Dear Tony: I submitted a request to my strata council to install a charging station for my electric vehicle. They have agreed that I could be granted permission subject to a long list of conditions including my agreement to pay all costs, pay the legal costs for the alteration agreement. I am concerned about the conditions as the strata council have indicated in the event the strata corporation upgrades to an electrified system, my upgrades will no longer apply and I will have to engage in the strata provided system. Is there some way I can require the strata reimburse me for those costs if there is a change?
Kevin W. North Vancouver
The change in legislation with Bill 22 has introduced the concepts of strata corporations either permitting charging stations or electrifying their parking garages for the readiness of stations. Technology is rapidly changing for charging, management of charging and distribution, and the vehicles. Everyone who installs a single charging station at this time, with the consent of their strata corporation, should anticipate their station may become redundant or absorbed in some manner into the strata corporation electrification plan.
Strata corporations are no longer permitted to reject a request for an owner to install a charging station; however, they may require that the owner be responsible for all the costs relating to the installation of the station, any electrical upgrades that meet the building code, and costs of operations including the cost of the electricity, and additional costs of insurance and agreements.
One of the most complicated issues for many strata corporations is determining how the parking spaces are allocated and how they can ensure an owner who pays for these upgrades has a continuous use because most parking is common property. Under the current structure of the Strata Property Act, a strata corporation may only designate exclusive use of a common property parking space for up to one year.
There are two solutions to this barrier. A parking space may be designated as limited common property by three-quarters vote of the owners at a general meeting (and meeting the LCP filing requirements of the Act ) or, coming soon, a legislative update as part of Bill 22 that will enable strata corporations to enter into extended exclusive-use agreements for parking and EV charging.
Both owners and strata corporations installing or permitting the installation of a single station must also consider the implications of potentially selling the strata lot, and what happens to the asset of the charging station and subsequent purchasers. Charging stations are a significant benefit to a purchaser with an electric vehicle, and how will an agreement for use , access and cost be assumed by the buyer or another user in the strata.
Tony Gioventu is executive director of the Condominium Home Owners Association.
