Smart Home Properties Across Metro Vancouver

Confirm Which Smart Home Devices Stay With the Property

Smart Home features on a listing may leave with the current owner, so name in the contract which devices stay and who controls the accounts behind them.

Almost everything in this category is portable, and portable things are fixtures only if the contract says so. Thermostats, doorbell cameras, locks, sensors, speakers and hubs regularly come off the wall before completion. List each one you expect to stay by name in the contract of purchase and sale, and check for them again at the final walkthrough.

Accounts matter as much as hardware. A lock or camera tied to someone else's account is useless until it is reset and re-enrolled, and some equipment is bound to a subscription or a monitoring contract you cannot simply take over. Ask the listing agent for the make and model of each device and for written confirmation that the accounts will be released.

Check the Wiring, the Systems and the Strata Rules

Look behind the app. A house wired for automation may have low-voltage runs, a structured panel and a dedicated network closet, which is genuinely valuable and expensive to add later. A house with a handful of plug-in devices has none of that. Ask your inspector to identify what is wired in and what is simply plugged in.

Some systems create obligations. Automated blinds, an irrigation controller, a heat pump on a proprietary thermostat and a security panel may each need a particular service provider, and parts for a discontinued platform can be hard to find. Ask how old each system is, who has serviced it, and whether it still receives updates.

In a condo, read the bylaws. Buildings restrict cameras aimed at common property, changes to entry hardware and anything that alters the door or its frame, and some require strata approval for a device mounted on a balcony. Confirm what is permitted, and ask whether the building's own entry system will work with the equipment you plan to keep.