Electrical work in units and townhouses: lot versus common property

Units and townhouses are usually subdivided, with each owner holding a lot and the owners corporation responsible for common property. Exactly where one ends and the other begins is set by the plan of subdivision, not by habit or by what the previous owner did. The owners corporation manager, or the plan itself, is where to check.

In many townhouse developments, each lot includes its own building and yard, and common property is little more than the driveway and letterboxes. In older blocks of flats, common property often includes the external walls, roof, stairwells and meter room. The same job can need approval in one and not the other.

Williamstown shows how common this is. At the 2021 Census, 56.2% of its occupied private dwellings were separate houses, well below the Victorian figure of 73.4%. Much of the rest is units, townhouses and flats, each with its own mix of lot and common property.

Inside your lot, the circuits, power points, lights, switches and a switchboard that serves only your home are generally yours to maintain and upgrade. Adding power points, changing downlights or replacing your own board usually needs no approval, as long as the work stays inside the lot.

Your consumer mains, the cable from the point of supply to your board, may run through common property. Energy Safe Victoria says the property owner is responsible for the electrical installation from the point of supply. In a subdivided building, which owner is responsible for which length of cable depends on the plan and the owners corporation, so find out before work on mains starts.

Blocks of units often have a shared meter panel or meter room, a common main switch and mains feeding each unit. These usually belong to the owners corporation, and work on them, such as replacing an old meter panel, needs its approval and coordination with every owner, because it can mean shutting power to the whole block.

Consumer mains, the main switchboard, the meter box and the main earthing system are prescribed work in Victoria, inspected by a Licensed Electrical Inspector and not switched on until they have been. On a shared panel, the inspection and the distributor's meter work have to be scheduled around all residents.

Common area lighting, such as driveway lights, stairwell lights and sensor lights at the letterboxes, is usually common property too. Report a fault to the manager rather than arranging the repair yourself, so the owners corporation can organise and pay for it.

For most unit owners, the outdoor unit is the sticking point. A unit on an external wall, a roof or a balcony visible from the street may sit on or affect common property, and many owners corporations have rules on placement, noise and appearance. Ask for the rules and apply for approval with a sketch and photos before you buy the system.

Good spots are close to the indoor unit, with space around them for airflow and servicing, and away from neighbours' bedroom windows. A balcony unit needs room to breathe and a drain that doesn't drip onto the balcony below. Air conditioners with a compressor also need a lockable isolating switch next to the outdoor unit.

The pipe and cable route matters too. A route through a shared wall, a common roof space or down an external wall usually needs approval; one that stays inside your lot usually doesn't.

An EV charger in a townhouse garage on your own lot is often straightforward, if your supply and board have room. In a shared car park, it raises questions the owners corporation has to answer: whose supply the charger runs from, how the power is metered and billed, where cable can run, and whether the building's supply can carry chargers for several owners.

Some owners corporations plan for this as a whole, with a shared supply, load management and a way of billing each user. That's often better than each owner running cable from their own meter across common property. Raising it at a general meeting gets everyone working from one plan.

Load management matters more in a building than in a house. A sensor on the supply lets several chargers share what's available, rather than every car charging at full rate at once.

Write to the manager or committee with what you want done, where, and how it will look. Include a sketch, photos and the product details, and ask for the rules that apply. Wait for written approval before booking work that touches common property.

Some jobs inside a lot can still affect others, such as a new circuit that needs work in a shared meter room, or a job that needs the block's power off for a while. Tell the manager early so neighbours can be warned.

For an investment unit, the rental rules sit on top of the strata ones. Since 29 March 2023, Victorian rental properties have had to have modern switchboards with circuit breakers and safety switches, and the rental provider is responsible for engaging an electrician to meet that standard. Where the board is in a shared meter room, involve the owners corporation early.

A renter who wants an air conditioner or a charger needs the rental provider's consent, and the rental provider may need owners corporation approval as well. Get both in writing before anything is booked.