Is plumbing covered by strata?

Partly. In NSW, the owners corporation fixes plumbing in boundary walls and under the floor, and the owner fixes plumbing in internal walls and fixtures such as baths, toilets, sinks and showers. Check the plan and by-laws if your pipes run through a shared wall. Queensland decides by plan type, which the survey plan shows.

Is pest control covered by strata?

The NSW pages list pest control among the day-to-day costs paid from the administrative fund, but they do not say who must treat pests inside a lot. Check your by-laws and ask the manager. Queensland says termite prevention can be part of maintenance for either the owner or the body corporate.

Who fixes a leak that damages my lot?

In NSW, water damage from common property is the owners corporation's repair, and water damage from inside your property is yours. An owner who suffers loss because the owners corporation failed to maintain common property can take legal action within six years. Queensland says a body corporate can be liable if poor common property maintenance damages a lot.

Can I fix common property myself?

In an emergency in NSW, you may arrange the repair and ask for a refund if you can show the owners corporation was responsible and the work was urgent. Outside emergencies, Fair Trading says owners report common property repairs to the strata manager or committee. Victoria says an owner must not repair common property unless the owners corporation expressly authorises it.

What repairs does strata cover?

Strata covers repairs to common property, which the owners corporation arranges and pays for through levies, while owners repair anything inside their own lot. NSW Fair Trading lists the roof, gutters, boundary walls, windows and garage as the owners corporation's job, and internal walls, internal painting and plumbing in internal walls and fixtures as the owner's. Your strata plan and by-laws have the final say. Rules below are as at October 2026.

Checked October 2026. Rules, rates and prices change, so confirm anything that matters with the source linked below.

Who is responsible in NSW

NSW Fair Trading says that in most cases the split is as follows.

Owner repairs	Owners corporation repairs
Changes you made to the ceiling	Roof and gutters
Internal walls	Ceiling (except painting), unless the problem comes from changes the owner made
Carpet in your property	Boundary walls
Internal painting or wallpapering	Concrete slab (floor)
Lights that hang into your property	Garage repairs
Plumbing in internal walls and fixtures (baths, toilets, sinks, showers)	Plumbing in boundary walls and under the floor
Water damage coming from inside your property	Water damage coming from common property
Broken appliances or whitegoods	Balconies and balcony doors
Window cleaning, unless you cannot access the windows	Windows and window locks
	Lights on common property and any lights recessed into the ceiling
	Carpets on common property, such as hallways

If the table does not answer your question, check your strata plan and by-laws. Fair Trading says common property differs between schemes, and you can get the plan and by-laws from the strata manager or committee secretary.

If a scheme has no definition of common property, it can pass a special resolution to use the common property memorandum published by the NSW Government.

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Plumbing, pests, windows and balconies

Plumbing. The dividing line is the wall. Fair Trading's example is a leak under a kitchen sink, which is the owner's to fix because it is plumbing in a fixture. A leak from an upstairs neighbour's bathroom comes from plumbing in boundary walls and floors, which the owners corporation fixes through the strata manager.

Pests. The NSW pages list pest control as an example of an administrative fund expense, which means it is a day-to-day cost that levies pay for. The repairs table does not say who handles pests inside a lot, so check the by-laws and ask the manager. Fair Trading also lists giving residents at least five days' notice before a pesticide treatment among the jobs a strata manager can take on.

Windows and doors. The owners corporation repairs windows, window locks, balconies and balcony doors, according to the Fair Trading list. Owners are responsible for cleaning windows unless they cannot reach them.

Balconies and waterproofing. Balconies and balcony doors are on the owners corporation's list. Separately, Fair Trading treats any renovation that needs waterproofing as major work, which needs approval. See strata approval for renovations.

How to get a common property repair done

Report it. Owners tell the strata manager or committee, or the building manager if there is one. Tenants tell their landlord or agent. Unless it is urgent, Fair Trading suggests checking past meeting minutes to see whether the repair is already planned.
Put a motion. If it is not fixed, you can submit a motion for the next general meeting so owners can decide who will do the work.
Try mediation. Fair Trading offers free strata mediation for disputes between owners and the owners corporation.
Lodge a complaint. If mediation fails or the owners corporation declines to take part, Fair Trading says you can lodge a formal complaint. It says it can ask for a rectification plan, issue a compliance notice or seek an enforceable undertaking.
Legal action. An owner can sue for a loss caused by the owners corporation failing to repair common property, but only within six years of becoming aware of the loss.

