Short answer
Installing an air conditioner that affects common property — for example, mounting a condenser on an external wall or running lines through shared structure — generally needs the owners corporation’s approval before the work is done. Under the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW), changes to common property and rights to attach fixtures to it are dealt with by owners corporation resolution or a by-law, not by an owner acting alone. A self-contained unit entirely within your own lot is more straightforward. The registered strata plan is the final word on where your lot ends and common property begins.
Where the common-property line falls
An air conditioner raises a common-property question whenever any part of it touches shared structure — the condenser bolted to an external wall, brackets on the roof, penetrations for pipework or cabling, or a unit hung in a shared light well. External walls and the roof are typically common property, so an external component usually engages the owners corporation. A split system where only the internal head sits inside your lot still often needs the outdoor unit placed on common property, so most installations touch the shared property somewhere. Check your scheme’s registered plan for the exact boundary — it varies from building to building.
What approval usually looks like
Because attaching a fixture to common property and keeping it there is an ongoing right, schemes commonly handle air conditioners through a common property rights by-law. That kind of by-law grants the owner the right to install and keep the unit, and typically sets out who maintains it, who pays for it, and conditions like noise limits and appearance. The exact approval threshold and whether a by-law (rather than a simpler resolution) is required depends on the work and your scheme’s by-laws, so confirm the pathway before you book an installer. Doing the work without approval can lead to being ordered to remove it and make good.
Running it as a self-managed committee
A self-managed committee can handle an air-conditioner request itself — the request, the by-law or resolution, the conditions and the ongoing maintenance obligation. Straita helps a committee keep that on the rails: logging the owner’s request, recording the approval and its conditions, and holding the record of who is responsible for the unit afterwards, so the decision is documented and doesn’t get re-argued at the next change of committee.
Primary sources
- Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (NSW) — s 108 (changes to common property) and ss 142–143 (common property rights by-laws).
- NSW Government — Strata schemes (Fair Trading) — renovations and changes to common property.