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    Owner services · Commercial management

    Commercial property management in Vancouver for private owners

    David Siccia Properties runs retail, industrial, office and mixed-use buildings for private owners in Vancouver and across Metro Vancouver: rent collection, additional-rent budgets and reconciliations, lease administration, maintenance and monthly reporting. We track 1,216 live commercial listings; Vancouver's median asking rent is $26 per sq ft per year (updated 2026-09-17), and management fees in this market typically run 3–8% of gross collected rent.

    Talk to David about my building See what is included

    Vancouver asking rent

    Live · 2026-09-17

    $26

    median asking base rent, per sq ft per year, from 439 priced Vancouver listings

    Office

    $34

    Retail

    $45

    Industrial

    $21

    Bar: 25th to 75th percentile. Lime marker: median. Scale $0 to $80.

    3–8%

    management fee, market range

    of gross collected rent

    1,216

    live commercial listings tracked

    Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley

    01

    What does a commercial property manager actually do?

    A commercial property manager collects the rent, runs the building's costs, administers the leases and keeps the owner informed, so the property produces the income the leases say it should. On a net-leased building most of the skill is in the money that passes through the owner: property tax, insurance and common area maintenance, budgeted, billed and reconciled every year.

    This page is for owners: an individual, a family holding company or a small partnership with one to fifteen commercial properties. Tenants looking for space should see the commercial portfolio. Here are the eight jobs, then how often each happens.

    Rent collection and arrears

    Base and additional rent invoiced and collected monthly, with GST. Late payers get a call in week one, then written notice under the lease.

    Additional-rent budget and reconciliation

    Property tax, insurance and common area maintenance (CAM) budgeted up front, billed monthly, then reconciled against actual invoices at year end.

    Lease administration and critical dates

    Every lease abstracted onto one page and every rent step, option window and expiry put in a diary, so nothing is missed.

    Maintenance and vendors

    Roof, HVAC, plumbing, paving, landscaping, snow, janitorial. Quoted, scheduled and checked; spending above your limit waits for your approval.

    Inspections

    Scheduled walks of the building and each unit with dated photos: condition, unauthorised alterations, life-safety items, actual use.

    Insurance certificates

    Each tenant's certificate checked against the lease (limits, owner named as additional insured) and chased before it lapses.

    Owner reporting

    A monthly statement: rent roll, collections, arrears, invoices paid, budget against actual, and what needs a decision from you.

    Renewals and re-leasing

    Renewal talks start 12 to 18 months before expiry, priced against live asking rates. Space is marketed before it goes dark.

    What happens monthly, quarterly and annually?

    CadenceWhat we doWhat you receive
    MonthlyRent and additional-rent invoices issued and collected; arrears followed up; vendor invoices checked and paid; GST tracked.Owner statement: rent roll, collections, arrears, disbursements, budget against actual.
    QuarterlySite inspection with photos; budget variance review; insurance certificates and critical dates checked; preventive maintenance (HVAC, roof drains).Inspection report and a short list of items to approve, defer or watch.
    AnnuallyOperating-cost budget and new additional-rent estimates; year-end reconciliation and tenant statements; BC Assessment notice reviewed in January; insurance renewal; rent escalations applied.Approved budget, reconciliation package, and a one-page plan for the year including capital items.
    When it happensRenewal option windows, expiries 12 to 18 months out, defaults, assignments and subleases, move-in and move-out inspections, insurance claims, emergencies.A recommendation with the numbers behind it. You decide; nothing is signed on your behalf.

    Standard operating cadence for a small or mid-sized commercial building. Timing of reconciliations and budgets follows what each lease requires. BC Assessment notices arrive in early January and the review deadline is January 31; check the date on your notice.

    02

    How much does commercial property management cost in Vancouver?

    In Metro Vancouver, commercial property management fees typically run 3–8% of gross collected rent (published rate cards from Metro Vancouver managers, 2025–26). Single-tenant net-leased buildings sit at the low end; multi-tenant retail and office with common areas sit at the high end. Under a net lease the management fee is commonly recoverable from the tenant as additional rent, so the owner's net cost can be much lower than the headline percentage.

    A worked example from the live data: the median priced Vancouver listing is 1,330 sq ft asking $26 per sq ft, or about $34,580 a year in base rent. At 3–8% that is $86 to $231 a month, which is why a single small unit is usually quoted a flat monthly minimum and not a percentage.