An owners corporation may delay a repair while it takes action against the person who caused the damage. Fair Trading says the delay must not harm building safety or anyone's access to common property or their lot.

Emergency repairs, quotes and levies

Emergencies. Fair Trading says to tell the manager or a committee member if you can, and to check the manager's list of emergency tradespeople, if there is one. To claim a refund, you need to show that the owners corporation was responsible for the problem and that the work was necessary and urgent. Keep photos and ask the tradesperson for written details.

Who handles minor and major work. The committee, manager or building manager can arrange minor repairs without a meeting, usually from the administrative fund. Major repairs come from the capital works fund, planned in the 10-year capital works plan, and may need a committee meeting.

Quotes. Fair Trading says schemes of any size must get at least two independent quotes for work valued at $30,000 or more. One passage on its page says "more than $30,000", so confirm the threshold with the manager. The rule does not apply to emergency repairs such as burst or blocked pipes, serious fire or storm damage, unexpected electrical or security failures, and broken glass that affects security.

Levies. Owners get at least 30 days' written notice to pay a levy. For emergency repairs, the notice can be 14 days.

New buildings and defects

Fair Trading says defects in residential buildings built within the last six years may be covered by a statutory warranty. It also says defects in buildings of four storeys or higher built within the last two years can be fixed using a building bond that the developer pays to NSW Fair Trading. Owners corporations with buildings up to ten years old and serious common property defects can lodge a complaint with the Building Commission NSW. Older buildings may pay for defects from the capital works fund. Fair Trading's page does not say how these rules apply to every low-rise scheme, so ask it or a lawyer about yours.

Victoria and Queensland

Victoria. An owner in Victoria must keep the exterior of their lot in good and serviceable repair, according to Consumer Affairs Victoria. If they do not, the owners corporation can order repairs in writing and, if they are not done within 28 days, carry out the work and charge the owner. An owner must not repair common property unless the owners corporation expressly authorises it. Consumer Affairs Victoria's pages on this were last updated in 2021, so recheck them.

Queensland. The answer depends on the plan type, which the survey plan shows. In a standard format plan, which includes townhouse complexes with a building and yard on each lot, the Queensland Government says the lot owner is generally responsible for the outside of their building within the lot boundary, including exterior walls, doors, windows and roof, and typically the foundations. The body corporate looks after common property such as roads, gardens and facilities. In a building format plan, which some townhouses use, the body corporate is usually responsible for the outside of the building, the foundations and the roof. Queensland also says maintenance can include work to prevent damage, such as taking steps against termites, and that an owner can be liable if failing to maintain their lot damages another lot or common property.

Common questions

Is plumbing covered by strata?: Partly. In NSW, the owners corporation fixes plumbing in boundary walls and under the floor, and the owner fixes plumbing in internal walls and fixtures such as baths, toilets, sinks and showers. Check the plan and by-laws if your pipes run through a shared wall. Queensland decides by plan type, which the survey plan shows.
Is pest control covered by strata?: The NSW pages list pest control among the day-to-day costs paid from the administrative fund, but they do not say who must treat pests inside a lot. Check your by-laws and ask the manager. Queensland says termite prevention can be part of maintenance for either the owner or the body corporate.
Who fixes a leak that damages my lot?: In NSW, water damage from common property is the owners corporation's repair, and water damage from inside your property is yours. An owner who suffers loss because the owners corporation failed to maintain common property can take legal action within six years. Queensland says a body corporate can be liable if poor common property maintenance damages a lot.
Can I fix common property myself?: In an emergency in NSW, you may arrange the repair and ask for a refund if you can show the owners corporation was responsible and the work was urgent. Outside emergencies, Fair Trading says owners report common property repairs to the strata manager or committee. Victoria says an owner must not repair common property unless the owners corporation expressly authorises it.

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Sources

This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Get advice that suits your situation before you buy.