A strata owner cannot pull a homeowner gas permit
Replacing a gas water heater is permitted work. Technical Safety BC lists installing or replacing gas appliances such as a water heater, and installing or replacing gas piping or vent systems, among the alterations that require a permit. If a licensed contractor is hired, the contractor applies on the owner's behalf, and the permit should be checked before work begins.
The difference in a strata is who may apply. Technical Safety BC states that owners of a strata, a non-strata duplex, or a home operating a business cannot obtain homeowner permits and must hire a licensed contractor. A strata-lot owner therefore cannot pull the gas permit personally; the licensed contractor doing the work does. That is also true where the unit is common property and the strata corporation is the owner.
Confirm who is responsible for the heater
The first practical question is whether the water heater serves one strata lot or the building. An in-suite tank that serves a single unit is handled differently from a central system that feeds many units through a boiler and indirect heater. Which category applies is set by the registered strata plan and the strata's bylaws, not by the unit's age or the brand on the tank.
That is why the starting step is a conversation with the strata council or property manager to confirm ownership and the correct approval path. Where the equipment is common property, the strata corporation arranges the work and the contractor deals with the building's representative rather than an individual owner.
Access, scheduling and shared systems
A multi-unit building adds logistics that a house does not. A mechanical room, a common riser or a shared vent route may need to be entered; water and gas have to be isolated for the work; and neighbours may need notice if a supply is interrupted. Loading, parking and elevator use are arranged in advance rather than on the day.
Shared venting and combustion air also matter. An atmospheric storage tank needs a chimney or B-vent and room combustion air, while a condensing tankless unit needs its own sealed 2 in or 3 in vent to an exterior wall plus a condensate drain and a 120 V outlet. In a suite, the vent termination and drain path may be the limiting factor, so the site is assessed before a model is proposed.
The equipment decision still follows the site
Inside the unit, the same constraints apply as anywhere else. A like-for-like atmospheric tank such as the Bradford White RG240T6N reuses a working flue, a 1/2 in gas connection and needs no electricity. A condensing tankless unit such as the Rinnai RU199iN or Navien NPE-240A2 draws up to about 199,000 BTU/h, connects to 3/4 in gas, needs 2 in or 3 in venting, a condensate path and 120 V.
In a strata building the gas supply, the vent route and the condensate destination are often shared or constrained, which is exactly why the assessment comes before a recommendation. A conversion is proposed only where the suite can support the vent, the supply and the drain.
Inspection and the permit path
Technical Safety BC requires at least one inspection within 180 days of the permit being issued, and a permit search can confirm one is in place. Depending on the property's location, either Technical Safety BC or the municipality issues the permit; Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, Maple Ridge and the City and District of North Vancouver issue their own for in-scope work.
BC's plumbing code limits shower and bathtub water to 49 °C, so a storage tank kept hotter to limit Legionella needs a thermostatic mixing valve, while a tankless unit defaults to a 49 °C set point. A plumbing permit is also required in some municipalities because the water heater is a plumbing fixture.
Working with strata and property managers
CANRO Heating & Cooling provides free written estimates for replacements and installations across its verified Metro Vancouver coverage, and it publishes property-manager enquiries as a separate service for buildings and managed portfolios. The scope, the access arrangements and the permit path are settled with the building's representative before the work is scheduled.
Repair visits carry a diagnostic charge that is credited toward the repair, which stays distinct from the free install or replacement estimate. For a strata or condo, that means a no-hot-water call is diagnosed and quoted as a repair, while a planned replacement is estimated at no charge.