Question: Who is responsible for the cost of a replacement antenna on a duplex within a complex. Is this the responsibility of the lot owners or the body corporate?
Answer: This really depends on the circumstances.
This is one that really depends on the circumstances involved. If the management of the central TV antenna system (MATV system) is included under the control of the body corporate, then the body corporate will be responsible for the replacement of the TV antenna attached to any MATV system. This is most common in apartment buildings.
For a large complex involving many houses or duplexes, the main free to air antenna signals might be distributed by an underground CATV network (either coaxial or fibre cabling). If there is such a CATV network in place, and the owner(s) of an individual duplex have decided to install a TV antenna due to the unreliability of the CATV network, then any maintenance of that separate TV antenna will ordinarily be the responsibility of the owner(s) of the individual lot.
However, if there is no communal CATV network in place, then maintenance of the free to air TV antenna as you have described will generally be considered to be maintenance of common property, as it services more than one lot.
For further information in relation to QLD, please consider the following advice in relation to QLD Government Utility infrastructure maintenance. Here, the Standard format plan outlines that “The body corporate is responsible for the: …any television antenna that services 2 or more lots”. Please note that there are some variances in the wording of the relevant legislation, depending on which state you are based in, and the body corporate may in some cases be able to decide differently if there is a special resolution.
This post appears in the July 2021 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.
Jason Burgess Install My Antenna E: jason@installmyantenna.com.au P: 0408 472 646