    Leasing, capital projects and legal enforcement are normally priced separately. David's leasing fee is typically the first and last months' rent on the lease, and ongoing management is quoted per property. For inclusions, extras, recovery under net leases, agreement red flags and an estimator you can put your own rent roll into, read commercial property management fees in Vancouver.

    Where buildings usually land in the 3–8% range

    % of collected rent

    Single tenant, net lease

    3–4%

    one invoice, one relationship; often a flat monthly fee instead

    2 to 4 tenants, small mixed-use or strip

    4–6%

    shared costs to budget, bill and reconcile

    5+ tenants, multi-tenant office or retail

    5–8%

    common areas, turnover, daily vendor coordination

    0%5%10%

    Market pattern from published rate cards from Metro Vancouver managers, 2025–26. Not a quote. Under a net lease the management fee is commonly recoverable from the tenant.

    03

    What types of commercial property do you manage?

    Retail, industrial, office, mixed-use and live/work, in buildings the large firms tend to treat as too small to staff properly. Each type is a different management job and prices differently. The cards show live median asking rates across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, with the 25th to 75th percentile band.

    Retail

    Street-front units, strip plazas and mixed-use ground floors. The work is tenant mix, CAM across several tenants, signage, parking and restaurant fit-outs.

    Retail · median asking

    $39 /sq ft/yr

    25th–75th: $28–$55 · n=166

    Retail property management

    Industrial

    Small-bay, flex, warehouse and yard. Usually net leased, so the work is lease administration, inspections, roof and paving, and environmental housekeeping.

    Industrial · median asking

    $21 /sq ft/yr

    25th–75th: $18–$25 · n=243

    Industrial property management

    Office

    Class B and C buildings, strata office, medical and professional suites. HVAC scheduling, janitorial, access control and a steady flow of small renewals.

    Office · median asking

    $35 /sq ft/yr

    25th–75th: $22–$49 · n=292

    Office building management

    Mixed-use

    Retail at grade with office or residential above, often a commercial strata lot under condos. Strata bylaws sit on top of the municipality's, and costs have to be split fairly between uses.

    Retail at grade · median asking

    $39 /sq ft/yr

    25th–75th: $28–$55 · n=166

    Office above · median asking

    $35 /sq ft/yr

    25th–75th: $22–$49 · n=292

    Commercial lease types in BC

    Live/work

    A business owner works and lives on the same site, permitted only on specific parcels in Vancouver and North Vancouver. A narrow tenant pool, so screening carries more weight. The work space prices against industrial.

    Industrial reference · median asking

    $21 /sq ft/yr

    25th–75th: $18–$25 · n=243

    No separate live/work benchmark; each building is priced on its own.

    Live/work zoning guide

    Asking base rent, CAD per sq ft per year, from 701 priced listings out of 1,216 live commercial-for-lease listings on Craigslist and Kijiji (Prospect OS), updated 2026-09-17. Asking is not achieved rent; additional rent (property tax, insurance, common area maintenance) is on top.

    The full monthly table by city and asset type is in the Metro Vancouver commercial lease rates report.

    04

    Where in Metro Vancouver do you work?

    Vancouver first, then North Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Langley, Coquitlam and the Tri-Cities, with Delta and New Westminster in between. Each municipality has its own zoning, sign bylaw, business licence process and property tax rate, so each city page covers its own submarkets and live rates.

    City of Vancouver

    $26

    median asking, per sq ft per year · 716 live listings, 439 priced

    office

    $34

    n=162

    retail

    $45

    n=109

    industrial

    $21

    n=168

    Vancouver is several markets in one city. Mount Pleasant, Strathcona and the False Creek Flats hold the close-in light industrial, studio and creative office stock. Broadway, Main Street and Commercial Drive are street-front retail and small office under residential. The Kingsway corridor is strip retail and service. Marpole and the Marine Drive lands are warehouse and small-bay industrial.

