Strata solar is a different job from a house, even when the panels are the same. The roof is common property, the decision-maker is a committee, the customer is a legal entity, and the paperwork takes longer than the install. The STC side follows the same rules as any small-scale system. What changes is who is the owner, who signs, and how the money moves. This guide sets out the points that trip people up.
Nothing here is legal advice. Strata law varies by state, and the by-laws of the individual scheme matter. Where a point depends on state law or on a specific scheme’s rules, we say so.
Who owns the system, and so the STCs
Under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, the right to create STCs sits with the owner of the system at the time of installation, and can be assigned to someone else, usually the installer or a registered agent, in return for a point-of-sale discount. For a system on common property, the owner is typically the owners corporation (the body corporate). It signs the assignment form, not individual lot owners. If lot owners install on their own balconies or roofs, with the scheme’s consent, the lot owner is the owner of their own system. See who owns the STCs on a solar system for the general rule, and the STC assignment form guide for the form.
Common shapes of strata solar
| Arrangement | Who benefits | STC position |
|---|---|---|
| Common property array powering common areas | Owners corporation, through lower levies | Owners corporation owns the system and assigns the STCs |
| Array feeding individual lots through an embedded network | Lot owners, with metering complexity | Ownership structure depends on contract; check before quoting |
| Individual lot system with by-law consent | The lot owner | Lot owner owns it and assigns |
| Shared battery on common property | Owners corporation | Check eligibility; one battery per property under the federal program |
For batteries, the federal Cheaper Home Batteries Program has eligibility conditions (usable capacity of 5 to 100 kWh, CEC-approved, VPP-capable, accredited installer, one per property). How it applies to a strata building depends on how the property is defined and who the owner is, so ask the program administrator or the CER before promising a discount.
A worked example: 30 kW on a Brisbane apartment block
An owners corporation installs 30 kW on the roof in 2026. Brisbane is zone 3, rating 1.382, and the deeming period for 2026 is 5 years.
30 x 1.382 x 5 = 207.3, so 207 STCs.
At roughly $38.50 that is about $7,970. The certificates are usually assigned to the installer and passed on as a discount to the contract price. If the same system is installed in 2027, the deeming period is 4 years: 30 x 1.382 x 4 = 165.8, so 165 STCs and about $6,350. The delay costs about $1,620, which is an argument for moving decisions through the committee promptly, but not at the expense of a proper vote. Run your own numbers in the STC calculator.
The approval process is the real critical path
Strata approvals take time. A typical path:
- Feasibility and roof structural check
- Quotes, usually three
- Committee recommendation
- General meeting resolution, with the voting threshold set by state law and the scheme’s by-laws
- Contract signing and network application
- Installation, then certificate lodgement
A project that begins in September may not install before the new year. Because of the deeming step on 1 January, the installer should note the install date issue in the contract, and be honest with the committee about the risk. See pull-forward demand in December for how that plays out.
Money, tax and paperwork
An owners corporation may or may not be registered for GST, and may or may not hold an ABN, depending on its turnover and state. If it sells STCs itself (rather than assigning them to the installer), it will be a certificate seller with GST and invoicing questions. Most schemes avoid this by assigning to the installer. Where the installer sells the certificates to a trader, the usual arrangement is a recipient-created tax invoice from the trader’s side. Our guide to RCTI, GST and ABN for STC payments explains the settings, and GST on STC sales is a short answer.
From the desk: Put the committee’s resolution and the minutes in the job file next to the STC assignment form. If the CER ever asks why a body corporate signed away its certificates, the answer is on the page, with a date. It also stops a later committee asking where the discount went.
Size, and the new mid-scale rule
Most strata solar sits between 10 kW and 100 kW, inside the small-scale scheme. A handful of large complexes go above that. From 1 October 2026, systems above 100 kW and up to 1 MW create STCs with a fixed five-year deeming period (the CER says applications open mid to late November 2026), rather than relying only on LGCs. A 150 kW array in zone 3 creates 150 x 1.382 x 5 = 1,036 STCs, about $39,900. Read mid-scale solar and STCs if your building is in that range.
Evidence and installation records
The same CER evidence rules apply as for any job: photos, serials, accreditation, and an installation that matches the design. Strata sites add two risks. Access can be restricted, so photos need to be captured in the window you have. And the owner is not on site, so the installer’s statement and the signed forms need to be complete. See solar installation photo requirements.
Questions committees ask
“Do we get the STC money?” You usually get it as a lower contract price, because the installer takes the certificates.
“Can we sell them ourselves for a better price?” You can, but you take on the registry, evidence and compliance work. Most schemes do not.
“What if the installer goes bust?” Check who holds the certificates and what protections apply. See what happens if an installer goes bust.
Lot owner systems and by-laws
When an individual lot owner wants solar, the owners corporation’s by-laws and the strata law of the state usually decide whether and where it can go. The STC rules work the same way for the lot owner as for a house: the lot owner owns the system, signs the assignment form and receives the discount. The practical difficulty is evidence, because the installation address, the roof or balcony location and the owner’s authority must all be clear in the file. Keep a copy of the by-law approval with the job.
What to do next
- Confirm who the system owner is and who is authorised to sign
- Keep minutes, forms and photos together
- Check today’s published rate on pricing and how STC trading works
- Browse the glossary for terms such as deeming period and zone rating