BC Strata Cannot Unreasonably Refuse an EV Charger Request
Claim: Since December 6, 2023, BC’s Strata Property Act gives owners the right to request EV charging infrastructure, and the strata corporation cannot unreasonably refuse. The only legitimate grounds for refusal are insufficient building electrical capacity. Owners pay all costs and must submit a properly structured written request.
Mechanism
What changed in December 2023 (SPA s. 90.1): Before this amendment, a strata could vote no on any owner alteration request without needing to justify the refusal. After December 6, 2023, EV charging requests are specifically protected: the strata corporation cannot unreasonably refuse a properly submitted request. The distinction is significant — the burden shifted from “owner must convince strata” to “strata must justify refusal.”
The one ground strata can refuse on: Insufficient electrical capacity in the building to support the load. If the building’s electrical distribution system cannot safely carry an additional 40–50 A circuit without service upgrades, the strata can say no — or say “not yet” until the electrical planning report (EPR) determines a path forward.
The mandatory approval process:
- Owner submits a written request including: stall location, proposed contractor (must be licensed), equipment description, cost estimates.
- Strata council decides within 3 months.
- If approved, strata may impose reasonable conditions:
- Contractor and material pre-approval
- Advance payment of costs
- Written obligation to modify or connect to shared infrastructure if the strata later installs it
- Owner pays all installation costs — the strata does not fund individual unit chargers.
The EPR activation gate: The mandatory approval process fully activates once the strata corporation either:
- Obtains its Electrical Planning Report (EPR), or
- The EPR deadline passes
For Metro Vancouver stratas with 5+ lots: the deadline is December 31, 2026. Until then, a strata without an EPR may still process requests, but the hard obligation locks in at the deadline.
Voting threshold changes:
- Majority vote (50%+1) now suffices for strata spending on EV infrastructure and EPRs — down from the previous ¾ supermajority requirement. This makes building-level upgrades more achievable.
Cost allocation specifics:
- Individual charger wiring (from distribution point or stall panel to the EVSE unit) = owner pays
- Building-level electrical upgrades (service panel, conduit runs in parkade) = strata pays, but may charge owners proportionally in accordance with unit entitlement or a separate agreement
- If the strata later installs shared infrastructure, the SPA allows them to require the individual-owner charger to connect to or be modified to accommodate it
What this does NOT protect against
- Strata requiring the owner to use a specific licensed contractor (the strata can require pre-approval of the contractor; the owner cannot override this)
- Strata requiring advance payment before work begins
- Genuine electrical capacity shortfalls — if the building truly cannot support the load, refusal stands until an upgrade is funded
- Delays while the strata awaits its EPR (if the EPR deadline has not yet passed)
Scope
Applies to BC strata corporations governed by the Strata Property Act. Effective December 6, 2023.
Does NOT cover:
- Rental-only multi-unit residential buildings (different legislative regime)
- Commercial strata EV charging (different cost-allocation framework)
- Timing disputes where the EPR deadline has not yet passed and the strata is using EPR-absence as a delay tactic (a separate legal question)
Sources
- Province of BC, BC government — electric vehicle charging in strata corporations; SPA s. 90.1; mandatory approval process; 3-month decision window; owner pays costs; conditions strata may impose; majority-vote changes — https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/strata-housing/operating-a-strata/the-environment/electric-vehicle-charging
- Province of BC, BC government — strata electrical planning report; Metro Vancouver deadline December 31, 2026; 5+ lots; EPR as activation trigger for mandatory EV approval process — https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/strata-housing/operating-a-strata/the-environment/electrical-planning-report
- Akai Electric, BC electrician — BC EV charger rebates and strata rules 2025–2026; strata approval conditions; pre-approval mandatory for strata MURB rebate programs — https://www.akaielectric.ca/post/bc-ev-charger-rebates-2025-2026-what-homeowners-stratas-and-workplaces-can-still-claim
Idea Compass
North: Where this comes from
- Strata Property Act s. 90.1 (effective December 6, 2023) — the legislative source of the owner right
- ev-charger (Home Systems) — the parent component note this decision rule supports
- strata-common-property-systems (Home Systems) — the broader strata framework this sits within
East: Tensions / failure
- Strata EPR delay — strata using absence of EPR to defer mandatory approval process; this avenue closes December 31, 2026 for Metro Vancouver
- Electrical capacity refusal — the legitimate ground strata can rely on; EPR is the mechanism that quantifies what capacity is actually available
- Individual vs shared infrastructure tension — owner-installed individual chargers may need to be modified later if strata installs shared infrastructure
South: Where this leads
- ev-charger (Home Systems) — the practical steps: written request, strata approval, licensed contractor, permit
- strata-common-property-systems (Home Systems) — the EPR and building-level electrical capacity question
- BC Hydro MURB rebates — strata-level rebates (2,000/networked charger) that require building-level coordination
West: What’s similar
- The Strata Insurance Circularity Problem — another domain where legislative change shifted rights but implementation is still evolving
- electrical-panel (Home Systems) — same permit and no-homeowner-permit rules apply to EV charger installs in strata