For strata management firms, building caretaking companies and self-managed councils
Your managers get the credit. Otto does the legwork.
Strata OS gives every building its own phone line and an AI assistant, Otto, that answers calls, texts and email 24/7, turns each one into a tracked request, follows it until it's done, and gives your managers a morning brief for every building.
- 24/7
- calls, texts and email answered
- 1
- numbered record for every request
- 0
- apps or passwords for residents
- 0
- strata dollars through the platform
Otto
The Corazon building line
Hi, the light in the parkade stairwell on P2 has been out for a few days. Anything you can do?
Thanks for flagging it. Want me to file a maintenance request for the burnt-out stairwell light on P2, under unit 512?
Yes please, and it is pretty dark down there
Filed as urgent, reference #100010: P2 stairwell light out, area very dark. We'll follow up. YYJ Stratacare
Otto knew the unit because the number is on the building’s owner and tenant list. It asked once, then filed.
The problem
Strata management in BC is short of managers, and buildings feel it
Before building any of this we read what managers, councils and owners across BC say goes wrong: news stories, tribunal decisions, regulator reports and public reviews, more than 150 of them. Three problems came up more than any other.
Too many buildings, not enough managers.
A manager who should carry five to seven buildings often carries fifteen to twenty. The small things can't all reach one desk, so they wait.
Requests that sit for months.
Owners describe reports that go unanswered, repairs that drag from one season to the next, and nobody who can say where a request stands.
When a manager leaves, everything leaves with them.
Managers change buildings every few years. The history of what was reported, approved and fixed usually lives in one person's inbox, and goes when they do.
From the public record
None of this is a knock on managers. It comes from there being too few of them for too many buildings. Otto is built to make the manager's week lighter, and to keep the building's record whoever the manager is this year.
What buildings say goes wrong, and what Otto does about each
- Calls and emails go unanswered
- Otto Every call, text and email to the building line is answered, at any hour, and gets a reference number.
- Weekend emergencies wait until Monday
- Otto A flood or a stuck elevator is filed as urgent the moment it comes in, and whoever is on call is alerted.
- Repairs drag on for months
- Otto Every request has a person's name on it the day it arrives. Otto checks with the trade on the day they named, and asks again if a request is still open after three days.
- Bills nobody approved
- Otto Otto can't approve anything that costs the strata money. It goes to the manager for a yes, and nothing is booked until that yes comes back.
- No record of what was done
- Otto One record per request, with every step dated, the photos, and who closed it. It goes into a monthly report for council.
- A new manager, and the history is gone
- Otto The building's bylaws, rules and past reports are read once, and every answer says which page it came from. The record stays with the building.
- Council volunteers doing the manager's work
- Otto Neighbours who would stop a council member in the lobby call or text the building line instead.
The loop
How it works
Every request goes round the same loop once. It isn't closed until the person who reported it has been told.
- 1A resident calls, texts or emailsThe building's own line, or its page. No app.
- 2Otto files a numbered requestHe asks the one question that matters, and joins it to an open one if it's the same thing.
- 3It goes to whoever handles itThe crew, a trade, or the manager's office, by the building's own rules.
- 4Otto follows up until it's doneHe checks on the day that was named, and tells the resident when it's finished.
- 5Your manager sees it in the morningOne email with what came in, what's waiting and what's booked. Council gets a monthly report.
Managers
For your managers
The point is a lighter week, and a manager who always has the answer when council asks.
One email for every building
What came in, what's waiting on them, and what's booked, each item one tap to open. Anything urgent doesn't wait for it.
A yes or a no, in one tap
A request that needs the manager's approval arrives as one link. Nothing is booked until they approve it, and a no needs a reason the resident is told.
Answers from the building's own papers
How much is a fob, what's the move-in fee, when were the windows last cleaned. Otto answers from the building's documents and says which page it came from.
A new manager is up to speed at once
The building's history is already on file: every request, contact, booking and job. Nobody has to dig through a predecessor's inbox.
