The Eastern Suburbs at a glance
All on Ausgrid
Points we tested at Woollahra, Double Bay, Watsons Bay, Bondi, Coogee, Randwick, Maroubra and La Perouse all fall inside Ausgrid's network area. Faults and fallen lines: 13 13 88.
Mostly flats
Across the region's 103,014 occupied homes in 2021, 57.8% were flats, 18.5% were semis or terraces and 22.5% were separate houses.
Inter-war blocks
Waverley Council studied over 600 sets of plans for its Inter-War buildings, most of them flats built between the wars.
Post-war estates too
The Housing Commission's Coral Sea estate in Maroubra went up between 1951 and 1961.
Solar panels in a heritage conservation area
Some solar installations in heritage conservation areas are exempt development under the NSW Transport and Infrastructure planning policy, but councils apply the details. Woollahra Council, for example, says systems facing the primary road aren't permitted in its conservation areas, panels should go on rear roof slopes, and anything that isn't exempt needs its Heritage Works Without Consent form or a development application before work starts.
Waverley and Randwick councils set their own requirements, so check with yours before you sign a solar quote. The electrician then handles the switchboard side and Ausgrid's connection requirements.
In a strata block
The board in your unit is the owner's. The switchroom, common lights, intercom and car park power are the owners corporation's. For a car charger, NSW currently requires strata approval in an apartment building, and the new strata law passed in October 2026 had no start date at the time of writing.
Renting in the east
Nearly half of homes here are rented, and the rule is simple: an electrical fault in a NSW rental is an urgent repair. Put it in writing to the agent. A broken smoke alarm has to be repaired or replaced within two business days.
Our view for the east
For solar on an older house, we'd get the council answer first and the quote second, so you don't pay for a design that can't be approved. For a unit, we'd work out what's yours and what's strata's before booking anyone. Tell us your suburb and job, and we'll match one licence-checked electrician nearby who does that work.
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.