Is a draughty window frame the owners corporation’s job?

Draughts like this are something our inspection team sees a lot at this time of year, particularly in older apartment blocks.

In most NSW strata schemes, this is the owners corporation's responsibility to fix. Your external walls and the windows, including the frames and the join where the frame meets the wall, are classed as common property rather than part of your individual lot. Under the SSMA, the owners corporation has a legal duty to keep common property properly maintained. That duty is firm. They can't put it off because it's inconvenient or costly.

There can be exceptions. Occasionally a strata plan or specific by-law sets things up differently, so it's worth asking your strata managing agent to confirm how your scheme is structured. But for the vast majority of buildings, a draught coming through the join between the window and the wall falls to the owners corporation to fix.

Draughts like this are usually caused by the perimeter sealant around the frame breaking down over time. Sometimes it's worn seals within the window itself, or gaps that have opened up around a sliding or opening sash. Which one it is changes how it gets fixed, so the first step is getting someone qualified to look and pinpoint exactly where the air is getting in.

On the temperature point, there's no specific NSW law setting a minimum indoor temperature for strata apartments. The WHO's 18°C guidance is a recognised health benchmark, particularly for older residents.

Put your request in writing to your strata managing agent or owners corporation, describe the draught and how it's affecting the apartment, and ask for an inspection. Having it in writing creates a record and tends to get things moving faster than a verbal mention at a meeting.