How to win strata and property-manager work in Burnaby

Why strata work matters in Burnaby

Burnaby's planning steers dense growth toward its town centres. Metrotown has its own downtown plan, and Brentwood, Edmonds and Lougheed are also planned for higher density. Around them sit townhouse complexes in areas like Forest Grove and Cariboo Heights.

In all of these, the person deciding who fixes a common-area leak or repaints the exterior is rarely a single owner. It's a strata council, often advised by a property manager, with a caretaker or building manager who actually lets you in. Each of those people has different worries, and your marketing has to address all three.

Understand the three buyers

The property manager handles many buildings and wants vendors who make their life easier: quick responses, clear quotes, clean invoices and no complaints from owners.

The strata council is volunteer owners spending their neighbours' money. They want reassurance that you're insured, safe and reasonably priced, and that someone will answer if something goes wrong.

The caretaker or building manager sees your work up close. They value technicians who know the building, respect the rules for elevators and parking, and clean up properly. Their opinion often reaches the manager informally.

Write your materials so each of them can find their answer quickly.

Step 1: Build a vendor pack

A vendor pack is a short document, two to four pages, that a manager can file and forward. Include:

1. Who you are: business name, years in operation, the services you offer to buildings, and a named contact with a direct phone number.
2. Insurance: a current certificate of insurance and the coverage amount.
3. WorkSafeBC: your registration and how a manager can confirm clearance; WorkSafeBC explains the system.
4. Licences: any trade licence or permit that applies to your work. For regulated work such as gas or electrical, Technical Safety BC explains what it oversees; confirm your own obligations.
5. Response commitments: what you can honestly promise, such as returning calls the same business day.
6. Rates: hourly or call-out rates and how you price larger jobs.
7. Building experience: types of buildings you've worked in and the kinds of jobs, with photos taken with permission.

Keep it up to date. An expired insurance certificate is one of the quickest ways to lose a manager's trust.

Step 2: Add a manager page to your website

Create one page on your site written for managers and councils, not homeowners. It should:

• explain the building services you offer;
• state your response times and hours;
• show your insurance, WorkSafeBC and licence details;
• offer the vendor pack as a download;
• make calling, texting or emailing you one tap away.

Search for terms managers use, such as "strata plumber" or "building maintenance Burnaby", and make sure the page answers those needs. Our websites service covers how to structure it.

Step 3: Build a target list

Start with buildings near your base, in your core service area. For each, try to find:

• the building name and address;
• the management company, if any, or whether it's self-managed;
• the manager's name and public business contact details;
• any connection you already have, such as a past suite customer.

Management company websites often list the properties they manage. Lobby signage and your own customers help too. Keep the list in a simple spreadsheet with a column for every contact you make and its outcome.

Step 4: Make the first approach

The first contact should come from you, the owner, not a generic email blast. A short phone call or a personal email works best.

A simple template:

Hi [Manager name], I'm [Your name] from [Business name]. We do [service] for strata buildings in [area], and we've recently worked at [type of building]. I've attached our vendor pack with insurance and WorkSafeBC details. If you ever need a backup vendor for [service] at [Building name], I'd be glad to help.

Canada's anti-spam legislation applies to commercial electronic messages. Keep messages personal and relevant, identify yourself clearly, give an easy way to opt out, and check your own obligations.

Step 5: Time your follow-up around how councils work

Councils tend to plan bigger exterior and maintenance work ahead of the drier months, and in Metro Vancouver the wet season makes leaks and drainage urgent through autumn and winter. That gives you two natural moments:

• Late winter: follow up about spring and summer projects, such as painting, pressure-washing, roofing and landscaping.
• Late summer: follow up about the rainy season: gutters, drains, roof checks and leak response.

A reasonable rhythm is one useful follow-up every two to three months, each with something new: a recent building job, a seasonal reminder or a change to your services.

Step 6: Win the trial job, then keep the building

Most relationships start with a small job: a backup call when the regular vendor is busy, or a single suite issue. Treat it as an audition:

• arrive when you said;
• follow building rules for parking, elevators and noise;
• leave the area cleaner than you found it;
• send a clear invoice with photos and a short note on what you did;
• tell the caretaker what you found, in plain language.

Then ask, simply, whether the manager would add you to their vendor list.

How to measure progress

Track contacts made, replies, trial jobs, vendor-list additions and revenue from building work each quarter. Strata work builds slowly; judge it over six to twelve months, not weeks.

Common mistakes

• Treating managers like homeowners with coupons and "limited time" offers.
• Missing or outdated paperwork.
• Mass emails to every manager in Metro Vancouver.
• Sending a different technician each visit.
• Giving up after one contact.

Next steps

Our strata and property-manager marketing service builds the vendor pack, the manager page and the outreach plan with you. The areas page describes which parts of Burnaby have the most multi-unit buildings. To talk about whether strata work suits your business, call, text or email. We're a marketing service, not a contractor; your team does the work and we help buildings find you.