For residents: No app and no password. The less a resident has to learn, the more of them use it.
Call, text, or the building's page
The building has one number and one page. A QR code on the lobby notice opens the page.
A problem in three taps
Pick what it is, say where, send. It gets a reference number, and they can always ask where it stands.
The elevator, a room, a fob
Bookings follow the building's own notice period and hours, with a confirmation and reminders.
No wondering
When the work is finished, the person who reported it hears so.

The command centre
Run the buildings by talking to Otto
The person in charge doesn't have to learn a system. They tell Otto what they want in plain words, at a desk or from a phone, and watch it happen. We call it vibe management.
- You
At the Linden. What have you got?
- Otto
Two here. 1 of 2: the P2 stairwell light is out, #104220. Is it fixed?
- You
Done, new bulb.
- Otto
Closed, and unit 208 has been told. 2 of 2: the council asked when the windows get cleaned.
- You
Tell the council it's Thursday.
- Otto
Sent to the council by email. It's on the calendar.
Your own line to Otto
One conversation, the same at your desk and on your phone. He brings you what needs you, one thing at a time, and does what you tell him.
Every conversation as it happens
Residents, crew, managers and trades, newest first. Narrow it to one group or one building. Send a notice and watch the replies come in.
Requests, calendar and the daily brief, beside the streams
Up to three panes open side by side. Name a request in a conversation and its card lights up in the list.
Vibe management
Say it the way you'd say it to a colleague: tell 402 the door company is coming, what's open at Harbour Court, close it. Otto does it and keeps the record, so the app is current when you're back at a desk.
Text him or call him. He knows who you are by your number. The streams are for the person in charge. Crew see only their own buildings and their own work.
Listen
Hear Otto take a call
Two real calls, recorded on our test building. The resident is an actor. Otto is Otto, with nothing edited.
On the phone Otto runs on OpenAI's GPT-4.1 through a voice service. For texts, email and chat he runs on Claude, from Anthropic.
Try him
Ask Otto yourself
Ask him about the software, or play a resident at a made-up building and watch what he does with it. He can't see or change anything real from here.
OttoI'm Otto. Ask me how I work or what I cost, or try me: tell me you're a resident at Harbour Court and what's wrong.
A demonstration. Harbour Court is a made-up building: nothing you type is filed, and no real building or person can be reached from here. Book a demo
Explainers
How Otto handles each situation
Each one is the real flow, in the order it happens, with the line Otto won't cross. Where a person does a step, it says so.
EmergencyA leak or a flood
- By text, Otto files it as urgent in the same message, before he asks anything else.
- The building's caretaker gets a text with the reference number and the unit, never the resident's name. If no caretaker is on file, the office is told at once.
- The resident gets a safe first step from the building's own instructions, such as where the shut-off is.
- On the phone, he asks whether it's still running, whether it's more than a drip, whether it's going into another unit, and whether they can reach the shut-off. Then he alerts whoever is on call.
- After the call there's a record, an urgent alert to the office, and an emergency text to the person on call.
Never He won't talk anyone through a fire, a gas smell or someone hurt. He says call 911 first. He won't promise a time.
By a person Calling in the plumber or restoration company is the company's decision. Otto offers to place the call to the trade on file when the office or the crew say so.
EmergencyThe elevator is down, or someone is trapped
- Someone trapped: "If anyone inside is unwell, hang up and call 911," then "press the alarm button in the car." No questions first.
- A car out of service: he asks whether anyone is inside, alerts whoever is on call, and opens an urgent record. By text, it's filed as urgent straight away.
- On a yes from the office or the crew, Otto phones the elevator company's dispatch from the company's line, gets past the phone menu and writes down their reference number.
- One call at a time on the same record, and he rings dispatch back six hours later for an update.
Never He won't try to troubleshoot an entrapment, and he won't tell residents who is coming or when.
By a person An elevator record is closed only once the elevator company has said what was wrong and what they fixed. That check is done by a person.
