Apartment Air Conditioning

Installing air conditioning in an apartment is a different job from a house. There is no roof space to hide ducts in, the outdoor unit has to go on a balcony or somewhere strata agrees to and the pipes often have to pass through concrete. Before any of that, the owners corporation usually has to approve it.

The approval is often what holds an apartment job up, so we plan the install to give the committee what it needs to say yes. About one in five homes in Wollongong is a flat or apartment, with thousands more planned for the CBD and North Wollongong. In Greater Sydney it is closer to one in three.

Most apartment owners need approval from the owners corporation. NSW strata rules list installing a reverse cycle split system as a minor renovation, which needs a general resolution at a meeting. Where a by-law hands that decision to the strata committee, the committee approves it instead.

The catch is the outside of the building. Work that changes how the building looks from outside does not count as a minor renovation. An outdoor unit on a balcony or facade often changes it. Anything that touches common property, such as pipes through an external wall, can need a special resolution or a by-law. Many buildings already have an air conditioning by-law setting out where units can go, how they drain and how loud they can be, so read yours first.

Since 1 July 2025, where a by-law lets the strata committee decide minor renovations, the committee has three months to refuse in writing with reasons. If it does not, the work is treated as approved. This is a summary of the NSW rules rather than advice for your building. Your strata manager can tell you which path applies.

An outdoor unit needs air around it to get rid of heat. Manufacturers set minimum clearances on each side and above. A unit boxed into the corner of an enclosed balcony ends up breathing its own hot air and struggling on the hottest days. Fujitsu’s installation manual also asks for the unit to be secured against strong wind, which matters more the higher up you live.

Distance has limits too. Every split system has a maximum pipe length and a maximum height between the indoor and outdoor units. On a common Mitsubishi Electric wall split that is 20 metres of pipe and 12 metres of height for the smaller models. A condenser on a lower roof or plant deck can work, as long as the run stays inside those numbers.

Apartment buildings are mostly concrete, so the hole for the pipes is usually cored with a diamond drill. Where pipes pass through a fire-rated wall or slab, the National Construction Code requires the gap to be sealed with a tested fire-stopping system so the wall keeps its rating. With no ceiling cavity to use, the pipework runs on the surface inside a neat cover.

The condensate drain needs a proper place to go: a floor waste, a balcony drain or a condensate pump. Water dripping onto the balcony below is one of the quickest ways to fall out with the neighbours and the strata committee.

The NSW noise rules changed on 28 August 2026. From 11pm, an air conditioner must not be audible inside a neighbour’s home, unless the Bureau of Meteorology has declared a severe or extreme heatwave. In an apartment the neighbour can be a metre away through a wall, so we favour quieter outdoor units and keep them away from bedroom windows where the balcony allows.

A tenant needs the landlord’s written consent before installing air conditioning. Air conditioning is not on the NSW list of minor changes a landlord generally has to agree to. In a strata building the owner also has to get the owners corporation’s approval. If your landlord is willing, we can deal with them and their strata manager directly.