Scarborough's electrical setting
Underground since 2023
The project with the City of Stirling removed 23 kilometres of overhead cable, laid 53 kilometres underground and added 354 new streetlights. It was completed by September 2023.
A coast suburb
Scarborough runs along the Indian Ocean, about 13 km north-west of the CBD. Western Power counts salt build-up near the coast among the higher risk settings for pole top fires on overhead lines.
Townhouses and towers
In 2021, 36.2% of homes were separate houses and 16.1% flats, with townhouses the biggest group. Observation City's 24 levels went up in 1986, and later City of Stirling rules capped heights at eight storeys.
Renters and owners
39.4% of occupied homes were rented and 34.8% mortgaged. The population rose from about 14,300 in 2011 to 17,605 in 2021.
Strata and shared walls
In a townhouse or unit, meters and main switches often sit together in a shared enclosure, and wiring on common property belongs to the strata company. Before any work, work out whose side of the board the job is on.
EV charging is the big one. Western Power permits a 7 kW single-phase charger on a standard connection if the total load fits and the main switch is a circuit breaker. In strata, add the approval and the cable route to that list.
Before an electrician quotes on a Scarborough townhouse
- Find out whether your meter and main switch are in a shared enclosure.
- Ask the strata company what approval it needs for new circuits or a charger.
- Send photos of your switchboard and the path to your car bay.
- Look up the contractor's EC licence number on the WA Online Licence Search.
- Agree that the Electrical Safety Certificate arrives within 28 days of the job.
If we lived in a Scarborough townhouse
We'd sort the strata approval before chasing quotes. An electrician can't give you a firm answer on a charger or a new circuit until they know which board they're allowed to use and where the cable can run.
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.