Do I need strata approval to replace the hot water system in my Chatswood apartment?

If the new system is a heat pump, NSW strata rules treat installing or replacing one as a minor renovation that needs approval. For other systems, ask your strata manager what your by-laws require.

Will Willoughby City Council fix water flowing from my neighbour's yard?

Only in limited cases, such as water directed by a man-made structure or drain, or faulty roof drainage, with evidence of damage. Seepage, natural overland flow and inter-allotment drainage are left to the owners.

Plumbers in Chatswood: strata renovations, drains and seepage

Plumbers in Chatswood Renovating in strata.

Two in three Chatswood homes are apartments, so bathroom and hot water jobs here often need strata approval before a plumber can start. Houses carry their own drainage duties under Willoughby City Council. Tell us what you're planning and we'll match you with a licence-checked plumber who does that work.

Chatswood plumbing facts

An apartment suburb

At the 2021 Census, 67.6% of occupied homes in the suburb were flats or apartments and 27.9% separate houses. 50.2% were rented.

Willoughby's drainage rule

Willoughby City Council expects owners to keep private drainage, from roof water and downpipes to pits and the outlet to the kerb, built and maintained to its requirements.

Rock close to the surface

Council says seepage problems generally arise where natural ground exists, such as where natural rock sits close to the surface.

Sydney Water work in 2026

A Wastewater Fix update of 2 February 2026 lists Chatswood among suburbs for work over the next 12 months on stormwater entering the sewer. Directly affected owners get a letterbox notice.

Bathroom and heat pump jobs in a strata block

Under NSW strata rules, a bathroom renovation is a major renovation because it involves waterproofing. It needs a special resolution at a general meeting of the owners corporation, with no more than 25% of the value of votes cast against.

Installing or replacing a heat pump is a minor renovation, which still needs approval: more than 50% of votes at a strata meeting, or the strata committee if a by-law allows it. The rule doesn't say whether that means hot water or air conditioning, so ask your strata manager. Purely cosmetic work needs no approval, but skip approval for the rest and you may have to pay to put things back.

Renters write to the landlord for permission before any change. See bathroom plumbing in Sydney and our heat pump hot water page.

Houses: drains, kerbs and easements

Willoughby City Council won't act on the outlet from a property to the Council kerb; its upkeep is the owner's. It also has limited ability to step into drainage disputes between neighbours, and won't act on seepage, natural overland flow or inter-allotment drainage.

If an easement crosses your land, keeping it clear of weeds, overgrown plants and trees is your job, not Council's. For a blocked line, see blocked drains in Sydney.

Our advice for Chatswood

In a unit, get strata approval in writing before you book the bathroom plumber, and give the plumber a copy. In a house with water seeping through a wall on the uphill side, ask a drainage plumber how to catch it before it reaches the building, because Council won't usually be involved. Either way, we'll match you with a licence-checked specialist for the job.