QLD: Q&A Air Conditioner Units in a Body Corporate

Our QLD readers are wondering about the installation of air conditioner units on balconies or external walls in body corporate buildings. What approvals are required and can the body corporate control the maintenance of your air conditioning unit?

Table of Contents:

• QUESTION: My unit’s air conditioner condenser is in a locked room on common property. Who is responsible for the maintenance of the air conditioner?
• QUESTION: Without approval, a lot owner installed a new air-conditioning unit and large PVC covered pipes on our wall. They’ve finally removed the compressor but will not remove the pipes. What can we do?
• QUESTION: A lot owner installed a ducted air conditioning system in their unit without approval. We have not been able to resolve the matter. What happens now?
• QUESTION: We purchased a unit in 2015 with an installed air conditioning unit. The body corporate has informed us that the installation of the air conditioner is not compliant and they have instructed us to replace the system. Is this a reasonable request?
• QUESTION: A lot owner had approval from the committee to install two air conditioners. On installation, the units were placed in different locations to the submitted application. What can the committee do?
• QUESTION: Can the body corporate request that lot owners have their air conditioning unit serviced each year and require proof that this has happened? We just had an a/c unit catch fire on a balcony and it caused quite a bit of damage and of course is a safety concern for other owners.
• QUESTION: Some lot owners are seeking approval to install split system air conditioning on their external walls. What should the Committee be considering when making the decision?
• QUESTION: Is there legislation which requires owners to cage their air conditioning units on balconies? Our Strata Manager has instructed us to have this done at our cost.
• QUESTION: The body corporate has introduced a by-law which makes it almost impossible to install air conditioning units on balconies. How can we get around the unreasonable by-law?

Question: My unit’s air conditioner condenser is in a locked room on common property. Who is responsible for the maintenance of the air conditioner?

My new unit’s air conditioner condenser is in a locked room on body corporate common property. Although I’m happy to service and maintain the condenser as if it is my asset, my contract doesn’t say I own it. I have Home and Contents insurance, but I am unsure if the air conditioner is covered, as it is not on my plan or Title. Who is responsible for the maintenance of the air conditioner?

Answer: Do the by-laws for your scheme reference ownership of the air conditioners?

Is it just your unit that has this, or are others in the same position? In terms of responsibility, check with your body corporate manager. However, you can also consult the BCCM guides on responsibility:

• Building format plan and building units plan maintenance
• Standard format plan and group titles plan maintenance

It sounds like you may be in a building format plan. If that’s the case, you are responsible for utility infrastructure (including equipment and associated wiring and pipes) that is on common property if it only services that lot and is a hot water system, washing machine, clothes dryer, air-conditioner, or similar equipment.

All three conditions must be met for it to be your responsibility. So:

• the item must be an air conditioner – yes
• it must be on common property – yes, from the description and
• it must only service your lot – probably, but we don’t know

If requested, the body corporate must give you reasonable access to the condenser to carry out maintenance.

If you are in a standard format scheme, the body corporate is responsible for utility infrastructure (like equipment, pipes and wiring) that is on common property, or in a boundary structure, or services more than 1 lot. Here, the condenser is on common property but it sounds like it only services your lot.

You may also need to consider the by-laws for your scheme. Do they reference ownership of the air conditioners? Your body corporate manager should be able to give you an answer, and you can cross-reference that against this information.

William Marquand
Tower Body Corporate
E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au
P: 07 5609 4924

This post appears in the November 2024 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.

Question: Without approval, a lot owner installed a new air-conditioning unit and large PVC covered pipes on our wall. They’ve finally removed the compressor but will not remove the pipes. What can we do?

We own a unit in a six unit complex. Each unit is three levels and joined, sharing boundary walls. Each unit has an exclusive use garden. Without approval, a lot owner installed a new air-conditioning unit and compressor. The compressor was installed on our wall, directly in front of our compressor. The neighbours drilled holes in the wall and ran large PVC covered pipes from the wall into our garden bed.

We can no longer use our air conditioner during summer due to lack of airflow. Our compressor was at risk of overheating.

After almost ten months, the neighbour finally removed the compressor but left all the pipes and fittings on the wall. The pipes are constantly dripping water resulting in black mould on the wall.

The owner is now the committee chair and refuses to remove the fittings and pipes. What can we do as we are feeling a bit helpless?

