This article discusses how to handle an air conditioner overflow pipe leaking onto a balcony in a Queensland strata scheme, outlining who may be responsible for repairs, what steps an owner can take if a neighbour will not act, and when the body corporate may need to step in.
Question: How can I force an owner to fix a leaking air conditioner that is damaging my balcony? Who pays to repair the damage?
The unit above has two air conditioners that are leaking water onto my balcony. Water from the overflow pipes makes the balcony floor wet and seeps into the ceiling, causing the paint to bubble.
The unit is rented. Our strata manager contacted the owners to ask them to fix the issue, but they have not responded.
How can I get the owners to repair the leaking air conditioners if they will not reply? Who is responsible for repairing the damage to my balcony ceiling?
Answer: The better you can define the problem, the closer you are to a resolution.
Assuming the air conditioners are the owner’s property rather than body corporate, it appears the owner above is responsible for the damage and the rectification. How you make them attend to that is a more difficult question.
As you indicate, the strata manager has already contacted them and received no reply. You could ask the manager for a copy of the roll and contact them yourself.
If you contact them and they don’t reply, you may need to escalate via the legal avenues available. File a complaint with the Commissioner’s office or go to QCAT. Get some legal assistance if necessary.
Should the body corporate be involved? If this issue is damaging common property, the body corporate should seek to resolve it. We can’t really tell, but if the waterproofing membrane on the balcony has failed, that could be a body corporate issue. If the spitter pipes are too short, that could also be body corporate. If it is a body corporate problem, it would at least have the power to enter the lot to resolve the issue.
These types of problems can be really hard to resolve. Mostly, they flounder because the evidence and information are not that clear. I would gather as much evidence as possible – get photos and make a timeline of the incident and the damage. Present the information in a report, or have a professional write one for you. The better you can define the problem, the closer you are to a resolution.
William Marquand
Tower Body Corporate
E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au
P: 07 5609 4924
This post appears in the [MONTH] 2026 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.
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