What's different about St Kilda
Small homes
35.4% of homes had one bedroom and 46.3% had two. Only 5.5% were separate houses.
Generations of flats
Mansions were split into flats after the 1890s depression. In the 1930s flat building outnumbered houses about ten to one, more went up in the 1960s, and Edgewater Towers (1961) was Melbourne's first privately developed high-rise.
Heritage overlays
A large part of Port Phillip is under heritage overlays, and the council's Heritage Policy Map grades each property significant, contributory or non-contributory. Heritage Overlay 7 covers parts of St Kilda, Elwood, Balaclava and Ripponlea.
Two networks
CitiPower's Armadale zone substation supplies the St Kilda area, and United Energy's Elwood zone substation supplies parts of St Kilda too. Which one you're on depends on your street.
Apartment electrical work: who looks after what
In most blocks, the wiring from your own unit's switchboard onwards is yours, while the main switchboard, common lighting, intercoms and car park circuits belong to the owners corporation. Check your plan of subdivision if you're unsure.
That split matters for jobs like an EV charger in a shared car park. It needs the owners corporation's agreement, and a look at the building's spare capacity, before anything is wired.
For landlords, the 2-yearly electrical safety check covers the rental's installation, fixtures and fittings. Renters can ask for the latest record, and the landlord must hand it over within 7 days of a written request.
Older blocks, older wiring
A 1930s or 1960s block may have had its common switchboard upgraded while the units still run on old boards, or the other way round. If your unit's board still has fuses, it was built before safety switches were common, and that's the first thing worth fixing.
Our take for St Kilda
If you own a flat in an older block, get your own unit's board and wiring checked, and ask the owners corporation when the common switchboard was last looked at. Faults in the shared parts can end up affecting every unit.
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.