    Mount PleasantStrathconaRailtownFalse Creek FlatsBroadway corridorMain StreetCommercial DriveKingsway corridorMarpoleSouth Vancouver industrialKitsilanoDowntown and Gastown

    North Vancouver

    $30

    median · n=52

    Lower Lonsdale · Harbourside · Lynn Creek · Marine Drive corridor · Dollarton and Maplewood

    Commercial property management in North Vancouver

    Burnaby

    $37

    median · n=18

    Metrotown · Brentwood · Big Bend · Lake City · Edmonds · Kingsway corridor

    Commercial property management in Burnaby

    Richmond

    $26

    median · n=32

    Steveston · Bridgeport · Crestwood · Ironwood · No. 3 Road

    Commercial property management in Richmond

    Surrey

    $35

    median · n=11

    Newton · Campbell Heights · Port Kells · Cloverdale · City Centre · South Surrey

    Commercial property management in Surrey

    Langley

    $39

    median · n=15

    Walnut Grove · Willoughby · Gloucester · Langley City · Aldergrove

    Commercial property management in Langley

    Coquitlam & Tri-Cities

    $20

    Port Coquitlam median · n=31

    Coquitlam Centre · Burquitlam · Maillardville · Port Coquitlam · Port Moody

    Commercial property management in Coquitlam

    City medians are all asset types combined, asking base rent in CAD per sq ft per year, updated 2026-09-17. A city with fewer than 5 priced listings shows no figure. Current examples of buildings we work on, including 1496 Rupert St in North Vancouver and the Gunderson Rd industrial site in Delta, are in the commercial portfolio.

    05

    When should I hire a manager versus self-manage?

    Self-manage when the lease does the work for you; hire when the building has shared costs, several tenants, or a lease event coming. The test is not the fee. It is whether anyone is reconciling additional rent, tracking option dates and walking the building, and whether that person is you on a Sunday night.

    Keep it yourself

    Self-managing is fine when

    • You have a single tenant on a true triple-net lease with a strong covenant
    • The tenant pays property tax, insurance and maintenance directly
    • The lease has years left and no renewal or rent review is close
    • You have a bookkeeper for GST and you are comfortable reading the lease

    Put the option and expiry dates in a diary today. That is the one thing self-managing owners miss.

    Bring someone in

    Hire a manager when

    • Two or more tenants share costs that must be budgeted, billed and reconciled
    • Leases are gross or semi-gross, so cost control is your margin
    • There are arrears or a tenant dispute you have been putting off
    • A lease expires, or a unit will be vacant, inside the next 18 months
    • The roof, HVAC or parking lot is due and someone has to run the project

    Under a net lease the management fee is commonly recoverable from the tenant. Compare what you keep, not the fee.

    The real cost

    Where self-managed buildings lose money

    • Rent steps and CPI escalations that were never billed
    • Additional rent never reconciled, so the owner absorbs rising tax and insurance
    • Tenant insurance that lapsed two years ago
    • A renewal option exercised at a rent nobody checked against the market
    • Re-leasing that starts the day the tenant moves out

    Most of these show up in the ledger review in the first two weeks.

    06

    What happens in the first 90 days?

    The first 90 days turn a box of leases into a building that runs on a calendar: documents in, ledgers checked, building inspected, vendors and insurance reviewed, budget built, reporting live. Tenants notice little beyond a new contact and payment address. You get a written baseline, often for the first time in years.

    1. 01Document intake and lease abstracts

      days 1–10

      We collect every lease, amendment and side agreement, two years of operating costs and tax notices, vendor contracts and insurance policies. Each lease is abstracted onto one page, and gaps and contradictions are listed for you.

    2. 02Tenant ledger and arrears review

      days 5–15

      Each ledger is rebuilt from the lease forward: what should have been billed against what was. Missed escalations, under-billed additional rent and quiet arrears show up here. You see the list before any tenant receives a letter.

    3. 03Site inspection

      days 10–20

      A full walk of the building, roof, mechanical rooms, parking and every unit, with dated photos. The output is a condition baseline and a prioritised list of deferred items, split between owner and tenant responsibility.

    4. 04Vendor and insurance review

      days 15–30

      Service contracts are checked for scope, price and auto-renewal terms, and re-quoted where stale. Tenant certificates are compared with the lease, and the building policy is reviewed with your insurance adviser.

    5. 05Operating-cost budget

      days 30–60

      A budget built from actual invoices, not last year's estimate carried forward. Additional-rent estimates are re-issued where the lease allows, so year end is a small adjustment and not an argument.

    6. 06Reporting set up and 90-day review

      days 60–90

      Monthly statements start in the format you and your accountant want. At day 90 we review the rent roll, arrears, critical dates and capital list with you, and agree the next twelve months.