Answer: Be 100% sure there was no approval in the first place.

I think the starting point is to be 100% sure there was no approval in the first place. Then it is a matter of asking the body corporate to arrange the removal of the items.  If they don’t, it’s about recognising the potential for a conflict of interest in that decision. That’s what the Commissioner’s Office is for.

Frank Higginson
Hynes Legal
E: frank.higginson@hyneslegal.com.au
P: 07 3193 0500

This post appears in the July 2024 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.

Question: A lot owner installed a ducted air conditioning system in their unit without approval. We have not been able to resolve the matter. What happens now?

A lot owner installed a ducted air conditioning system in a top floor unit of a 3 storey without approval and without anyone’s knowledge. The condenser is in the garden, the wires run up the wall to the roof and the ducting is in the roof cavity. These 3 areas are all common property. The system is approximately $7000 without installation. The building was built in the 80s, there are no firewalls in the roof cavity.

An owner recently stayed at his ground floor unit and discovered the condenser hidden behind a bush on the wall under his window.

The lot owner who installed the air conditioning is the Chairman and is difficult to deal with. Other lots have air conditioning, but all condensers are on the balconies within the lot.

We have spoken with the strata manager and the chairman, but to no avail. They do not respond to enquiries on this topic. The air conditioning has not been disclosed to our strata insurer. What can we do?

Answer: The Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management provides a dispute resolution service.

Assuming the Body Corporate is classified as a Building Format Plan, there are a number of items that need to be considered with this matter:

• Although the air conditioner services one lot, the associated condenser and wiring have been installed on common property, therefore this would be considered an improvement to common property.
• An improvement to common property must be approved by the committee, however, if the cost exceeds $3,000 it must be approved by ordinary resolution at a general meeting.
• An improvement must not detract from the appearance of a lot.
• If an improvement increases the body corporate’s insurance premium, the benefitted lot owner may be required to contribute additional funds to the premium.

Unfortunately, it appears that due process was not followed and the appropriate approvals were not granted prior to the installation going ahead.

The Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management provides a dispute resolution service. It is always recommended that parties to a dispute make an effort to try and resolve this prior to taking further action. If self resolution has occurred and you are not receiving a response (as you have indicated), the next step would be to apply for conciliation through the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management.

As part of this application, you will be required to provide evidence of self resolution, e.g., the emails you have sent the Strata Manager and Chairperson. The conciliation will involve an independent conciliator appointed by the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management facilitating a meeting between the parties to the dispute in an effort to come to a positive outcome.

Application forms can be found on their website to start this process, but it may be worthwhile advising your Strata Manager that you are taking this step in one last attempt to receive a response.

Jessica Beckett
SSKB
E: jbeckett@sskb.com.au
P: 07 5504 2000

This post appears in Strata News #605.

Question: We purchased a unit in 2015 with an installed air conditioning unit. The body corporate has informed us that the installation of the air conditioner is not compliant and they have instructed us to replace the system. Is this a reasonable request?

Answer: When you purchase the unit, you become responsible for all aspects of it.

It will probably depend on why the air-conditioner has been deemed non-compliant and what evidence has been provided for this. If the air conditioner is hazardous in some way – perhaps because it is a fire risk or if it is placed on the balcony in such a way as to allow people to climb on it and then over the edge – it may need to be removed or moved. However, if it is non-compliant because an application for its installation has never been completed, the body corporate would still be within its rights to request removal, but there may be more leeway for negotiation.

It’s important to note that when you purchase the unit, you become responsible for all aspects of it. So while the air-conditioner may have been installed by a previous owner, as the current owner, you are responsible for it.

As a next step, you might contact your body corporate manager or committee to ask for an explanation of why they believe the unit is non-compliant. You can also look through the historical records of the site to see if an application to approve the unit was ever completed.

If you disagree with the body corporate’s position then that is OK. You should write to them stating this and giving specific reasons – particularly reasons that address issues they have raised – and support these reasons with any evidence you may have.

William Marquand
Tower Body Corporate
E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au
P: 07 5609 4924

This post appears in Strata News #558.

Question: A lot owner had approval from the committee to install two air conditioners. On installation, the units were placed in different locations to the submitted application. What can the committee do?

