Question: One lot owner wishes to install 18 solar panels on the common property roof. Would it be reasonable to request certification from a structural engineer?
In a group of eight single storey strata dwellings, one owner wishes to instal around 18 solar panels. His roof is common property and the proposed size of the installation would cover most of the roof.
How do we get an infrastructure contract drawn up? How do we indemnify ourselves against future claims arising from loss or damage caused by the installation or its future removal? Would it be reasonable to request certification from a structural engineer that the roof can hold the weight with no potential for the installation to cause damage?
Answer: I would have to emphasise getting a structural engineer in any instance when you are putting that sort of load on a roof.
Bruce McKenzie, Sedgwick:
I would have to emphasise getting a structural engineer in any instance when you are putting that sort of load on a roof. People do have to understand that a lot of buildings, particularly modern day buildings, are built and designed pretty closely to what the design tolerances are. In other words, they’re not over designed by 20, 30, 40% of what the standards asked for. Sometimes it’s only a small amount over so what that means is if you impose a load on a roof, or a balcony or anything like that is significant, it can impact things structurally, so definitely would recommend getting structural advice on that one.
Sam Reece, Australian Apartment Advocacy
I thought that was a very impressive question that was well thought out that was well considered, and I agree with Bruce. Because at the end of the day, when you’re living within a community, you have to be considerate of your neighbours. You can’t go and whack in 18 solar panels and think it’s not going to impact everybody else. So Bruce is completely right. Get a structural engineer out, and just make sure that you’re capable of actually having that protected and also then you may actually want to look at a different insurance policy for those solar panels on top of what you actually have as your common property too.
This post appears in the November 2021 edition of The WA Strata Magazine.
Bruce McKenzie Sedgwick E: bruce.mckenzie@au.sedgwick.com P: 1300 735 720
Sam Reece Australian Apartment Advocacy E:sam@aaadvocacy.net.au P: 0452 067 117