How Labrador was built
Redeveloped, block by block
Land here was first subdivided and sold from 1878. Labrador House, built in 1883 on Marine Parade, became three flats in 1938 and was knocked down in 1970 for redevelopment, and the old Grand Hotel site at Deepwater Point is now a hotel with apartments.
Attached homes
At the 2021 Census, 48.7% of homes were semis, terraces, townhouses or duplexes, 31.4% flats or apartments and 19.0% separate houses. 46.4% were rented.
Growing
The population rose from 15,391 in 2006 to 18,643 in 2021.
Storms and supply
Labrador was activated for disaster assistance after the Christmas 2023 storms. It is on the Energex network, with outages on 13 62 62.
Older unit blocks
For a block built before 1990, the QBCC says there's a good chance some asbestos is present, and only a lab test can tell. Meter panels with dark backing boards made before 1987 are a known example. Leave them closed and give the electrician the building's age when you book.
Inside each unit, the board may be small and the circuits few. Before adding air conditioning or an induction cooktop, get an electrician to check whether the unit's supply and board can carry it, and whether anything outside your unit has to change, which brings in the body corporate.
Getting work done in a duplex or small block
Find out what you own
Ask the body corporate or its manager where your lot's wiring ends and common property begins.
Put the job in writing
Describe the work in an email so everyone is agreeing to the same thing.
Pick a licensed contractor
Check the electrical contractor licence number on the Electrical Safety Office's licence search before saying yes.
Keep the certificate
After connecting the work, the contractor gives you a certificate of testing and compliance. Keep a copy for the body corporate too.
Landlords
If a Labrador rental has no approved safety switch protecting the power points, Queensland gives the owner 90 days from the tenancy's start to install one. Smoke alarm rules apply at each new or renewed lease. Electrical work for landlords has the detail.
If it were our Labrador unit
We'd have an electrician look at the unit's board before the next big appliance, not after the breaker starts tripping. If you rent it out, book that check for the gap between tenants and get the smoke alarms done on the same visit.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.