An owner had 2 air conditioners approved at an AGM but contractors didn’t install them based on information and pictures submitted. The inside unit was installed on a shared wall which wasn’t approved. Only one inside unit and one condenser was installed as per committee approval. What does the committee do in regard to this?

Answer: Check the minutes to verify just what approval was given.

Firstly, check the minutes to verify just what approval was given. Was the motion worded ambiguously, for example, and might lead the owner to think they could install the way they have?

Assuming no to the above, then the committee should be notifying the owner the installation is not what is approved and requiring rectification to what was approved, as the committee is obliged to carry out the decisions made at an AGM. The owner may have to seek retrospective approval for what they’ve installed.

Ultimately if the installation is not rectified to what was approved at the AGM (e.g., the owner refuses to rectify), then the body corporate can commence dispute resolution proceedings against the owner in my former Office. The committee might want to also seek legal advice about its options in this matter.

You might also want to have a look at the very recent webinar we did about air-conditioner installation

Chris Irons
Hynes Legal
E: chris.irons@hyneslegal.com.au
P: 07 3193 0500

This post appears in Strata News #502.

Question: Can the body corporate request that lot owners have their air conditioning unit serviced each year and require proof that this has happened? We just had an a/c unit catch fire on a balcony and it caused quite a bit of damage and of course is a safety concern for other owners.

Answer: A body corporate would not usually be able to enforce that an owner be regularly servicing an A/C unit to prevent a fire within the building.

If in this instance we are talking about an air-conditioning unit that is for the sole use of one lot (e.g. a split system) then the maintenance, upkeep and any other facet of running is the sole responsibility of the owner of the lot. In QLD a building format plan will have various utility infrastructure traversing lots and common properties, often through the walls, roof and floors. A utility such as air-conditioning even if the system is on common property, is up to the owner of the lot to maintain if it is for their sole use only.

A body corporate would not usually be able to enforce that an owner be regularly servicing an A/C unit to prevent a fire within the building. Similarly they do not enforce that the lint filter in a dryer be regularly cleaned and changed at the risk of a fire starting within a unit.

The building should have appropriate fire safety installations and an evacuation plan (reviewed annually) in place to ensure that in the event of a fire starting from any source, occupants can evacuate and the building can be preserved with fire fighting equipment.

Whilst we are not lawyers, should a fire result from an individual lot owner’s lack of maintenance the usual course of action would be that the Body Corporate Insurer would chase the lot owner’s insurer for any damages to common property.

Dakota Panetta
Solutions in Engineering
E: dakotap@solutionsinengineering.com
P: 1300 136 036

This post appears in the May 2021 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.

Question: Some lot owners are seeking approval to install split system air conditioning on their external walls. What should the Committee be considering when making the decision?

Part of our complex comprises two apartment blocks each of three stories with basement car parks. Each apartment has split system air conditioning installed as part of the initial construction. Some owners have sought approval to install additional split system air conditioning to better serve rooms not adequately served by the existing, original system.

The new air con units proposed will need to be attached to the external walls of the building as there are no alternative locations. This raises a number of questions. 

First, holes will need to be cut through the external walls for plumbing and electrical services for the new air conditioning units. Even assuming diligent attempts to properly reseal the walls our Committee is concerned about the possibility of water penetration into the building. Can we ask for an applicant wanting to do this work to indemnify the Body Corporate?  How enforceable would such an indemnity be? Could we jeopardise our insurance cover? 

Second, the Committee is concerned about the effect of potentially numerous air conditioning units being installed on the facade where previously there were none. We have considered requiring the systems to be covered but concerns over the change to the external appearance of the building remain. Is that element of our dilemma, involving essentially a change to Common Property, one that can only be resolved by resolution at an AGM?  

Third, if the maximum existing capacity of the electricity supply to the building was reached but further applications were received to install additional air conditioners, who would have to pay for the upgrade to meet the additional demand for electricity, the applicants or the Body Corporate? Or could the Body Corporate simply say, “too bad, you’ve missed the boat. No more extra air con!”

Our Committee discussions seem to be going in circles over this. Can you give us a circuit breaker?

Answer: Section 164 of the Standard Module deals with improvements to common property by an owner and this section sets out the approval requirements.

