Electric vehicles are showing up more often in Chilliwack and across the Fraser Valley, and the ability to charge at home is now part of many purchase decisions. In condos and townhomes, that has not always been simple. British Columbia has changed the Strata Property Act and related regulations so strata corporations and individual owners can install EV charging more easily. The first voting changes took effect on May 11, 2023. Further rules on owner requests, parking use, and electrical planning reports followed on December 6, 2023. Here is the practical picture for owners, buyers, and strata councils in the Fraser Valley.
Lower voting thresholds for some EV decisions
Effective May 11, 2023, strata corporations no longer need a three-quarter vote for certain EV charging decisions. A majority vote is enough in specific situations. A majority vote can approve spending from the contingency reserve fund when the expense is:
- Related to installing EV charging infrastructure or managing the electricity it uses, or
- Needed to obtain a report on the installation or operation of EV charging, or on electricity management—such as an EV-ready report or an electrical planning report.
Owner requests for charging
Regulations that came into effect in December 2023 set out a clearer path for an owner who wants to install EV charging in a parking stall on common property or limited common property. The owner’s written request generally needs to include contact details and strata lot number, a description of the proposed infrastructure and its location, the name of a qualified contractor, a description of the work, and an estimate of cost and timing. Once the process applies, the strata council must decide within three months. Council can require the owner to pay the installation costs and to accept reasonable conditions (approved equipment, contractors, materials, or advance payments). Council cannot unreasonably refuse a properly made request—for example, solely because of preference—though insufficient electrical capacity remains a real constraint. The owner-request process applies to strata corporations with five or more lots once they have obtained an electrical planning report, or once the deadline to obtain one has passed. Smaller stratas follow a later timeline.
Electrical planning reports: Fraser Valley deadline
Strata corporations with five or more lots must obtain an electrical planning report from a qualified person. The report looks at the building’s electrical capacity and helps councils plan for EV charging and other loads such as heat pumps. For most of the Fraser Valley Regional District, the deadline is December 31, 2026. (Some other regions of the province have a later deadline of December 31, 2028.) Buyers looking at older buildings should ask whether an electrical planning report has been done and what it says about spare capacity.
Parking stalls and exclusive use
Strata councils can grant an owner exclusive use of a common-property parking stall for longer than the old one-year limit when EV charging is involved. Under the regulations, that exclusive use can run for up to five years where the owner has paid for and installed the charging infrastructure in that stall following an approved request. Stratas can also charge reasonable, consumption-based user fees for the electricity used, if authorized by a bylaw or a rule ratified by majority vote.
What this means if you are buying or selling in the Fraser Valley
For buyers, EV readiness is increasingly a feature worth checking, alongside parking allocation, bylaws, and contingency reserve fund health. Ask for:
If you are buying or selling a strata home in Chilliwack or the Fraser Valley and want help reviewing what the documents say about parking and building systems, contact Richard Admiraal at Admiraal Real Estate. Phone: 604-701-2955, Toll-free: 1-800-795-2955 admiraal.ca
Sources: BC Financial Services Authority, “The Road Is Being Paved for EV Charging Stations on Strata Properties”; Province of British Columbia, Electric vehicle charging in strata corporations (gov.bc.ca).
About Admiraal.ca
Follow all new active MLS® residential property listings as they happen on one of our informative real estate search hubs.
What this means if you are buying or selling in the Fraser Valley
For buyers, EV readiness is increasingly a feature worth checking, alongside parking allocation, bylaws, and contingency reserve fund health. Ask for:
- Any electrical planning report or EV-ready study
- Bylaws or rules about EV charging and user fees
- Records of owner requests and approvals
- Whether the building has spare electrical capacity
If you are buying or selling a strata home in Chilliwack or the Fraser Valley and want help reviewing what the documents say about parking and building systems, contact Richard Admiraal at Admiraal Real Estate. Phone: 604-701-2955, Toll-free: 1-800-795-2955 admiraal.ca
Sources: BC Financial Services Authority, “The Road Is Being Paved for EV Charging Stations on Strata Properties”; Province of British Columbia, Electric vehicle charging in strata corporations (gov.bc.ca).
About Admiraal.ca
Follow all new active MLS® residential property listings as they happen on one of our informative real estate search hubs.