Richmond facts that change the job
Apartments first
At the 2021 Census, 53.0% of occupied homes in the suburb of Richmond were flats or apartments and 30.7% semis, terraces or townhouses. Just 15.6% were separate houses.
Mostly renters
54.7% of those homes were rented, close to double Victoria's 28.5%.
Heritage precincts
Yarra's heritage overlay schedule lists Richmond precincts including Bridge Road, Church Street, Swan Street and Richmond Hill.
Permits for works
Council's overlays fact sheet says a heritage overlay needs a planning permit to construct or carry out works, or to externally alter a building.
Placing a hot water unit on a heritage property
Yarra publishes permit exemptions for heritage properties, and they depend on how the property is graded. A hot water service, heater or air conditioner visible from the street can be exempt when it's fixed to the rear wall or sits in the rear setback.
On a side wall it must be set back from the front facade: at least 4 metres for individually significant and contributory properties, or 2 metres for those graded not contributory. Corner properties don't get this exemption. Downpipes, flues and water meters follow similar rules. Confirm the grading with Council before the plumber orders anything.
Replacing gas? From 1 March 2027, a gas hot water system in an existing Victorian home must be replaced with an efficient electric alternative when it reaches end of life, though repairs are still allowed; check current rules. Our Melbourne heat pump page compares the options.
Noise, flooding and the water retailer
EPA Victoria's noise rules group hot water systems and heat pumps with home heaters. In a neighbour's habitable room they mustn't be heard before 7 am or after 10 pm on weekdays, or before 9 am on weekends and public holidays. On a narrow terrace block, that matters when choosing where the unit goes.
Yarra's fact sheet says various Land Subject to Inundation Overlays apply around the Yarra River, and a Special Building Overlay covers urban land subject to stormwater flooding. A planning property report shows whether one affects your address.
Richmond isn't on South East Water's or Yarra Valley Water's supplied-suburb lists, which doesn't settle who supplies it. Check your water bill: Melbourne has three water retailers, and the one on the bill can confirm where its sewer stops and your pipe begins.
What we would do in Richmond
Find out your property's heritage grading, and whether it counts as a corner property, before you choose a hot water system, because those two facts decide where it can go without a permit. In an apartment, ask the owners corporation who looks after the pipe before anyone opens a wall. Then tell us the job, and a licence-checked hot water or drainage specialist can work within those limits.