Air Conditioning or a Heat Pump in a Vancouver Condo: Asking the Strata

What the Strata Property Act says about cooling

The Act has no section on heat pumps or air conditioning. We searched the copy on the Province's law website, current to September 22, 2026, on October 4, 2026. "Heat pump" appears 0 times and "air conditioning" 0 times.

Compare electric vehicle charging, which has its own sections. Section 90.2(4) says a strata must not unreasonably refuse an owner's request for charging equipment. A cooling request is decided under the building's bylaws on alterations, in the same way as a request to move a wall.

The Act does mention cooling in one place that matters here. Its definition of common property includes pipes, wires, ducts and other facilities for "heating and cooling systems" when they sit inside a boundary wall, floor or ceiling, or serve another unit or the common property.

The bylaw item for each part of the system

A system with an outdoor part touches several items of the Standard Bylaws at once. The request should name each one.

A portable air conditioner that stands on the floor and plugs into an outlet is treated differently. Section 9.1(1) of the Strata Property Regulation excludes from fixtures items that can be removed without damage to the building, and Bylaws 5 and 6 apply to alterations. Ask your strata to confirm in writing how it treats a free-standing unit. Its exhaust hose still has to reach the outside. If that means changing a window, item (d) applies, so ask the strata before you fit anything to the window frame.

Appearance, noise and water

Three effects on other people belong in every request.

Appearance comes first. Section 71 of the Act requires a 3/4 vote of the owners for a significant change in the use or appearance of common property, and the Province's page applies that to alterations an owner asks for. An outdoor unit on a wall or a balcony can be seen from outside. Ask the strata in writing whether it treats the unit as a significant change.

Noise and water come under Standard Bylaw 3(1). An owner must not use a unit or the common property in a way that causes unreasonable noise or a nuisance to another person. An outdoor unit runs a fan and a motor beside a neighbour's balcony. A cooling system also removes water from the air, and that water must go to a drain. Water dripping onto the balcony below is a complaint Bylaw 3 covers.

The building's electrical capacity

A cooling system adds to the electricity a building uses. The Province's page on electrical planning reports says almost all strata corporations have finite electrical capacity, and BC now requires a strata of 5 or more units to have that capacity assessed.

Section 94.1 of the Act requires a strata to obtain an electrical planning report from a qualified person. Under section 5.8 of the regulation, a strata of 5 or more units created on or before December 31, 2023 in Metro Vancouver must have one by December 31, 2026. A building registered in phases has its own dates in section 5.9. Section 5.11 says the report must state the current capacity of the electrical system, the existing demands on it, including heating and cooling, and the spare capacity.

The report is a strata record under section 35 of the Act, and section 36 gives an owner a copy within 2 weeks of a request. Ask for it before you choose equipment.

The report has a stated limit. The Province's page says it "cannot inform the installation of electrical loads". Where an owner wants to add equipment that increases demand, the page says the strata needs to ensure a qualified professional selects the equipment, confirms the electrical capacity and informs the strata if upgrades are needed. Expect the strata to ask for that confirmation.

What to put in the request

Describe every part, from the indoor unit to the drain. Include:

One more document can need the strata's signature. When the Province opened heat pump rebates to condo owners on July 15, 2025, its news release said applicants must include a signed permission form from their strata corporation. Check the current terms on the Better Homes BC website before you apply.

• The make and model of each part, with the maker's product sheet showing its size, weight, sound rating and electrical demand.
• Where the outdoor part will sit, how it is fixed, and a drawing or photograph showing how it will look from outside.
• The place and size of each hole through the outside wall, and how it will be sealed against water.
• The route of the wiring from the panel, and a qualified professional's confirmation of the electrical capacity.
• Where the water drains, and what stops it reaching the unit below.
• Who will maintain the equipment, and your agreement on expenses if the strata requires one under Bylaw 5(2) or 6(2).

How we prepare a cooling request

We read the bylaws and ask the strata for its electrical planning report before we recommend a system. If the building has already chosen places where outdoor units may go, the request follows that choice.

We check the unit's electrical panel and have the capacity confirmed by a qualified professional. The equipment is selected to fit that capacity.

We plan the drain route first, because it limits where the indoor part can go. Where the job allows, the pipes and wires pass through one sealed opening, and we photograph the seal for the owner's file. If the strata refuses, the request and its documents are already in the form a council hearing needs.