Do I Need to Pay for Waterproof and Retiling in My Unit Balcony

wolfazrael123 on 12/01/2017 - 13:51

I live in an old unit, top floor with a balcony without cover.

The leaking from my balcony to the unit below started 5 years ago before my purchase of the property. The strata has always been 'watching'. The leaking became worse last September and the owner of that unit urged the strata to repair my balcony. And that's when I became aware of the leaking. After a quote of 7k (which is ridiculous) came, our strata manager told me that the strata plan was registered before 1974, so balcony is not considered as common property.

Before I pay for the repair myself, I need to figure out if it is really my responsibility.

  1. How to check that my balcony waterproof and tile is not included in common property. I know the registration date of strata plan was June 1973.

2 The building next to mine is extremely identical to ours, but the top floor units have cover for their balcony. I'm wondering if there should have been cover for my balcony too. Is there a way to check that? Will this change the result of who is responsible for the repair?

Need some professional advice. Thanks

Home & Garden

Comments

  • nocure on 12/01/2017 - 13:59
    -2

    Do I Need to Pay for Waterproof and Retiling in My Unit Balcony

    Yes, if the balcony is only accessible from your unit.

    • wolfazrael123 on 12/01/2017 - 14:13
      +4

      appreciated. Your conclusion might be right, but this doesn't sound very professional. Your logic is not right, since if the strata plan was registered after 1/7/1974 I would not even post my question because balcony would automatically be considered as common property.

      Of course I want to see someone tell me that my balcony is common property, but this won't help. I'm more interested in how to determine if it is common property with the current information.

    • jellykingdom on 12/01/2017 - 17:27
      +1

      Yes - i'm not sure if you have access to the strata plan, but the Common Areas boundary will be defined by a thicker black line on your plan view

      • PVA on 12/01/2017 - 19:52
        +1

        yes, exactly. Check the plan.

  • StewBalls on 12/01/2017 - 14:09

    Just do it yourself, really simple little job you can't stuff up…will cost you well under $1k with the tiles of your choosing! There's a ridiculous number of online tutorials & youtube videos to guide you as well. ;)

    • wolfazrael123 on 12/01/2017 - 14:19

      Thanks for the suggestion. I did filled the visible cracks with the some jel like stuff from Bunnings.

      But it will be a pain to do the waterproofing and retiling myself because i have an old huge heavy aircon unit there. I don't know how to safely disconnect all the tubes, and moving it inside will be a disaster to me.

      • StewBalls on 12/01/2017 - 14:21

        Just do the membrane & tile up to it & cut in around if you can't just prop it up enough to get under it (no real need to move it far), easy-peasy lemon squeezy! ;)

      • RockyRaccoon on 12/01/2017 - 15:01
        +2

        Given $7K for re-tile and waterproof, use some of that money and have the heavy old aircon replaced with a new unit.

        BTW that also maybe a part of the problem of leaking. If its really old it will be inefficient and unreliable.

        Not saying this will be the solution, but worth considering when looking at overall costs

        also you have nothing to indicate which State you are in. Each state has different strata rules

        • StewBalls on 12/01/2017 - 15:04

          Great point…having just had a couple of new AC units installed, I'm amazed at how much quieter & more efficient these things are becoming, you can barely hear that they're on! $2k will get an awesome unit installed. :)

        • RockyRaccoon on 12/01/2017 - 15:06
          +1

          Sorry I missed the point that you do it yourself after the air con is removed and before the new one is installed - hence saving you money.

        • wolfazrael123 on 12/01/2017 - 15:12

          no worries, thats actually a good point, only if I'm not planing to move within a year or so@RockyRaccoon:

  • altomic on 12/01/2017 - 14:15

    it's pretty easy to retile.

    cheapest to do it your self.

    youtube.

    • gooddealmate on 12/01/2017 - 19:47
      +2

      I wouldn't recommend tiling it yourself if you want a proper job done. The amount of jobs I have to go to fix up some failed DIY attempts is crazy.

