Solar panels in a NSW strata scheme generally require approval from the owners corporation because the roof is usually common property. The voting threshold depends on the type of approval required.
Since July 2025, a by-law also can't block solar panels purely because of how they look, unless the building is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.
Strata approval is only part of the picture. Council rules, your electricity network and the available grants and loans can all affect the process, so it pays to check them before you book an installer.
The sections below will cover the voting rules, the five steps to approval, what to do if the owners corporation says no, the council and network requirements, and the NSW grants and loans on offer.
If you would rather talk it through with an engineer first, Guwing Green offers free consultations. Our SAA-accredited engineers can design every system around the roof and your actual electricity use, which is the kind of evidence an owners corporation looks for.
Do You Need Strata Approval for Solar Panels?
In almost every case, yes. Approval is given by a vote of the owners corporation at a general meeting, not by the strata manager or the committee alone.
Two things shape how that plays out: who owns the roof, and what type of building you live in.
Understanding Roof Ownership & Common Property
In a strata scheme, you own your lot and share the common property with every other owner. The registered strata plan sets the boundary between the two, and the roof is usually common property.
That is why you cannot just book an installer. Fixing brackets to a common property roof changes something every owner has a share in.
There are exceptions, however. Some plans, particularly in townhouse and villa schemes, draw lot boundaries differently, so check the strata plan to see exactly what you own.
You can get a copy of the strata plan and by-laws from:
- Your contract of sale, if you bought recently
- Your strata manager or the secretary of the strata committee
- An NSW LRS approved information broker, for a fee
Read the plan alongside the scheme's by-laws, which set the rules on roof access, external changes and who maintains what.
Townhouse, Villa or Apartment: What Changes?
Townhouse and villa owners often assume the roof above them is theirs. Check the plan first. If the roof is common property, you still need the owners corporation's approval, and usually a common property by-law that gives you the right to install, use and maintain your panels.
Once that right is in place, planning solar for your home works much like it does on a freestanding house. Roof direction, shading and when you use power during the day decide the system size.
Apartment buildings are different. There is one shared roof, so a separate system for every unit is rarely practical.
In practice, strata solar usually takes one of three forms: individual systems for townhouses and low-rise buildings, shared systems that split the power between lots, and common-area systems that power shared spaces.
Every one of these still needs an owners corporation vote. What changes is who pays, who benefits and who maintains the panels, and the motion has to spell out all three.
What Vote Do You Need for Solar Panels in a NSW Strata Scheme?
Most changes to common property need a special resolution. Solar can pass with a lower threshold, as long as the motion is set up correctly.
This is also where most of the conflicting advice online comes from, so the detail below follows the wording of the law.
The Sustainability Infrastructure Resolution
Solar can be approved as a sustainability infrastructure resolution, an option added to the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 (the Act) by the Strata Schemes Management Amendment (Sustainability Infrastructure) Act 2021 and available from 24 February 2021.
The difference is in how many votes against a motion can survive:
- Special resolution: passes if no more than 25% of the value of votes cast are against it.
- Sustainability infrastructure resolution: passes if less than 50% of the value of votes cast are against it.
The phrase to focus on is “value of votes cast.” It refers to the weighted value of votes, not the number of owners who vote.
Each lot's vote is weighted by its unit entitlement, while lots that do not vote are excluded from the count.
Consider a simple hypothetical: the votes cast at a meeting represent a total of 100 unit entitlements.
| Value of votes against | Special resolution | Sustainability infrastructure resolution |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Passes | Passes |
| 30 | Fails | Passes |
| 49 | Fails | Passes |
| 50 | Fails | Fails |
Solar qualifies because the Act defines sustainability infrastructure by its purpose, not by a list of products.
A change to common property counts if it reduces energy or water use, cuts pollution or greenhouse gas emissions, or supports sustainable transport.
The Act's own example is EV charging stations. Rooftop solar fits because it reduces the electricity a building buys from the grid and the emissions that come with it.
What Owners Must Consider and What the Motion Should Say
Section 132B of the Act asks the owners corporation to weigh three things before it approves a sustainability infrastructure resolution. A strong motion answers them before anyone asks.
- Cost: The upfront price, plus running and maintenance costs over the life of the system.
- Ownership: Who will own, install and maintain the system.
- Benefit: How many lots will be able to use it.
Two more requirements sit outside section 132B but still shape the motion:
- Resolution type: The motion must be specified as a sustainability infrastructure resolution. Without that label, the lower threshold does not apply.
