Limited portfolios
The plan is to set a manageable portfolio size before taking on any community.
Taking shape in Burnaby
A local vision for strata management.
Deer Lake Property Management is being built around a simple idea: communities deserve a manager who knows their building, follows through and makes time for the people who live there. Our planned approach starts with a small portfolio and a strong local focus.
- An owner’s perspective on community life
- A focus on clear communication and follow-through
- Based right here in Burnaby
People first
A strata is a community, not just a building.
Behind every strata plan are neighbours. Some have lived there for decades, some have just moved in, and many are raising families or enjoying retirement. Good management keeps the building in shape and helps the people in it feel looked after.
-
Personal relationships
Our aim is a consistent point of contact who takes time to know the people in each community.
-
Plain-language communication
Notices and updates written in everyday language, so everyone understands what's happening and why.
-
Approachable management
We want clear contact routes and agreed response expectations to be part of the future service.
-
Community connections
Welcoming new owners and helping councils support community life are part of the approach we are developing.
Why we are building Deer Lake
Your building shouldn't feel like one account among dozens.
Strata councils are volunteers. They give their evenings to look after a shared home, and they count on their manager for the day-to-day work. When one manager is stretched across too many properties, the same frustrations tend to appear.
A new manager, again
Every year or two, council explains the building to someone new.
Waiting for replies
Emails sit for days while small issues grow into bigger ones.
History gets lost
Why a decision was made, who did the work, what the warranty covers. It leaves when the manager does.
Hard to get answers
Simple questions pass through several people before anyone can help.
Not sure what's happening
Council can't easily see what's open, what's waiting, and who is handling it.
Accounting at arm's length
Bills and reports go through a department council never meets.
This is rarely anyone's fault. It's what happens when one person is responsible for more buildings than anyone could know well.
Challenges councils can face
- One manager responsible for many properties
- Your contact changes when staff change
- Messages spread across departments
- Building knowledge can leave with the manager
- Contractors managed from a distance
- A central accounting department
The model we are developing
- A deliberately small number of properties per manager
- One manager you know, who stays accountable
- Clear updates, with open items tracked for council
- Building history written down and kept by the strata
- Hands-on with quotes, site visits and follow-up
- An independent bookkeeper, with council approving payments
Our guiding principle
Every property should feel like the manager owns it.
That means knowing the building's history, noticing what's changed on a walk around the property, following up with the contractor who hasn't called back, and keeping council informed without being asked.
Our planned approach
A deliberately different management model.
We believe a smaller portfolio can make more personal attention possible. These six principles guide the business we are developing.
Direct accountability
Our aim is for each council to have a clear, accountable point of contact.
Property knowledge
We are planning systems that preserve decisions, project history and open issues.
Hands-on oversight
Practical project tracking and consistent contractor follow-up are priorities for the planned service.
Financial clarity
Clear responsibilities for management, bookkeeping, approvals and reconciliation are a design priority.
Specialists when needed
The intended model recognises when a council needs independent professional advice.
Local advantage
Built for Burnaby communities.
Burnaby is the starting point for our plans. A local focus would make regular site visits and familiarity with each neighbourhood more practical.
Close to the property
A short drive means walking the property, meeting a contractor or looking at a problem in person.
Local trades and suppliers
Identifying dependable local trades and suppliers is part of our preparations.
Part of the neighbourhood
Knowing owners, residents and caretakers by name makes everyday communication easier.
Burnaby's strata homes, and how they age
Different buildings have different maintenance needs. Understanding their history and depreciation reports would be an important starting point.
Townhouse complexes
Many were built in the 1970s, '80s and '90s.
What tends to need attention
- Roofs, siding and decks coming due around the same time
- Original plumbing, including Poly-B in some complexes
- Fences, landscaping and shared driveways
Wood-frame low-rises
Three- and four-storey apartment buildings.
What tends to need attention
- Balcony membranes and the building envelope
- Small leaks, caught before they spread
- Hallways, carpets and common rooms
Concrete towers
Highrises with parkades and shared amenities.
What tends to need attention
- Elevators, mechanical and fire-safety systems
- Parkade membranes and drainage
- Many contractors on different service schedules
Planned local focus
Our plans focus on Burnaby and nearby communities, beginning around Deer Lake. The eventual service area will depend on licensing, capacity and the ability to provide consistent attention.
