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Who is responsible for repairs in an apartment, me or the body corporate?

The short answer

Common property is the owners corporation's responsibility and lot property is yours. The boundary is defined by the registered plan, not by which side of a wall the damage appears on.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 6 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

Nearly every strata repair dispute is a boundary question. The registered strata plan defines where the lot ends and common property begins, and it is frequently not where people assume.

Usually common property

  • Structural elements, including the slab, structural walls and the roof.
  • The building's external walls and, in most plans, the windows and doors in them.
  • Common plumbing, drainage and electrical infrastructure serving more than one lot.
  • Waterproofing membranes in balconies and, in many plans, in bathrooms.
  • Common areas, lifts, stairwells and the grounds.

Usually lot property

  • Internal fixtures and fittings, including your kitchen, your bathroom fittings and your floor coverings.
  • Internal non-structural walls within your lot.
  • Pipes and wiring that serve only your lot, from the point they branch off the common services.
  • Your own appliances and hot water unit where it serves only your lot.

What to do with a water leak

  1. Notify the owners corporation or the strata manager in writing immediately, regardless of whose you think it is.
  2. Get the strata plan and identify the boundary before arguing about the cause.
  3. Do not authorise significant works to common property yourself, since you may not be reimbursed.
  4. If it is disputed, most states have a strata specific dispute process before the tribunal, which is faster and cheaper.

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

  1. NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal · NSW Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal · Victorian Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  3. Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal · Queensland Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  4. South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal · South Australian Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  5. ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal · ACT Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  6. Consumer rights and guarantees · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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