Shower leak floor damage: Who pays the strata insurance excess and repair costs?

By Neziah,

I am one of the owners of a unit complex of 3 townhouses. Recently, one of the owners had some water damage to her floors caused by water running down the walls from the shower. An inspection showed there was no water proofing membrane installed behind the tiles in her bathroom. She has made a claim with Strata insurance.

Who pays the excess and who should pay for damages? Can you only claim insurance if a building is less than 7 years? Our building is almost 20 years old.

Can the body corporate refuse a renovation that removes load-bearing walls?

By Neziah,

An owner of a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom unit with a large private rooftop wants to convert it into four bedrooms and four bathrooms, including removing and replacing load-bearing walls. Our building has a precedent of refusing changes to load-bearing walls, but the owner says we're being unreasonable.

The body corporate is also concerned about more people living in the unit, as we share water in the building, and about potential parking issues. What are our rights?

Can our committee sign a contract beyond what the AGM approved?

By Neziah,

At our AGM, a motion was passed to accept a quote to paint specific units in our complex.

Can the committee lawfully enter into an agreement or contract that goes beyond the approved scope of work and quote, and also exceeds the committee spending limit?

We sent a Form 12 to the body corporate manager requesting a copy of the contract, but they advised there was no record of it. We then sent a Form 12 to the committee secretary, without success.

What could the consequences be?

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