- Maintenance: Since 1 July 2025, a special resolution that lets an owner make changes to common property must say whether the owners corporation or the owner is responsible for ongoing maintenance. If it doesn't, the owners corporation is.
If one owner wants panels for their own lot, approval usually takes the form of a common property by-law. It needs the vote plus that owner's written agreement, and it must say who maintains the area.
The Act also treats by-laws for installing or using sustainability infrastructure as sustainability infrastructure resolutions. So a solar by-law can use the lower threshold too.
Can Strata By-Laws Block Solar Panels?
Not on looks alone. Since the July 2025 reforms, a by-law has no force if it would stop sustainability infrastructure being installed solely to preserve the building's external appearance. The exception is common property that is heritage listed or in a heritage conservation area.
The same reforms require owners corporations to put sustainability on the agenda of every annual general meeting. They also have to consider an estimate for sustainability upgrades, such as solar, when preparing the capital works fund estimates.
This removes one of the most common objections. It does not remove the vote.
Owners can still reject a motion over cost, roof condition or maintenance, which is why the numbers in the next section carry so much weight.
How to Get Strata Approval for Solar Panels
Approval follows a set order. Skip a step and the motion can slip to the next general meeting, which may be months away.
Step 1: Check Your Strata Plan and By-Laws
Get both documents from the sources listed earlier. Confirm whether the roof is common property and whether the scheme already has a by-law on solar, roof access or external changes.
Then ask the strata manager or secretary when the next general meeting is. The vote has to happen there, so that date sets your timeline.
Step 2: Get a Design, Quotes and Payback Figures
Owners vote on numbers. Before the meeting, put together:
- A system design showing panel layout and system size
- A quote covering cost, expected savings and who maintains the system
- A payback estimate, ideally built from 12 months of meter data
Real usage data turns a payback figure from a sales estimate into something owners can trust.
Ask the installer to confirm the roof structure and switchboard can handle the system before the motion is written. That way, nothing needs to change after the vote.
The NSW apartment grant (covered below) requires two comparable quotes from SAA and NETCC accredited installers, plus a payback of 10 years or less. That is a sensible standard even if you are not applying.
Guwing Green's SAA-accredited engineers build the payback model from actual meter data for every system they design. For a strata motion, this means figures an owners corporation can check line by line, not a brochure estimate.
The process starts with a call about how you use power. Guwing Green then reviews your meter data, and an SAA-accredited engineer designs the system and writes a clear quote.
Step 3: Write the Motion and Get It on the Agenda
Send the motion, any proposed by-law and an explanatory note of up to 300 words to the secretary before the meeting notice goes out. Miss the cut-off and the motion waits for the next meeting.
Before you send it, check the motion:
- It is specified as a sustainability infrastructure resolution
- It covers cost, ownership, installation, maintenance and how many lots benefit (the section 132B points)
- It states who is responsible for ongoing maintenance
Step 4: Win the Vote
Share the quotes and payback early, so no owner hears about the proposal for the first time at the meeting. Then prepare plain answers to the usual concerns.
| Concern | How to answer it |
|---|---|
| Roof damage | The motion names who installs the system and who pays for any repairs. |
| Maintenance | The motion states whether the owners corporation or the lot owner is responsible. |
| Looks | Appearance is no longer a valid by-law ground, unless the property has heritage protection. |
| Cost | The payback figure and expected savings per lot show the return. |
Good answers win support, but support still has to turn into votes. The result is decided by the value of votes cast, and a supportive owner who does not vote adds nothing to the count.
That said, encourage every owner in favour to vote in person, by proxy or electronically where the scheme allows it.
If you would like help with the numbers, Guwing Green's engineers can walk your committee through the design and payback figures before the meeting. That way, questions get answered early rather than at night.
Step 5: Register the By-Law, Then Arrange Network Approval and Installation
A new or changed by-law has no effect until it is registered with NSW Land Registry Services.
The owners corporation must lodge the notice within six months of the day the resolution is passed. Your strata manager or a solicitor can arrange this for you.
With strata approval in place, the installer applies to the local electricity network, as explained in the approvals section below.
What If the Owners Corporation Says No?
A refusal is not always the end of the road. NSW gives owners two clear options, and the first one is free.
Start With Free Mediation
NSW Fair Trading offers free mediation for strata disputes, including disagreements over by-laws. A neutral mediator works with you and the owners corporation to reach an outcome both sides can accept.
In most cases, mediation must be tried before NCAT will hear a strata dispute, so this step is rarely optional.