AccessA lockout, or a key
- On the phone: getting into a suite is arranged with the occupant directly. He takes the details and alerts whoever is on call.
- By text, asked whether the company holds a key for a unit, he gives a plain yes or no, and says how an owner can leave one with the company.
- If the office has a resident's own key, he hands it to the office as urgent in the same message.
- Door, suite, lockbox and alarm codes are stored encrypted. Only the people the company has named can read them, and only in their own conversation.
Never He won't let anyone in because they phoned, and he won't give a code or a key in a message to a resident, council, the manager or the public. He opens no front doors: no building has door rules set.
By a person Letting someone into a suite is done by a person, with the occupant's say-so.
AccessA fob
- A resident asks for one on the building page. The unit's owner approves it first.
- The office is texted, and the request goes to a crew member.
- The crew member texts the fob's number or a photo of it. Otto reads it digit by digit and sends it to the office.
- The office programs the fob and tells Otto. The crew member is told to deliver it.
- "Delivered" closes the request, tells the resident, and puts the fob on the month's statement to the manager, payable to the strata.
Never He won't close it before the fob is in the resident's hand, and he never collects the fee.
By a person Programming the fob is done by a person. Otto tracks every step around it.
EverydayA move or an elevator booking
- Residents book on the building page. A caller on the building's list can book by phone: Otto checks the free times, reads them back and books only after a yes.
- The same rules apply either way: the building's notice period, its hours, no double bookings and any approvals it needs.
- The person who booked and the crew member for the building both get a confirmation and reminders.
- Where the building's rules say so, the manager's office is emailed the move details. The Form K and move fees stay with the manager.
Never He won't cancel a resident's booking himself; he hands it to the office and says so. He quotes fees only as the building's own schedule states them, payable to the strata. The building-page chat can't book.
EverydayA trade who needs to get in
- On the new building page, a trade's access request goes to the strata manager for approval wherever the building's rules say the manager approves.
- The manager gets one email with one link: the trade, the work, what residents will notice, and the window. It says "Nothing is booked until you approve it."
- Approve books the visit and tells the person who asked. Deny needs a reason, and they're told why.
- Once booked, the visit goes on the calendar with the name of whoever lets them in, reminders to everyone involved, and a check afterwards.
Never He won't let a trade in at the front door on his own.
By a person The new building page is switched on one building at a time.
EverydayA broken washer or dryer
- Filed straight away, one machine to a request, with the machine, its number and the fault.
- The caretaker is texted, and the building's laundry technician is emailed the fault only.
- The technician's reply lands on the request and the office is texted. A visit they name becomes a reminder, then a follow-up.
- When it's fixed, the technician is thanked and the resident is told.
- Coin refunds are recorded by unit, machine, amount and day for the manager's monthly report. No money moves through the platform.
Never He never puts the resident's name in the technician's email.
ReportsNoise, or a bylaw complaint
- Otto takes it down and files it.
- He tells the resident plainly that reports are passed on, and council decides.
- The office decides whether it goes to the manager, and Otto drafts that email for a yes.
Never He never fines, warns, rules on a bylaw or holds a hearing, and never tells one resident anything about another.
By a person Passing a complaint to the manager is a person's call, each time. Nothing sends it automatically.
PrivacySomeone asking who lives where
- Anyone not on the building's list gets the building's public facts and nothing about people.
- He never confirms that anyone lives anywhere. A phone number isn't an identity, and typing "I'm the owner of 704" unlocks nothing.
- Nobody is told who is on site, who was there, or when anyone works. The calendar residents and the public see has no names on it.
Never He won't give a name, a number or a car, and he won't say who's away.
NightsAfter hours, and who gets woken
- Who's on call comes from each person's on-call hours, plus BC holidays. Any gap goes to the company's owner.
- Fire, gas or someone hurt: call 911. On the phone, an urgent property problem goes to whoever is on call. He never reads out their number.