    07

    What if my space is vacant?

    Then leasing comes first and management follows. An empty unit still carries property tax, insurance and maintenance, and those costs land on the owner the moment a net-lease tenant leaves. Pricing, marketing, showings, tenant screening and lease negotiation are set out on the commercial leasing services page. Management starts on commencement, run by the same person who leased the space.

    Landlord representation: who is on the owner's side?

    Landlord representation means the person pricing, marketing and negotiating the lease works for the owner, not for the tenant and not only for the transaction. We work owner-side and then carry the result: the tenant we recommend is the tenant we collect rent from for the term, so we will tell you to take a slightly lower rent from a stronger covenant. David and John Moody bring 37 years of combined experience in commercial property. Unlike most property managers, David has his own MLS access, so a vacant space goes on the MLS and realtor.ca right away, where an owner listing alone cannot put it. The guide who should lease your commercial property compares the options, including doing it yourself.

    Vacancy cost calculatorWhat each empty month costs, carrying costs includedLease rate estimatorA first read on asking rent from live listings near youLease expiry plannerA dated plan working back from your lease end date

    Key takeaway

    $2,882

    base rent forgone per empty month, median Vancouver listing

    That is 1,330 sq ft at the $26 median asking rate, before the property tax, insurance and maintenance the owner also carries while the unit is dark. Two extra months of vacancy usually cost more than the rent difference owners hold out for. Put your own numbers in.
    Vacancy cost calculator

    08

    How do I switch commercial property managers?

    Give written notice under the existing agreement, demand a complete document handover, send tenants one clear letter, and reconcile the trust account and ledgers before any money moves. Done in that order it takes 30 to 60 days and tenants barely notice.

    1. 1

      Read the termination clause, then give notice

      The existing management agreement sets the notice period (30 to 60 days is common), any termination fee, and whether a leasing fee survives on prospects already introduced. Give notice in writing, exactly as the agreement requires.

    2. 2

      Send the handover list with the notice

      Ask for everything on the list beside this one, with a date. A departing manager has little reason to hurry later.

    3. 3

      Issue one tenant notice letter

      Signed by you as owner: the new manager's name and contact, the effective date, the new payment instructions, and where to send insurance certificates. One letter, sent once, keeps rent out of the wrong account.

    4. 4

      Reconcile the trust account and ledgers

      Before funds move: a final statement, a bank reconciliation to the handover date, security deposits and prepaid rent by tenant, additional rent collected against costs paid this year, unpaid vendor invoices, and GST collected but not remitted.

    Document handover list

    Ask for all ten, in writing, with a date

    • Signed leases, amendments, renewals and assignments
    • Tenant ledgers, rent roll and arrears history
    • Security deposit and prepaid rent schedule
    • Operating budgets and year-end reconciliations, last two to three years
    • Property tax and BC Assessment notices
    • Vendor contracts, warranties and service logs
    • Tenant insurance certificates and the building policy
    • Keys, fobs, access codes and utility accounts
    • Open work orders, quotes and insurance claims
    • Tenant contacts and correspondence on any dispute

    If the reason you are switching is a lease coming up, the lease expiry playbook sets out what to do at 18, 12 and 6 months. If the real question is whether to keep the building, start at sell or lease your commercial property.

    09

    Questions owners ask about commercial property management in Vancouver

    Management fees in detailCommercial leasing servicesMonthly lease rates reportWho should lease my property?Gross vs net leases

    Talk to David about your building

    Send the address and the rent roll if you have one. You get a plain read on what the building needs, what your leases let you recover, and a flat quote per property, whether or not you hire us.

    Book a call about management 236-998-5841

    David Siccia Properties handles leasing and management. Property sales are executed by Lawrence Siccia, REALTOR®, Engel & Völkers Vancouver.

    General information, not legal or tax advice

    Commercial tenancies in BC are governed by the Commercial Tenancy Act (RSBC 1996, c. 57) and by the lease; the Residential Tenancy Branch has no jurisdiction. GST applies to commercial rent and to management fees; PST does not. GST and income tax are administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and property tax rates are set by each municipality. Fee ranges on this page are published market figures, not a quote. Confirm lease terms and recoverability with your lawyer and tax treatment with your accountant.

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