QLD: What should an owner do if they stain the body corporate carpet?

Question: An owner caused a red cordial stain on common property carpet. What should they do?

I’m an owner in a large body corporate. I was carrying shopping back to my unit when a bottle of red cordial split and spilt onto the carpet in our hallway. The hallway is common property.

There’s a noticeable stain. I don’t think anyone witnessed the accident. Should I tell the body corporate and what might it cost me if I do?

Answer: Tell the body corporate, apologise and see how it responds, as most body corporates will appreciate the honesty.

Do the right thing. Advise the body corporate, apologise, and see how they respond.

I think most reasonable body corporates will be happy with the acknowledgement and will move on. They also generally arrange cleaning of the carpets periodically, so perhaps a professional can remove the stain next time they attend.

If I managed the body corporate and it received an apology letter like that, I expect that the advice I would give to the committee would be to thank the respondent for holding their hand up and see if the stain can be cleaned up. Accidents happen sometimes, and the body corporate should appreciate that the person is acting in good faith by reporting the damage.

Will all body corporates think the same way? Probably not. Some may ask you to pay the costs for professional cleaning. That’s not necessarily unreasonable, and depending on the cost, you may agree.

If you dispute any reimbursement request, the body corporate could take you through a legal process to try and recover costs. We are not sure how extensive the damage is. We assume it is limited, but there may be a reason the replacement cost is high. If the number were high enough, perhaps it would be an insurance issue.

There are many potential outcomes, and some people may be fearful of the worst possibilities. Despite many years working as a manager, I still believe most people will treat you respectfully if you do the same for them.

This post appears in Strata News #813.

William Marquand
Tower Body Corporate
E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au
P: 07 5609 4924