Croydon in a few facts
A post-war boom suburb
Croydon's population more than quadrupled between 1947 and 1961 as Melbourne spread east along the railway and main roads. By the 1980s only the northern part of the old municipality was still unsubdivided.
Blocks split in two
From the late 1990s and early 2000s, dual occupancy changed Croydon's housing: many large single-dwelling blocks were sold and redeveloped.
Who lives here
At the 2021 Census, 83.4% of occupied homes were separate houses, 11.4% townhouses or similar and 5.0% flats. 31.9% were owned outright and 26.4% were rented.
Heritage overlays
Maroondah City Council had 147 heritage overlays as of April 2025. It says works on a place under a Heritage Overlay need a planning permit, apart from routine maintenance, repairs and some other minor works.
Fitting a system on a shared block
The ACT Government guide says to ask where the outdoor unit will go, thinking about access for maintenance, noise reaching the neighbours and fresh air getting to it. It warns against enclosed courtyards and says never to box a unit in with slat fencing. On a narrow side path between two units, those rules leave fewer spots than you'd think.
Noise is the other limit. EPA Victoria says a heater, including a split on heat, mustn't be heard inside a neighbour's habitable room after 10pm, and cooling after 11pm. On weekends and public holidays, the morning limit runs to 9am. See noise and neighbours.
For a house that needs heat in three or four rooms, a multi-split puts several indoor units on one outdoor unit. Rinnai says multi-split suits homes needing coverage in 2 to 5 rooms.
Older Croydon houses
Many Croydon houses date from the 1947 to 1961 boom. If you're renovating or sealing up draughts while you replace it, tell the installer: Energy Safe Victoria warns that weather-sealing a home can change the ventilation needed to clear carbon monoxide from gas heaters.
When you send a job, licence-checked local installers who do that work see it, and the one who takes it is the only one who receives your details. If it's not taken near Croydon within 48 hours, installers in other parts of Victoria may see it too.
What we'd do
Where we'd start in Croydon
Walk the side and back of the house with the installer before talking models. Pick an outdoor spot with air around it, away from next door's bedroom windows, and one a technician can reach. Then choose the system to suit that spot and your heating needs, not the other way round.
