Strata & Condo Electrical

More than half of Metro Vancouver households live in strata housing, and electrical work in a condo or townhouse has its own process. Under the Strata Property Act, any work that touches common property, including the wiring inside the walls in most stratas, needs council approval and often an alteration agreement before it starts. In-suite panel replacement, new kitchen and bathroom circuits during a renovation, and EV charging in the parkade are the most common requests, and each one runs through the council.

High-rise suites in Downtown, Yaletown, Metrotown and Brentwood typically have small 60A to 100A in-suite panels fed from an electrical room, so adding an induction range or a dryer may mean a load calculation and, occasionally, a feeder upgrade the strata has to authorise. Buildings from the leaky-condo era can have corroded boxes and connections where water got in. Townhouse stratas in Surrey, Langley and Coquitlam are closer to house work but still need the paperwork.

EV charging in a strata is a project in itself: an electrical planning report, a shared load-management system, metering so each owner pays for their own power, and a council resolution. CleanBC offers rebates for strata EV-ready planning and installation. A contractor who does strata work regularly will hand the council a package it can approve in one meeting: scope, drawings, insurance, licence and the permit plan.