Had similar experience in past strata premises. We had clause in our by laws stating that waterproofing of bathrooms/showers was owners responsibility in the townhouse complex.
We received a letter from an owner stating that the upstairs shower recess, which had been previously had a repair to a leak under the builders warranty, had again cracked 12 months after this repair. So when owner wrote to OC 4 years after crack reappeared, he stated that the floor of shower had “collapsed” and water had poured through the ceiling into level below, affecting wiring and plasterboard etc.
We directed owner to above mentioned by law re waterproofing. We also pointed out to owner that had the reappearance of this crack been addressed earlier, it would have been covered by builder as within 12 months. We did not carry out work on this shower recess.
There was a common belief in that complex that all was covered by strata so it didn’t matter how bad a situation or problem became because someone else would be paying for it anyway! So why report it?
If a shower recess is covered by the OC and the complex’s bylaws, generally it is done on a like for like basis. That is, if the floor tiles are mission brown 100mm x 100mm, then that is what is replaced, or close enough to it. And an owner is usually liable for tiles along the internal walls, the OC the tiles along the common walls. So not all OC. Not all the bathroom. And if the owner wants a nice clean brand new subway tiles, wall hanging toilet and new shower screen – that would be very nice. But that’s a renovation, not a repair!