Perhaps the reason the committee is going around in circles on this is because you’ve posed a very detailed set of queries traversing several legislative issues. If you want an equally detailed answer and one which addresses these specific concerns you will need to seek legal advice. For now, you should be aware that section 164: Improvements to common property by an owner of a lot—Act of the Standard Module deals with improvements to common property by an owner and this section sets out the approval requirements – committee can approve depending on circumstances – as well as the obligations on the owner.

In relation to insurance, you might want to also take a look at section 183: Improvements affecting premium of the Standard Module, dealing with improvements and their impact on premiums. Queries about your overall insurance cover should be directed to your broker.

Finally and probably most importantly, bodies corporate have a legislated obligation to act reasonably. ‘Acting reasonably’ is always dependent on the particular circumstances at play. ‘Too bad, you’ve missed the boat. No more extra air con!’ is, to be frank, not acting reasonably. Each instance must be deal with on a case-by-case basis.

I can sense your frustration on this issue, although I can’t tell if it is from the perspective of an owner wanting to install, another owner watching on with irritation or a committee member being unsure of what to do. If it is the latter, then the committee cannot indefinitely discuss, workshop, muse or defer this matter. At some point they need to make an informed decision through the proper body corporate decision-making processes. If you happen to be a frustrated owner then you may have already reached the point where the lack of a decision on this matter warrants seeking out dispute resolution options. Moreover, it’s going to be summer in a few short months and a Queensland summer without air-conditioning doesn’t bear thinking about, so now is the time to do something.

Chris Irons
Hynes Legal
E: chris.irons@hyneslegal.com.au
P: 07 3193 0500

This post appears in Strata News #353.

Question: Is there legislation which requires owners to cage their air conditioning units on balconies? Our Strata Manager has instructed us to have this done at our cost.

Is there legislation which requires owners to cage their air conditioning units on balconies?

We are being told from the Strata manager that we are going to have to pay roughly $2000 to have covers put around our air conditioners on balconies because they are climb hazards for children. But we have chairs that would be easily moved around to access the same height anyway.

The strata manager sent us an industry alert (from the Victorian Building Authority – which we thought was strange) and now says that we must all cage our air conditioners as a part of upcoming balustrade repairs.

Answer: If it is considered a hazard, section 167 of the Act (and probably the by-laws) would require it to be dealt with.

There might be some building standards that require covers around air conditioning units on balconies (which I am not familiar with) but from a purely body corporate perspective, if the committee included that as a condition of their approval of the air conditioner or it was required to avoid a hazard under section 167 then the extra work would be required.

I would suggest putting it back on the committee and requesting details of where the obligation arises. If it is considered a hazard, section 167 of the Act (and probably the by-laws) would require it to be dealt with.

Frank Higginson
Hynes Legal
E: frank.higginson@hyneslegal.com.au
P: 07 3193 0500

This post appears in Strata News #243.

Question: The body corporate has introduced a by-law which makes it almost impossible to install air conditioning units on balconies. How can we get around the unreasonable by-law?

I am a resident manager in Qld. The Body corporate committee has bylaws which make it difficult to replace old air conditioning units on balconies.

Please see the relevant Bylaw:

The air conditioning equipment is to be installed in accordance with the specifications and conditions set down by the Committee from time to time, which may include (without limitation):
that any external air conditioning plant be placed on the balcony or courtyard of the lot as close as reasonably practicable to the wall separating the interior of the lot from the balcony or courtyard and in any event at least 900mm from any balustrade of the balcony or courtyard of the lot;

Our balconies are small and the only place 900mm from the balcony rail is a position that restricts the view and is partially blocking a sliding door. Also, this relocation means extra cost in installing a pump for drainage.

I have owners upset with this. How can we get around this bylaw?

Answer: The clause is only a suggested condition and does not have to always be imposed.

That clause is only a suggested condition for the committee and does not have to be imposed each and every time.

What I would suggest is that an owner who wants to seek approval under the by-law does so with additional detail around why the committee should depart from the suggested condition.

The committee can then consider the request and make a decision. If the decision is unreasonable (i.e. it imposes the condition without a good reason) that decision can then be challenged.

This post appears in Strata News #185.

Frank Higginson
Hynes Legal
E: frank.higginson@hyneslegal.com.au
P: 07 3193 0500

Have a question about installing air conditioning units on balconies or external walls or something to add to the article? Leave a comment below.

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