Question: Council trees on the lot next door are causing blocked gutter issues. Is the OC responsible for investigating resulting water leaks, and are they required to use licensed contractors?
Council trees from the Council land next door affect our townhouse’s gutters, causing water to flow into eave linings and inside doorway mouldings.
- Should strata pay for mesh to prevent leaves from blocking gutters?
- Should strata investigate why we are having water issues?
- Can strata elect to save money by having a handyman carry out the work?
- Can owners insist strata use a licensed, insured, and capable tradesman? Can owners request to sight paperwork for licence, insurance, etc.? Substandard repairs have been done in the past.
Answer: Preventative maintenance is the owners corporation’s responsibility.
Generally speaking, preventative maintenance is the responsibility of the owners corporation. Contact the Council and explain your issues, including the fact that their tree is causing you nuisance/loss/damage, etc. Council may be willing to investigate/prune or take other steps to manage the matter.
For water issues, once an expert report is obtained, the source can be determined, and you may seek advice on next steps for who is responsible and how to make them accountable.
Depending on the nature of the work, if the cheaper option is always preferred, that generally only addresses the symptoms of the defect rather than the source of it.
In our experience, it is always best to uses a licensed, insured, and capable tradesman to ensure the funds of the owners corporation are expended to rectify the underlying issues. Likely even any substandard work would have some guarantees/warranties for the work carried out.
This post appears in the October 2024 edition of The NSW Strata Magazine.
Leanne Habib
Premium Strata
E: info@premiumstrata.com.au
P: 02 9281 6440
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