- After an urgent call, the office is alerted and the person on call is texted.
- Texts to residents go out between 9 in the morning and 9 at night. Whoever is on call takes them at any hour.
Never He won't put a crew member's cell on a resident page, or tell residents who is on call.
By a person An urgent report that comes in by text alerts the office straight away, and a person wakes whoever is on call.
Follow-throughFollowing a job until it's closed
- Before filing, he checks whether the same person already has the same thing open. If so, it joins that record.
- Every new request gets a person's name the day it comes in.
- Still open after three days? The office is asked whether it's done, and the person who reported it is asked once whether anyone got back to them.
- Anything waiting on someone else stays quiet until the next business morning. No nagging.
- Closing needs what was done, plus a photo or the reason there isn't one. The resident hears it's done, with the reference number, and it goes into the monthly report the company approves.
Never He never says something was done, sent or closed unless it actually was. Code checks his words against the records.
New callersA number nobody knows
- Nobody is turned away for not being on file. A problem they report becomes a record at once.
- After the call, Otto texts them once, asking only for what's missing: building, unit and name.
- Their answer puts them on the list as unconfirmed. If it clashes with what's on file, it goes to the office to approve.
Never He never tells them what else is on file, and nobody already on the list is replaced.
Under the hood
The technology behind him
Plainly: a strong model, a short list of things it is allowed to do, the building's own papers, and checks on every message before it leaves.
Claude for writing, GPT-4.1 on the phone
Texts, email and the building-page chat run on Claude, from Anthropic. Phone calls go through a voice service that runs on GPT-4.1, from OpenAI. Each has a short list of actions it is allowed to take.
Tools are scoped by who is asking
The company's owner can reach everything. The crew sees only their own buildings and never the money. A manager gets their buildings' records. A resident gets their own unit. A number nobody knows gets public facts only. Every tool checks who is asking again before it runs.
Answers with the page they came from
Bylaws, rules and past reports are read page by page, and each fact Otto can quote is tied to the page it came from.
Every text passes the same checks
There is one way a text leaves the system. It checks, in order: no links to residents, no words carriers block, nobody who opted out, Canadian numbers only, and quiet hours.
Rate limits, so nothing floods
No more than 8 messages an hour to one person. A number nobody knows gets 6 answers an hour and 20 a day. Building-wide notices go out 40 at a time, every five minutes.
Code reads his reply before it is sent
If he says something was done and no tool did it, code catches it and corrects him. An urgent report that did not reach a record is filed by code.
Your firm stays in charge
Works alongside your firm, not around it
Strata OS is not strata management. Your licensed managers stay in charge of the money, the paperwork and the decisions.
Sent to your office
Form Ks, fees, insurance and anything else your firm handles is emailed to your office, or the resident is sent to your own portal.
None moves through the platform
Fees and charges are recorded as payable to the strata. The strata or its manager collects them.
Otto never enforces
He never fines, warns or rules on a bylaw. He writes down what was reported, and the manager or council decides.
For the things that need one
Fee, levy, insurance and Form B questions go to a person. Anything Otto sends to a council or a manager on the company's behalf waits for a yes.
Who it's for
- Strata management firms
- Every building reports the same way, so your managers read one kind of email and one kind of report.
- Building caretaking and maintenance companies
- Run several buildings with a small crew: the phone, the requests, the crew's morning brief and the monthly report.
- Self-managed councils, 15 to 75 units
- Take the phone off the volunteers and have every request tracked, without hiring a manager.
It also runs rental buildings, with the owner or their property manager where the strata manager would be.
Proof
Running today in Victoria
Otto was built for YYJ Stratacare, a building caretaking company in Victoria, BC, and runs at the buildings it looks after. YYJ works alongside the strata management firms at those buildings.
Since Otto went live on 4 October 2026, to 10 November
Read-only counts from the live system on 10 November 2026. Reply time is the time Otto takes to write; the phone company's delivery time is on top. A further 21 reports were the same problem sent twice and joined to the first record.
