The AES Code introduces legally enforceable obligations for developers of embedded network buildings in Western Australia. This is not a strata issue. The responsibility sits with you.
These are not strata manager responsibilities. They cannot be delegated to an agent or left to the OCM. They are yours as the developer.
The Code requires a licensed retailer in place from the first day of occupancy — covering both owners and tenants. This appointment must happen before settlement, not after.
Invoice format, usage data, tariff disclosure, and complaints handling are all prescribed by the Code. A builder's electrical spec will not meet these requirements without retailer input at design stage.
Tenants are protected persons under the AES Code. Hardship policies, disconnection protections, and dispute resolution must be active from first occupancy — not configured after the first complaint.
In BTR and mixed-tenure buildings, tenants need direct access to a retailer from move-in day. Your strata manager manages the building. The retailer manages the people. Both must be in place at the same time.
Four outcomes you want to avoid — all of which are preventable if compliance is addressed at design stage.
The Economic Regulation Authority enforces the AES Code with formal penalties. A non-compliant handover is a reportable event with real consequences.
A building that cannot demonstrate AES compliance at practical completion creates a defect. Purchasers and financiers are increasingly aware of this exposure.
Once the OCM is formed and titles are issued, the strata manager has no authority to appoint a retailer or rectify non-compliant metering infrastructure.
In BTR, residents without a compliant retailer, billing, or dispute resolution will escalate publicly. That exposure stays with you — not the strata manager.
We integrate with your design team at concept stage, specify a compliant metering and billing system, and appoint as your AES retailer before practical completion.
We work alongside your existing strata manager — we sit beside them, not against them.
Talk to us before your DA is lodged — that's when it matters.
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