Apply to NCAT: What the Laws Case Shows
If mediation fails, a lot owner can apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). Under section 149 of the Act, if the owners corporation has unreasonably refused to make a common property rights by-law (the kind a lot owner needs to put panels on a common roof), NCAT can order the by-law change itself.
That is what happened in Laws v The Owners, Strata Plan 97230 [2022] NSWCATCD 131. A lot owner's motion for a solar by-law was refused.
The tribunal ordered the by-law to be made, finding that the owners who voted against it had not weighed its benefits.
Treat this as one decision on its own facts, not a guarantee. You can apply to NCAT directly, and a strata lawyer can tell you whether your situation is strong enough to pursue.
Strata Approval Is Not the Only Approval You Need
Strata approval comes first. Council and the electricity network apply their own rules, and both need to be checked before the panels go live.
Council Approval and Heritage Rules
In many cases, rooftop solar is exempt development under State Environmental Planning Policy (Transport and Infrastructure) 2021 (section 2.41). That means no development application is needed, as long as the system meets the set standards. Exempt development only covers the council side, so you still need the owners corporation's approval.
Typical exempt development standards include:
- In residential zones, panels on a roof facing the street project no more than 0.5 m from the roof (1.5 m on other roofs)
- The panels are installed by an SAA-accredited installer or according to the manufacturer's specifications
- The installation does not reduce the building's structural strength or need structural changes
Heritage properties are treated differently. If the property is a heritage item or in a heritage conservation area, the work must have no more than a minimal impact on its heritage significance to count as exempt development.
Properties on the State Heritage Register also have their own rule. Since November 2025, solar on these properties does not need Heritage Council approval if the system is under 10 kW and the panels do not face the street.
Local council controls can still apply, so check with your council before you settle on a design.
Check your address on the NSW Planning Portal Spatial Viewer before you commit to a design.
Heritage is also the one exception to the July 2025 appearance rule, so looks can still be a valid by-law concern on these buildings.
An older roof is not a dead end. It is a design problem, and most can take solar with the right mounts.
Terracotta and slate tiles can crack under standard rail feet, so tile-replacement hooks or tin patch-ins are often the safer choice. Standing-seam metal roofs can usually take clamp mounts with no roof penetrations at all.
For heritage roofs and conservation areas, Guwing Green checks the local heritage controls before drawing a single line of the design, then selects mounts to suit the roof material.
Network Approval: Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy or Essential Energy
Every grid-connected system needs approval from the local electricity distributor. In NSW, that is one of three networks:
| Network | Main service area |
|---|---|
| Ausgrid | Sydney's eastern, northern and inner suburbs, the Central Coast and the Hunter |
| Endeavour Energy | Greater Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands, the Illawarra and the South Coast |
| Essential Energy | Regional and rural NSW |
The installer lodges the connection application for you. Guwing Green handles this paperwork as part of the install.
On the Ausgrid network, the installer submits the application and installation goes ahead once Ausgrid approves it. Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy run their own application processes, so your installer will follow whichever one applies to your address.
The sensible order is to secure the strata vote first, then lodge the network application. That way, the design submitted to the network is the one the owners actually approved.
Can You Get a Grant or Loan for Solar in a Strata Scheme?
Yes. Apartment buildings can apply for a NSW grant, and individual lot owners may be able to use a zero-interest loan. The grant is tied directly to the vote, so passing the right resolution is also what opens the door to funding.
The NSW Solar for Apartment Residents (SoAR) Grant
The SoAR grant funds shared rooftop solar on eligible NSW apartment buildings. It is often confused with SoAR Boost, a separate grant that offers more but only in more disadvantaged areas, defined as deciles 1 to 4 on the ABS SEIFA index.
| SoAR | SoAR Boost | |
|---|---|---|
| Share of eligible costs | Up to 50% | Up to 80% |
| Maximum per project | $150,000 | $200,000 |
| Where it applies | Eligible apartment buildings across NSW | Areas in SEIFA deciles 1 to 4 only |
| Applications close | 4 December 2026, 5 pm, or sooner if funds run out | 4 December 2026, 5 pm, or sooner if funds run out |
A few rules decide whether a building qualifies:
- Only the owners corporation, or someone it authorises, can apply. Individual owners cannot.
- A system that only powers common areas is not eligible. Solar has to benefit residents.
- Stage two needs two quotes from SAA and NETCC accredited installers and a payback of 10 years or less.
- The owners corporation must show it passed a sustainability infrastructure resolution and will share costs and savings proportionately.
- The building needs 3 to 55 residential lots and must not have had solar installed in the past 10 years.
- Batteries and EV chargers are not funded.
