This is messed up, on account of the fact that new construction units in BC are required by law to have AC, so him installing that unit, assuming it was done by a bonded professional, should be automatically approved. If it was done by some friend of a friend for beer money that’s different, but an efficiency upgrade by a qualified professional, I genuinely cannot think of a downside.
Yep! Fair points! Given the fact that BC had a wave of heat related deaths a couple of years back that I think kind of spurred on the mandatory AC in new construction laws, I still think a blanket ban on AC is bogus, but I can see where you’re coming from.
And also, yes, ensuring a client has strata approval before doing the work is a pretty bare minimum thing for a contractor’s professionalism and general… you know… lawsuit avoidance.
On the other hand, I feel like it’s a bit lazy on the part of a strata to just straight up ban something that can improve the efficiency and safety of a home. If there are noise restrictions, cool! I agree that’s a solid consideration, and that should weigh into the decision to approve or deny a particular request—and I don’t think it would be particularly difficult to say “approved units must be less than (X) decibels, and drawings/plans must be submitted alongside the installation request to strata for approval”.