Strata wifi upgrades: Who pays and who is responsible?

QLD

Maintenance & Common Property

In our 35 lot strata, we are currently discussing upgrading the WiFi infrastructure. How do we structure this? Who is responsible for what?

We are the caretakers and managers of a property in Port Douglas. We also own 2 lots in the 35 unit complex.

All parties are currently discussing upgrading the WiFi infrastructure in the building.

Whose cost would this be to cover? Is cabling and fibre the owners or managers cost? I presume hardware/software remains owned by the management?

These arrangements can (and do) work, provided everyone knows what the ‘deal’ is.

There is a fair bit of this going on at the moment with external providers effectively cutting out the big telco’s and offering cheaper and more flexible internet arrangements. But those do need someone onsite to manage and operate them, and that is usually the resident manager. What should happen is everyone should agree who is installing what, at whose cost and who will repair, replace and manage that and on what basis as part of any proposal of this nature. That should then be documented too in the formal approval of the body corporate to the improvement to the common property.

These arrangements can (and do) work, provided everyone knows what the ‘deal’ is.

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Published: 22 Apr 2026

Last Updated: 7 Jul 2026

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Answer by

Frank Higginson

Redchip Strata Law

With more than 30 years’ experience in property, management rights and body corporate law, Frank is a beacon of knowledge and a renowned strata-industry expert. Known for his straight-shooting style and commercially driven advice, Frank cuts through the most challenging legal problems to deliver real-world solutions.

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