Solar on a Condo or Townhouse
What Strata Owners Can Actually Do (2026)

The basic rule: who owns the roof

Everything about solar on strata property follows from one question: who owns the roof? Our solar cost guide is direct about it: for individual strata units, you can only install on roof space allocated exclusively to your unit, and most condo rooftops are common property that require JMB or MC approval. Our Mont Kiara condo guide adds that installing equipment on a common-property roof without MC approval breaches the Strata Management Act 2013.

Condos: what an individual owner can and cannot do

• Cannot: fix panels to the common rooftop, the facade or balcony railings without the management's written approval.
• Cannot: run cables through common areas, risers or the facade on your own.
• Can: ask the management to consider a building-wide system for common-area loads such as corridor lighting and pumps.
• Can: use small standalone solar products that need no fixing to the building, where the by-laws allow.
• Can: cut your own bill with efficiency measures that need no approval at all.

Our strata renovation rules guide explains that the JMB or MC can require prior approval, impose conditions and recover the cost of any damage to common property.

A building-wide system through the JMB or MC

The most realistic solar route in a condo is a system on the common roof, owned by the management corporation and used for common-area power. That is a collective decision: the committee has to propose it, the owners usually have to approve spending on it, and the roof must be checked for waterproofing, access and structure first. Our commercial solar guide explains how larger rooftop projects are assessed, and notes that on strata property the roof decision belongs to the management body.

Before raising it, gather the building's electricity bills for common areas, the age and condition of the roof waterproofing, and any planned roof works, because panels on a roof that soon needs re-waterproofing are expensive to remove and refit.

Townhouses and strata landed homes

A strata townhouse can mean two stacked units sharing a building, or a row of landed homes inside a strata scheme. Check three things: whether the roof above you is allocated to your parcel in the strata title, what the by-laws say about roof equipment and the look of the facade, and whether the management requires its approval before any installation. Even where the roof is yours, the management may set conditions on appearance, installation hours and cable routes.

Grid connection and registered installers

A grid-connected home system in Malaysia goes through SEDA's rooftop export scheme. SEDA's NEM rules require the applicant to appoint a Registered PV Service Provider (RPVSP), as set out in the installer guide, and the commercial solar guide names the Solar ATAP programme as the current successor to NEM. Either way, you need your own electricity account and meter, and the installer must be registered. Our guide to choosing a solar installer explains how to check the RPVSP directory before signing.

In condos, electricity metering is often individual per unit, but the roof is shared, which is exactly why individual rooftop systems do not fit the strata model. A shared system serving common areas avoids that problem, because the output is used by the management's own supply rather than split between owners.

Alternatives that need no roof

• Solar water heating on landed strata homes where the roof is allocated and the management agrees; our solar water heater guide covers the systems.
• Standalone solar lights for a garden or gate on landed strata homes; see our solar gate and garden light guide.
• Energy efficiency: inverter aircons, LED lighting and heat control often cut a condo bill more cheaply than any solar option.
• Common-area solar lighting for the building, proposed through the JMB or MC.

How to ask the management

1. Read the by-laws and your title: what is common property, what is allocated to your unit.
2. Write to the management describing exactly what you want to install, where, and how cables would run.
3. Include the installer's drawings, the RPVSP registration and how the roof waterproofing will be protected.
4. Ask what conditions, deposits and approvals apply, and wait for written approval before any work.

If the management refuses, our guide to a rejected renovation application explains the options.

Protecting the roof

Every panel fixing is a potential leak. On a shared roof, a leak affects the units below and becomes a common property dispute. Any approved system should use proper roof fixings, sealed penetrations and cable entries, and a plan for maintenance access. Our solar panel roof leak guide explains where these leaks start.

What solar costs, for comparison

These figures are for landed homes, published on our solar cost guide; strata projects are quoted case by case (indicative 2026, Klang Valley).

How ClickBina can help

Solar work is quoted case by case, and on strata property it starts with the management's answer. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the property type, whether the roof is allocated to your unit, and what the management has said. ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor and coordinates the trades on multi-trade jobs such as roof waterproofing before a system goes on. We reply within the hour, the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges, and a site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina solar panel cost guide — strata roof rule and home system prices.
• ClickBina Mont Kiara condo renovation guide — common-property roof and MC approval.
• ClickBina solar installer and commercial solar guides — RPVSP, NEM and Solar ATAP.
• ClickBina strata renovation rules guide — JMB / MC approval powers.
• ClickBina convenience store fit-out guide — site visit wording.

How we estimated prices: every RM figure on this page is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guides named above. They are indicative Klang Valley market ranges for 2026, not fixed rates. Strata rules differ between buildings: always check your own by-laws and title.