What Happens If Ausgrid Finds a Fault on Your Side of the Meter

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What happens if Ausgrid finds a fault on your side of the meter? You will receive a written notice describing the defect, and you are responsible for having it fixed at your own cost. If the fault is dangerous, Ausgrid can disconnect your power immediately without waiting. For minor defects you stay connected, but the notice will give you a timeframe to get the repair done and cleared.

👉 See our defect notice rectification services →

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1. Where "your side of the meter" starts

The service line running from the street belongs to Ausgrid. Everything past the point of attachment on your building or pole is yours: the consumer mains, the meter box enclosure, the switchboard and all the wiring beyond it. On properties with a private power pole, the pole itself is also yours to maintain.

This boundary decides who pays and who is allowed to work on what. Ausgrid crews maintain the network side. Faults on the installation side are the owner's responsibility, fixed by licensed electricians and Level 2 electricians, not the network.

2. How Ausgrid finds faults in the first place

Most homeowners are surprised anyone looked. In practice, faults get spotted when Ausgrid crews attend an outage or storm job in the street, when a neighbour's connection work brings an inspector past your point of attachment, during vegetation or bushfire inspections, or when an inspection follows new connection work at your own property. The Service and Installation Rules of NSW give the distributor, authorised Level 2 ASPs and NSW Fair Trading the power to inspect and to act on what they find.

Typical customer side defects include perished consumer mains insulation, corroded or unsealed meter boxes, deteriorated points of attachment, and switchboards with asbestos panels or no room for safe metering.

3. Dangerous faults: immediate disconnection

If the defect creates a dangerous situation, exposed live conductors for example, the Rules require immediate disconnection. No grace period. You then cannot be reconnected until the fault is fixed and the installation is safe. In that situation our emergency make safe service exists to secure the site quickly, and storm related damage is covered by our electrical storm damage repairs.

4. Minor defects: a written notice and a deadline

For less urgent problems you stay connected. The written notice will describe the defect and give a period for rectification. Ignore it and the matter escalates, because the distributor can disconnect a non-compliant installation after reasonable notice. Our guide to how Ausgrid and Endeavour defect notice clearance differs explains the paperwork side in detail.

5. Getting it fixed and cleared

The repair itself must be done by the right class of electrician. Consumer mains, points of attachment, service equipment and metering work is Level 2 territory. Once the work is complete and tested, the Level 2 ASP notifies Ausgrid so the defect is cleared from their records, and reconnects the supply where it was disconnected. If your switchboard was part of the problem, it usually makes sense to complete a switchboard upgrade in the same visit rather than patch an obsolete board.

Not sure you are even in Ausgrid territory? You can check your network area in seconds with our postcode checker, because the process runs slightly differently with Endeavour Energy.

How High Demand Electrical helps

High Demand Electrical rectifies Ausgrid defect notices across Sydney as an accredited Level 2 ASP. We read the notice, quote the actual scope after a site assessment, complete the repair, test, reconnect if you were disconnected, and lodge the clearance paperwork with Ausgrid. If you have received a notice and are not sure how serious it is, a electrical safety inspection can also pick up anything else likely to be flagged later, so you deal with it once.

Ausgrid Fault and Defect FAQs (Sydney)

Do I have to pay if Ausgrid found the fault?

Yes, if the fault is on your side of the point of attachment. The network finding it does not make it the network's asset. See defect notice rectification.

How fast can power be restored after a disconnection?

Once the defect is properly repaired and tested, a Level 2 ASP can reconnect you directly, often the same day the work is finished, and then notify Ausgrid.

What if I think the fault is actually on Ausgrid's side?

Report it to Ausgrid on 13 13 88. Fallen or damaged service lines are network assets, and our guide on who to call when a service line is down walks through exactly who handles what.

Can I keep using power while a minor defect is outstanding?

Usually yes. A minor defect notice keeps you connected with a rectification deadline. A dangerous defect means disconnection until it is fixed.

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Received a defect notice or been disconnected by Ausgrid? Get a defect rectification quote or call 0402 559 777. We confirm scope and pricing with a site assessment before any work starts.