Building and lot eligibility rules are detailed, so read the program guidelines before you plan around the grant.
Guwing Green is a NETCC Approved Seller and every install is carried out by an SAA-accredited engineer, which lines up with the quote requirements for stage two.
SoAR asks for two quotes from different installers, so Guwing Green can provide one of them, with payback figures built from your building's actual meter data.
Home Energy Saver: Zero-Interest Loans for Lot Owners
SoAR is for buildings. If you are a lot owner planning your own system, such as panels on a townhouse or villa roof, the NSW Government's Home Energy Saver program may help with the upfront cost.
Eligible households can borrow up to $15,000 at zero interest, repaid over up to 10 years, to pay for upgrades such as rooftop solar, with a home battery eligible when the property also has solar. Brighte and Plenti deliver the loans.
To qualify for the loan, you need to:
- Own the property, either as an owner-occupier or a landlord
- Be an Australian citizen or permanent resident
- Have a combined household taxable income of $210,000 a year or less
- Get your owners corporation's agreement to the upgrade, which is your responsibility
A separate discount of up to $4,000 is also planned for households with an income of up to $80,000 a year or an eligible concession card. The NSW Government lists those applications as coming soon, so check its Home Energy Saver page for the latest.
Guwing Green is an accredited vendor on Plenti's Home Energy Saver vendor directory, so you can use a Plenti loan with a Guwing Green quote.
The loan guidelines require solar to be designed and installed by SAA-accredited professionals and bought from a NETCC Approved Seller, which matches Guwing Green's accreditations.
Sort out the owners corporation's approval first, because you will need to provide that consent as part of the loan process.
FAQs About Strata Approval for Solar Panels
Can I install solar on my townhouse roof without strata approval?
Usually not. If the roof is common property, you need the owners corporation's approval, normally through a vote and a by-law that gives you the right to install and maintain the panels. If your strata plan shows the roof is part of your lot, different rules apply. Check the plan and by-laws first, and get advice if the boundary is unclear.
I rent. Can I install solar on the roof?
Start with your landlord. A tenant cannot seek strata approval directly. If the landlord agrees to the work, they must follow the strata approval process on the tenant's behalf. That means the same vote, the same motion requirements and, where needed, the same by-law as any owner would face.
Can I put up a plug-in balcony solar panel without approval?
Not at the moment. Plug-in systems can be sold in Australia, but they cannot legally be connected and used. On 11 September 2026, federal and state energy ministers agreed to explore safe pathways, and states are expected to review their strata laws as part of that work. Governments are due to report on next steps later this year.
Can I use the Home Energy Saver loan if I live in a strata scheme?
Yes, as long as you meet the eligibility rules and your owners corporation agrees to the upgrade. You are responsible for getting that approval. Guwing Green is an accredited vendor under the program through Plenti, so you can ask for a quote that works with a Plenti loan.
Do Batteries and EV Chargers Need the Same Approval?
EV charging stations are a named example of sustainability infrastructure in the Act, so they can use the same lower vote. Batteries are less clear-cut. Whether one qualifies depends on the Act's purpose test, so confirm with your strata manager or a strata lawyer. SoAR does not fund batteries, but NSW now has a separate incentive for them. Since 1 September 2026, the NSW batteries for apartment buildings incentive has offered a discount of about 30 to 40% on a battery installed with new solar, or about 20 to 30% on a battery alone. The building needs at least four units, and the battery must be at least 20 kWh with no more than 200 kWh of usable capacity, installed outdoors by an SAA-accredited installer. The federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program also supports households and small businesses, so ask your installer which option suits your building. Guwing Green designs battery systems as well as solar, so our engineers can tell you whether a battery makes sense for your building.
Next Steps for Solar in Your Strata Scheme
In NSW, solar on a strata roof almost always needs owners corporation approval.
The bar for that approval is lower than most owners expect. A sustainability infrastructure resolution passes unless 50% or more of the value of votes cast are against it.
What wins that vote is evidence. Start with your strata plan and by-laws, then get a design and payback figures before the motion reaches the secretary.
The strongest strata motion is the one with real numbers behind it. At Guwing Green, our engineers design every system around the roof and build the payback model from your actual meter data, so you have clear figures to put in front of your owners corporation.
We are also a NETCC Approved Seller and an accredited vendor under the Home Energy Saver program through Plenti, which matters if you plan to apply for SoAR or use a loan.
If you want those figures ready for your next general meeting, contact the Guwing Green team to talk through your options. Consultations are free, and you can call 1300 174 647 between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday to Friday, or request a proposal online.
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