Question: In our townhouses, the balconies are SUBs. Who is responsible for their maintenance?
I live in a group of 2 story townhouses built in 1983 in SA. The balconies are a SUB.
Some of the units have maintained their balconies and some haven’t. One owner has asked the Body Corporate to pay for repairs which include surface rust under the balconies and rotten timber balustrades.
Is this to be covered by the strata as it’s a sub?
Answer: The Corporation is responsible for repairs to the original structure of the building. This would include the balcony.
The Corporation is responsible for repairs to the original structure of the building. This would include the balcony, including rust to the main columns and balustrades. The unit owner is responsible for their unit subsidy and the Strata Titles Act states that a unit subsidy is defined by the upper surface of the floor (meaning owners would responsible for the waterproofing and tiles of the balcony), the inner surface of a wall or fence the boundary is the inner surface of the wall /fence (in this case balcony railing therefore the balustrade would be the corporations responsibility).
This post appears in Strata News #513.
Carrie McInerney Horner Management E: carrie@hornermanagement.com.au P: 08 8234 5777