Common property water leak: Who pays the strata insurance excess and damaged contents?

By admin,

I live in five store building on the Gold Coast. Recently, water entered my unit through the ceiling in the hall linen cupboard. The entire linen on all shelves was saturated and all shelving was damaged.

The Body Corporate chairman arranged a plumber and it has now been 100% established the leak occurred in the concrete slab between floors. There is no question about this fact. Repairs of the slab took two days.

Fridge leak damaged neighbour’s floor: Are you liable and is it covered by insurance?

By admin,

A leak from our fridge went through the wall between our apartment and our neighbour's apartment causing damage to their wooden floor. They have no home contents insurance so are claiming from us the full cost of replacing the floor. Can we claim anything from our strata insurance for are we liable for the whole cost?

Is a $10,000 water damage excess an unreasonable burden for a QLD lot owner?

By admin,

I live in a strata title block in Queensland. The Body Corporate have an insurance policy that covers water damage to my timber floor. The excess for water damage is $10,000. A Qld Govt website states that the excess must not create an "unreasonable burden" on the owners of individual lots. I believe the excess of $10,000 for water damage imposes an "unreasonable burden". How do I encourage the body corporate to see it this way?

Can unit owners insure against a $10,000 water damage excess on a strata policy?

By admin,

My unit is within a relatively large single tier strata complex. Because of the claims history, the strata insurance policy carries a claims excess of $10,000 for water damage claims (including storm damage). This is an exceedingly high excess for a unit owner to face if they have to lodge a claim. Is insurance of the claims excess on a strata insurance policy available for an individual unit owner?

Do you have to pay for alleged common property damage without proof?

By admin,

My Strata company, acting on behalf of the council of owners, has recently given me a bill for alleged damage I caused to our shared driveway. I have told them I didn’t cause any damage but they will not respond to me. They do not have any proof I caused the damage and haven’t provided me with an invoice for the repair. I do not want to be stuck with a $400 bill for damages that I did not cause.

How to challenge unfair water billing in strata scheme

By admin,

Our strata scheme has six lots. Two lots are small townhouses with no gardens, and four lots are large townhouses with gardens. We have individual water meters as well as a main meter installed by the builder.

Our strata manager divides the main meter reading equally by six, which reduces the share paid by the higher water users. We've complained, but the strata manager says that the majority vote wins. Can schemes charge water this way? Can the disadvantaged two lot owners challenge or change the process?

When relocating common property letterboxes, what does the owners corporation need to consider?

By admin,

Our external letterboxes were destroyed in a car accident on Christmas Day, and the driver was uninsured. We are considering replacing them by relocating the letterboxes into our lobby, similar to what newer schemes have in places like Chatswood and the Sydney CBD.

Do tenants have the same quiet enjoyment rights as lot owners in strata?

By admin,

In our apartment building, an owner one floor below has a dog that barks frequently. I am a tenant in the building. The dog has woken me early several times and barks throughout the day.

I left the owner a note explaining the problem and asking them to keep the dog quiet, but nothing has changed. What can I do next? Do owners have more power than tenants when it comes to the quiet enjoyment of my apartment?

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