      Don't risk not doing the job correctly and have to rip it all up and have it redone because its still leaking in below.

      If you have it done professionally you'll also be covered by their warranty if anything goes wrong.

      How many square metres is the job? And does the quote include the purchase cost of the tiles too?

      I'm a tiler btw.

      • PVA on 12/01/2017 - 19:55

        yes, especially when you are trying to seal and waterproof an area. Get an expert, and get multiple quotes.

        • StewBalls on 13/01/2017 - 22:53
          -1

          Putting down a waterproof membrane is not rocket surgery…

        • PVA on 14/01/2017 - 00:32
          +1

          @StewBalls:
          no, but it is brain surgery and rocket science :)

          i would say go do it yourself if it was a standalone building but part of a multistory development, get an expert.

        • StewBalls on 14/01/2017 - 12:49

          @PVA: It's a shame you didn't comprehend the rocket surgery reference, maybe go look it up…

          For $7k, not on your life would you entertain the notion of getting a tradie in for this, and most certainly not an "expert".

          This is literally the simplest job in the building game…my Aunt taught herself to do it & now makes a living from waterproofing these exact scenarios…it is 110% commonsense, and there are so many tutorials out there showing how to do it you should hang your head in shame if you can't manage a small balcony given the wealth of knowledge & simplified modern products out there.

        • gooddealmate on 14/01/2017 - 16:03

          @StewBalls:

          Yes it is an easy job if you know what you are doing.

          You still need to factor in all the minimum australian standards for thickness, heights around the skirts, how to deal with expansion joints. Priming, correct application of sikaflex. Using the right kind of waterproofing, UV resistance etc. Too many things can go wrong for the untrained first timer. And a lot of risk and costs if it does.

          Like I said… Get a professional.

        • StewBalls on 14/01/2017 - 17:15

          @gooddealmate: You forgot to mention the coriolis effect…gimme a break!

          Talk about over-complication of a simple job…not to mention serious catastrophisation of potential issues…get a grip here, you're a tiler, not a Neurosurgeon…but then I suppose you do have to protect your own industry.

          Yes it is an easy job if you know what you are doing.

          As I said, not worth $7k by any stretch…unless that balcony's like a footy field. It's easy because there's a wealth of information out there along with very simple reliable products to do what you acknowledge is an easy job; FFS you would probably know everything you needed to know for the job before you even left Bunnings with the gear…

          We're trying to save the OP some money here, not bullrush him into getting ripped off by a greedy body corp & contractor with nonsensical histrionic horror stories about Australian Standards & UV stabilisation.

        • gooddealmate on 14/01/2017 - 17:31

          @StewBalls:

          Mate, i know you say its not rocket science.. But like I said, i've seen waterproofing jobs carried out by tradies with years of experience still get the job wrong so you expect a 1st time novice with no experience can get it right 1st time and trust their work enough to protect those who live below just by looking at a few youtube videos etc..

          Your dreaming mate.

  • WatchNerd on 12/01/2017 - 19:44
    +1

    Don't do the repairs yourself if you don't have to, because you will then be liable for any future problems your work has created.

    Your first step is to find out what was originally on the balcony floor when the your block was built. If the tiles were originally there then it's up to the strata to pay for the repairs.
    If the tiles were laid by an owner & they have caused the problem then you will have to pay.

    So in other words you need to find the cause of the problem in order to figure out who pays for the repairs.

  • Ozdownunder on 13/01/2017 - 11:34

    Heard same about a Port Melbourne apartment. Top floor, no balcony cover. Owner told by Management to re tile the balcony, body corporate not interested. Re tile looked nice but made no difference. Owner engaged an expert found small problem in balcony corner next to door frame that just needed simple re silicone.
    Problem fixed, even during latest downpours. Years of water dripping through the ceiling and wrecking the plaster in the downstairs bedroom solved.

    • poohnu on 21/01/2017 - 17:07

      Who is the expert that spotted the problem. I'm facing similar problem in Melbourne. Would love to know the name and contact numbers

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