Future service areas
The support we intend to develop.
Our plans bring together council support, property care and communication, with clear responsibilities and a personal connection to each community.
Supporting council
- Council meetingsAgendas, reports, action lists and minutes that help decisions move forward.
- AGMs and SGMsNotices, budgets, resolutions and logistics, prepared well ahead of deadlines.
- Bylaws and governanceBylaw letters, consistent follow-through, and a clear record of decisions.
- Records and documentsOrganized, searchable records, kept in systems the strata owns.
Caring for the property
- Maintenance coordinationRoutine and urgent work scheduled, checked and closed out.
- Contractors and vendorsClear scopes, access arranged, work supervised and followed up.
- Quotes and projectsComparable quotes, plain recommendations and tracked timelines.
- Maintenance planningWork planned around your depreciation report and the year's budget.
- EmergenciesA clear plan for urgent issues, with council kept informed.
Owners and finances
- Owner and resident communicationTimely, friendly notices and updates on work that affects people's homes.
- Invoice checkingBills checked against quotes and completed work before they go to the bookkeeper.
- Specialist coordinationBriefing and following up with the professionals council hires.
Specialist work is done by independent professionals
Our plans would include coordination with independent professionals hired by the strata corporation where appropriate. Legal advice, engineering, insurance and other specialist services would remain with suitably qualified providers.
Planned financial safeguards
Clear responsibilities. Visible decisions.
We are exploring a model with distinct roles for checking work, preparing payments, authorising spending and reconciling accounts. The final arrangements must be reviewed with the managing broker and accounting professionals.
- 1Your manager
Verifies
Confirms the work was done, matches the quote, and belongs to the right budget line.
- 2The bookkeeper
Prepares
An independent bookkeeper records the bill and gets the payment ready for approval.
- 3Your council
Approves
Council members with signing authority review it and release payment from the strata's own account.
- 4The bookkeeper
Reconciles
Bank activity is matched to statements and reported back to council.
Clear account arrangements
Account ownership, trust requirements and access would be confirmed as part of the approved operating model.
Council approves the spending
Our aim is to keep council oversight clear, with authority documented in the agreed arrangements.
The books belong to the strata
Accessible ledgers, statements and receipts would support transparent reporting to council.
No single point of failure
Documented procedures and agreed backup arrangements would help reduce dependence on one person.
This is an outline of the model under consideration. Final financial procedures would need professional review and must meet applicable brokerage, strata and legal requirements.
Continuity
Your records should belong to your community.
Our planned approach puts continuity first. We want councils to retain clear access to their community’s records, including:
- Documents, minutes and contracts
- Owner and unit records
- Financial records
- Project history and warranties
- Contractor and vendor records
- How-the-building-runs procedures
- Online accounts and shared files
Our aim is for an organised handover to preserve the knowledge a community has built.
Russell KentishFounder · Strata owner
About
Hello, I'm Russell. I'm a strata owner too.
Deer Lake Property Management is being built around a simple question: what would property management look like if every building received the attention an owner would expect?
I own a home at Heather Crest in Burnaby and serve as president of our strata council. That experience gives me an owner’s perspective on the decisions, maintenance and communication that shape everyday community life.
That experience has shaped the business I want to build: local, approachable and attentive to the property and the people who call it home.
Russell
- Owner and council presidentHeather Crest, Burnaby
- Lives in BurnabyRooted in the local community
Preparing for dependable support
We are planning clear responsibilities, reliable records and appropriate independent support. Bookkeeping, financial controls, specialist relationships and backup coverage all need to be established before launch.
- Independent bookkeeping
- Legal
- Engineering
- Insurance
- Accounting and audit
- Senior strata expertise
For strata councils
A good fit for communities that want more involvement from their manager.
- Established residential strata corporations
- Councils that want a direct relationship with their manager
- Communities tired of a new manager every year or two
- Properties with maintenance or larger projects underway
- Councils that want better records and a clearer view of what's happening
Let's connect
Have a question? Say hello.
Questions about Deer Lake, feedback on our plans or a local introduction? Russell welcomes a conversation.
hello@deerlakepropertymanagement.ca
A friendly face.
A sense of home.