makes the workload predictable instead of reactive.

This piece assumes a calendar fiscal year. If your strata’s fiscal year-end is different, slide the audit and budget items to match.

Q1 — January through March

Q1 is the planning and preparation quarter. The big work isn’t external — it’s getting the council aligned on what the year looks like before the AGM season opens.

January

• Review the prior year’s financials with your PM or accountant — variance to budget, surplus or deficit, CRF activity.
• Confirm the next AGM date and venue. The standard AGM happens within two months of fiscal year-end, so most calendar-year stratas hold an AGM in February or early March.
• Begin drafting the proposed annual budget. Identify any material year-over-year changes (insurance, contracts, capital projects).

February

• Hold the AGM (for stratas with calendar fiscal year). Vote on the budget, council positions, any standing resolutions. Two weeks’ notice minimum; four to six weeks if you’re proposing material change.
• Begin gathering documentation for the insurance renewal (covered under Q3 below) — the work that determines your renewal pricing in September begins now.

March

• File the post-AGM documents in strata records. Minutes, signed resolutions, the updated owner list.
• Confirm the year’s standing service contracts are in place (fire monitoring, elevator, landscaping, snow if applicable, alarm monitoring).
• Begin scheduling the year’s compliance inspections (fire, backflow, alarms — see Q2 below).

Q2 — April through June

Q2 is the compliance quarter. Most of the annual inspections required under the BC Fire Code and municipal bylaws are easiest to schedule in April–June, when contractors have spring capacity and before the summer holiday period thins it out.

April

• Book the annual fire-alarm inspection (CAN/ULC S536). For mid- and high-rises, also book the sprinkler annual (NFPA 25). See our fire safety coverage for the components-by-frequency table.
• Book the annual backflow-prevention assembly tests. Most municipalities want the reports filed by mid-summer. See our backflow testing coverage for who’s certified.
• Begin the insurance renewal data gathering: claims history, current depreciation report, envelope review (if applicable), capital plan, broker brief.

May

• Complete the fire and backflow inspections. File the reports with the municipality where required.
• For Lower Mainland stratas: this is the operative window for the July 1, 2026 depreciation-report deadline. If you haven’t engaged a provider, this month is the latest reasonable time to start the procurement.
• Submit the insurance renewal documentation to your broker. Aim for 90 days before renewal date.

June

• Mid-year financial review with the PM. Reconcile actuals to budget at the half-year mark.
• Confirm the depreciation-report engagement is on track (if applicable). Council should be receiving draft asset register and inspection scheduling by now.

Q3 — July through September

Q3 is the renewal and review quarter. Insurance renewals cluster here for most BC stratas, and the second half of the year’s major projects typically get scoped now for fall execution.

July

• For Lower Mainland stratas: the July 1 depreciation-report deadline is operative. If your council made the deadline, it’s now part of strata records. If you didn’t, document the engagement-in-progress for owners and lenders.
• Insurance renewal underwriting is in active conversation with your broker. Be available for follow-up questions; the underwriter often has clarifying asks at this stage.

August

• Receive the renewal terms from your broker. Review carefully — premium, deductibles, coverage exclusions, sub-limits. Compare against current policy.
• Begin Q4 capital project scoping. If your depreciation report flagged near-term work (roof, envelope, plumbing), now is the time to engage a specialist consultant for scope and tender documents.

September

• Insurance renewal binds. Notify owners of any material changes to the policy. Update the strata’s documents accordingly.
• For most fiscal years, this is the start of budget-planning conversations for the following year. Begin reviewing recurring contracts that are up for renewal and any anticipated cost changes.

Q4 — October through December

Q4 is the planning and close-out quarter. The work isn’t visible to owners but determines what Q1 looks like.

October

• Confirm the year’s contract performance: which vendors performed well, which need to be re-tendered. The end of the calendar year is when most council renewals of multi-year contracts happen.
• Begin drafting the next year’s budget. Recurring items first, then capital projects, then reserve-fund contributions.
• For stratas with mid-October renewal dates on landscaping or snow contracts: bind those now.

November

• Council vote on the proposed annual budget and recommended CRF contribution. Confirm AGM dates and venue for Q1.
• Begin annual audit prep (if applicable). Smaller stratas may do a review engagement instead of a full audit; either way, the engagement letter should be in place by year-end.
• For stratas with five-year depreciation-report refresh cycles falling next year: begin the procurement conversation. Refresh engagements have shorter lead times than first reports but the same capacity dynamics.

December

• Year-end financial close. Reconcile bank statements, post the year-end adjustments, prepare the financial package for the AGM and auditor.
• Confirm next year’s AGM date is in the calendar and the notice will be sent on time.

Recurring monthly and standing items

Some items happen every month regardless of where you are in the year.

• Monthly fire-alarm visual check. Panel green, no trouble lights. Usually done by your PM or building manager; logged.
• Monthly emergency-lighting functional test. 30-second test for each fixture; logged.
• Monthly bookkeeping. Bank reconciliation, accounts-payable run, owner account aging.
• Monthly council meeting. Most BC councils meet roughly monthly; the recurring agenda items are financial review, owner correspondence, vendor and project updates, and any pending CRT or legal matters.

Recurring five-year items

A few things only come up every five years but are worth flagging because they fall through council transitions.

• Depreciation report refresh. Five-year cycle under the post-2024 rule.
• Bylaw review. Recommended after every two AGM cycles or so. Bylaws drift over time; what passed an AGM ten years ago may have been overtaken by CRT decisions or SPA amendments.
• Five-year sprinkler internal-pipe inspection. NFPA 25 requires it; PM often misses it because the annual is the visible inspection.

How to use this calendar

Print it. Put it on the strata bulletin board if your council reads paper. Or copy it into a shared spreadsheet with a checkbox next to each item and the date it was completed.

The single most useful thing about a calendar like this is that it makes the workload predictable. A treasurer who knows that August is “review the renewal quote” and not “scramble to find the depreciation report” has a much better year than one who learns the rhythm by missing deadlines.

If you want to be told the month before a deadline matters, the StrataNotes brief is the lightest version of that. If you’re trying to plan a year ahead and want a deeper read on any of the recurring items, the coverage pages on fire safety, backflow testing, and the 2026 depreciation-report deadline are the in-depth versions.