The buildings
- Central ParkVictoria
- Clarence HouseVictoria
- Harrington HouseVictoria
- Heritage GreenVictoria
- The CorazonVictoria
- The SandpiperVictoria
- The SovereignVictoria
- Your buildingcoming soon

I've been a building caretaker in Victoria since 2007. For most of that time we ran on Google Docs, email and a shared calendar. It worked, mostly, until things slipped. So I built the system I wished I'd had: every request gets a number, every job gets followed up, and nothing depends on one person's memory. It runs our own buildings every day, bugs and all, and I fix what it gets wrong.
Pricing
Pricing
One price list, shown openly. Canadian dollars, plus GST.
- Monthly, per building
- $12 a unit a month up to 75 units, $9 a unit above that. $395 minimum per building.
- Setup, once
- $1,500 up to 75 units, $2,500 above. We do the setup.
- Texts
- Included. It is a flat rate: no count of texts and no charge per text.
- A year up front
- Costs ten months.
- Stopping
- 30 days' notice. Your records are returned.
- $600
- a month
- $6,000
- for a year up front
- $1,500
- setup, once
- Included
- texts, calls and email: a flat rate
Firms bringing several buildings: talk to us.
Safety and questions
Data and safety
Where the information lives
Devices: windows, not filing cabinets. Nothing is stored on them.
- A resident's phonea text, a call, the building's page
- The manager's laptopthe morning email, a yes or a no
- The officethe desk, the live stream
- The crewthe morning brief, the phone
The cloud: four services, one job each. Not on anyone's computer.
- The phone linesThey carry the texts and the calls, in and out, at any hour.
- The appThe pages, the forms, the morning email and the schedule. It never switches off, and it stores nothing.
- The thinkingClaude for texts, email and chat; GPT-4.1 on calls. It is given a question and only the records that matter.
- The filing cabinetOne database in Canada, in the Montréal region. The only place anything is kept.
One drawer per building
- Building 1
- Building 2
- Building 3
- Building 4
- Yours
- Requests, bookings, the owner and tenant list, photos
- Encrypted on the disk and on the wire
- Backed up every day, a week kept
- A wall between companies
- Stored in Canada
- The database and files are in the Montréal region, backed up daily, encrypted in transit and at rest.
- No passwords
- People sign in with a code or a link sent to the address or phone on the building's list.
- Each company walled off
- A check on every request, and the database's own row-level rules behind it.
- The strata owns its records
- Under BC's PIPA. Never sold, never used for advertising, and returned when the agreement ends.
- The AI doesn't learn from it
- Texts, email and chat run on Anthropic's Claude, whose commercial terms don't train on your data. Calls run through a voice service on OpenAI's GPT-4.1.
- Breaches
- Reported the same day to the manager and the council president.
Questions we hear
Is this strata management?
No. Your licensed managers stay in charge. Strata OS handles the intake, the follow-up, the logistics and the reporting.
Do we have to change our portal?
No. Otto sends residents to your own portal for the things you handle there, and emails your office the rest.
What does Otto never do?
He never approves work or spends the strata's money. He never fines, warns or rules on a bylaw. He never tells anyone who lives in a unit, or who is on site. And he never does what he hasn't been taught: a new situation goes to a person.
Is it a real person on the phone?
No, and he says so. He introduces himself as the building's assistant. Putting a caller straight through to the person on call is built and being switched on; today he takes the details and alerts whoever is on call.
How long does setup take?
We do the setup: the bylaws, rules, minutes, owner list and trades go in, and Otto is taught how the building handles a leak, a lockout or a noise complaint. Council's time is about two hours.
Who owns the data?
The strata does, under BC's PIPA. It is never sold and never used for advertising.
Can we leave?
Yes, on 30 days' notice. Your records are returned.
Next step
Book a demo
Tell us about your buildings and Paul will be in touch, usually the same day. We'll show you Otto on a test building, so nothing touches a real one.