In December 2023 a reader asked a strata advice column why a 14-unit strata in Delta needed an electrical planning report when each home had its own electrical panel and its own meter. The BC Strata Property Regulation answers that case directly. If each strata lot gets its electricity from a utility separately from every other lot, the report can be a short document: its date, who wrote it and their qualifications, and a statement that each lot is supplied separately (Regulation s.5.11(3)). The strata still has to obtain that report from a qualified person, by its deadline, if it has 5 or more lots.
An electrical planning report is a study of how much power the strata’s electrical system has, how much it uses, and what it would need for electric vehicle (EV) chargers, heat pumps and other future loads. This post covers who needs one, when, who may write it, and when the short version applies. Our EV charging guide explains how the report connects to an owner’s request for a charger.
Who needs a report, and by when
The deadlines are in Regulation s.5.8 for a strata plan that is not phased:
| Strata | Lots | Report due |
|---|---|---|
| Established on or before December 31, 2023, land wholly or partly in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley or the Capital Regional District | 5 or more on December 31, 2023 | On or before December 31, 2026 |
| Established on or before December 31, 2023, land wholly outside those areas | 5 or more on December 31, 2023 | On or before December 31, 2028 |
| Established after December 31, 2023 | 5 or more on the date the plan was filed | Within 5 years after the plan was filed |
| Any | Fewer than 5 on the relevant date | Exempt |
Source: Strata Property Regulation, s.5.7 and s.5.8, current to October 27, 2026. Islands in those regional districts reached only by air or boat are outside the specified area. Phased strata plans follow separate dates in s.5.9.
Two examples:
- A fiveplex strata in Saanich created in 2018. Saanich is in the Capital Regional District, so the report is due on or before December 31, 2026.
- A sixplex strata in Coquitlam whose plan was filed in March 2025. It was established after December 31, 2023, so it has until March 2030.
- A fourplex strata in Burnaby created in 2020. It had fewer than 5 lots on December 31, 2023, so it is exempt.
A duplex, triplex or fourplex strata is exempt. Our page on rules by size lists the other rules that change at 5 lots.
The short version for separately metered lots
Regulation s.5.11(3) says that “if each strata lot in the strata plan is supplied with electricity by a utility independently from each other strata lot”, the report only needs:
- the date of the report
- the name of the person who prepared it, their qualifications, their errors and omissions insurance, if any, and their relationship to the strata
- a statement that each strata lot is supplied with electricity by a utility independently from each other strata lot
“Utility” has a set meaning in s.5.11(1): a public utility under the Utilities Commission Act, or a municipality or regional district that would be a public utility under that Act but for paragraph (c) of that Act’s definition.
The short version fits the building in the Delta letter, where each home has its own meter. In our reading, a building where one lot draws power through another lot’s meter, or through a panel the lots share, needs the full version. The qualified person who prepares the report makes the statement, so ask them which version your building needs.
The full version, when your lots share power
Without separate supply, s.5.11(2) requires the report to cover:
- the current capacity of the strata’s electrical system
- existing demands, including any EV chargers, heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting
- current peak demand and spare capacity
- the capacity needed to switch systems that now run on another fuel, such as gas heat, to electricity
- the capacity needed for future loads the strata expects, including new heating, cooling, ventilation and EV chargers
- steps the strata could take to reduce demand, upgrades it could make to add capacity, and how much capacity either would free up
In a separately metered building, owners may still want this longer study before they approve heat pumps or a row of chargers. Section 5.11(3) sets the minimum, and a strata can choose to pay for more.
Who may write the report
Regulation s.5.10 sets the qualified person. For a strata where each building is a “Part 9 building” under Article 1.3.3.3 of the BC Building Code, any one of these:
- a professional engineer or professional licensee engineering, registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of British Columbia
- an applied science technologist or certified technician, registered with the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia
- a journeyperson in the construction electrician or industrial electrician trade, as defined in the Skilled Trades BC Act
For any other strata, only the first two qualify. Ask the person you hire, or your building’s designer, whether your building is a Part 9 building.
Paying for it
Spending from the contingency reserve fund (CRF) to obtain an electrical planning report needs only a majority vote at a general meeting (s.96(b)(i)(A)(IV)). In a 5-lot strata, that is more than half the votes cast. The same majority vote covers reserve spending on EV charging installations and on other EV reports.
Where the report goes after
Every Form B Information Certificate must answer the question “Has the strata corporation obtained any electrical planning reports under section 94.1 of the Strata Property Act?” and attach a copy of each report (Form B, item (p)). Electrical planning reports are among the records a strata must keep permanently (Regulation s.4.1). A buyer of a unit in your fiveplex will see the report, short or long. Keep the signed copy with the strata plan and any depreciation report, so the next council can find all three in one place. Our Form B guide lists the other attachments.
EV charger requests depend on the report date
Section 90.1 lets an owner ask the strata to approve changes to common property to install EV charging for their parking stall. Regulation s.5.4 sets when an owner can first make that request:
- in a strata that must get a report, from the earlier of the day it first obtains one or its due date
- in a strata that is exempt, from December 31, 2026
Once a request arrives, the strata has 3 months to decide (Regulation s.5.6). So in a fiveplex in Metro Vancouver created before 2024, owners can make requests from December 31, 2026 at the latest, and earlier if the report is done sooner. Our EV charging guide covers what a request must include and the votes involved.
We are building the StraPlex app for owners of 2 to 6 unit stratas, with the report deadline worked out from your plan, a reminder before it arrives, and the finished report stored with your other records. The waitlist is below.
David Babakaiff, Co-Founder, VanPlex | PlexRank™ | Profit with Multiplex
