If you bought an ex-local-authority house, read the covenants on the transfer before you hang an outdoor unit. Right-to-buy sales often restrict external alterations. The meter may sit in a cupboard or an outside box, and the supply may be modest. Those three facts decide whether a split is a straightforward F-gas install or a consent and electrical job first. If you still rent from the council or a housing association, the landlord decides and you should not drill. In England, Planning Portal conditions sit on top of any covenant.
Restrictions that stayed in the transfer
Council houses sold to occupants often keep restrictions: external alterations, satellite dishes, sometimes anything fixed to the facade. The covenant is in the transfer, not in the estate agent's brochure. Get the wording out before a fitter arrives. Ownership does not delete covenants or the Planning Portal conditions in England.
A meter under the stairs or in a pavement box
Meters in these houses are often under the stairs, in a store, or in a pavement box. The consumer unit may be small and already full. A couple of small splits is a normal electrician's check. A unit in every room may need the distribution network operator to look at the supply. Photograph the board with the cover on. Do not pull the meter seal. The air conditioning price stays provisional until an electrician has seen how the circuit would be fed. A small cupboard can be a problem. The electrician needs to see spare ways and the supply before the air conditioning quote is firm.
Rear walls, flanks onto a footpath, and the party wall
Terraces and semis dominate this stock. Party walls are a bad bracket position. Rear walls and garden stands are the usual search, subject to boundary limits on the Planning Portal and to whatever the covenant allows. End houses with a flank onto a footpath need the highway-facing limits read as well. The refrigerant work, once the wall is allowed, is F-gas certified installation. Air-to-air heating is described by Energy Saving Trust. It does not cancel a covenant.
Frequently asked questions
I own the house now. Do council rules still apply?
Covenants in the transfer can still restrict external alterations. Read them. Planning Portal conditions in England apply as well. Ownership does not delete either.
I am a council tenant. Can I have a split fitted?
Only with the landlord's written consent. Do not drill a house you do not control.
The meter is in a small cupboard. Is that a problem?
It can be. The electrician needs to see spare ways and the supply before the air conditioning quote is firm. Send a photo of the board. Do not pull the meter seal.
Does a neighbour's condenser prove my transfer allows one?
No. A neighbour with a condenser is not proof your transfer allows one. Their sale may have been different, or they may be in breach. Ask the council if the covenant says they must consent.
Is there a set amp limit for these houses?
There is no amp ceiling on this page. A couple of small splits is a normal electrician's check. A unit in every room may need the distribution network operator to look at the supply.
Core buying guides
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Sources and further reading
How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.