Forum: Do I have to pay to fix separate block’s roof?

A question has been raised in the Forum this week which I suspect will become more common as more mixed high-rise and townhouse developments come on stream.

And there’s also a complication that will arise more frequently as people have to choose between dipping into their diminished post-Covid savings to pay for special levies or take out strata loans to do the things that the law demands owners corporations do – like fixing problems in their building.

Basically, this has come up because the owner of a townhouse (or terrace, as she calls it), pays more in levies than any of the apartment owners in the same scheme due to the fact that she has a larger property.

But now the roof of the high-rise block needs repairs and she has been asked to pay her share of a loan being taken out to pay for it.

Is this fair, she asks? The roof is on another building, even if it is on the same strata plan. More significantly, is there anything she can do about it?

And if not, does she have to contribute to the loan and pay her share of the interest when she could pay her share of the cost right now?

Oh, and by the way, she doesn’t want to upset her neighbours. You’ll find that conundrum, and some suggested solutions, HERE.

Elsewhere on the Forum:

• New tenants are being given the new “model” by-laws but I think we are still on the old pre-1996 by-laws?  Which by-laws are in force?  That’s HERE.
• New owner wants owners corp to replace magnesite under her floorboards.  Do we have to?  That’s HERE.
• Insurance won’t pay for common property damage caused by burst boiler. Do I have to pay or should block claim on its insurance? That’s HERE.
• Can the committee decide to transfer funds from the maintenance (sinking) fund to the admin fund or does it need a general meeting?  That’s HERE.
• Which level of approval is need for putting a privacy screen on a balcony?  Committee, ordinary resolution at a general meeting or special resolution at a GM?  That’s HERE.
• What can we do about thoughtless neighbours stinking out our flat with barbecue smoke? That’s HERE.

There are a lot more questions and answers on the Forum. The best way to keep up to speed with what’s happening is to register (if you haven’t already done so), then login and subscribe to the topics that interest you most.

That way you’ll get an alert whenever the discussion moves forward, and you can also chip in with your own comments and questions.  Have a look HERE at our instant guide to getting online.

If you like this post or find it helpful, please share it with interested friends using the social media buttons. If you wish to respond, registered readers can add a comment at the foot of the story or, we’d prefer, on the Flat Chat Forum.

To subscribe (for free) to our weekly Flat Chat newsletter, bringing you the latest posts from this website, just click HERE