• Creator
    Topic
  • #8903
    andilee
    Flatchatter

      Hi there, just wondering what my rights are in the following case:

      I recently bought a townhouse in an older development. The townhouse currently has an electrically powered, gravity fed HWS installed in the ceiling. This is now fast reaching the end of its life and needs to be replaced urgently.

      Due to new legislation, I don’t have the option to replace it with an electric HWS: I must replace it with either a gas system; a heat pump; or a solar HWS (with or without electric booster). The block is not connected to gas – to install a gas system, I would need to dig a trench approximately 500m long across driveways and through common property. A heat pump is not feasible, as the back of the unit faces south east and is in shadow most of the day. For the same reason, I can’t install a solar HWS on the back roof or garage roof. That leaves me with one option: a solar HWS on the front roof, where it is visible to the rest of the block.

      The body corporate, however, have only given me permission to install the unit if it is not visible from the common area. I’ve asked them if they could reconsider this decision several times with no reply.

      My tenants are understandably unhappy about having an old and unreliable HWS, so I need to address this urgently before they (reasonably enough!) move out, causing me a significant financial loss. What are my options?

       

    • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.