Reply To: Common Property By-Law & Water Ingress

Thank you for your replies, Kaindub and JustAsking. It makes me feel appreciated that someone is trying to help out.

To let you know about the Building Manager’s way of communicating, I find that all of his correspondences rarely address my questions directly, or advise what course of action he will take, to avoid the possibility of taking responsibility so that anything that goes wrong, cannot be pinned down on him. That’s the type of person he is, especially given his lawyer background.

The Owner Corporation is mostly run by Strata Manager (who is a silent type), and Building Manager who does most of the talking. Not many owners attend this meeting. Last meeting I attended last year, it was probably 3 people who attended.

NOTE – I made a mistake in the chronicle order.
Bathroom investigation took place circa March 2021.
Destructive Joint Investigation took place circa October 2022. I couldn’t remember whether the Builder did open up the bathroom again to investigate, but I think they didn’t as they only open up the bedroom walls.

Kaindub – So I’m not sure, as an Owner, how I can make the Owner Corporation direct Building Manager do this or that?

Since I couldn’t find any emails to pin the Building Manager based on his words, it is very likely he will point to the Builder, or use the By-Laws Common Property (which he did already as per email below).

This is his latest email, and you can see the tone of his email:
“Dear xxxxx,

I hope this email finds you well. I want to bring to your attention the recent assessment we conducted in your unit, located at xxxx. Our findings indicate that there are significant issues that require your immediate attention and action.

Upon our inspection, we discovered the following concerns:

Carpet Condition: We lifted the carpet and found extensive mold, indicating that it requires complete removal to prevent any health hazards to the tenant.

Shower Issues: Testing the shower revealed multiple hairline cracks in the grout of the tiles and suspicious conditions with the silicon caulking around the base. Notably, using the shower resulted in water penetration into the adjacent bedroom within five minutes. This clear cause-and-effect relationship between shower use and water penetration suggests an ongoing issue. It’s important to note that the water within the bedroom appears fresh and unrelated to stormwater events.

As per Bylaw Number 35 of the Synergy bylaws, the responsibility for maintaining the shower base tiles, grout, and areas within the shower falls upon individual owners, not the owners corporation. Therefore, the repair of these issues, including the regrout of the tiles and the application of a clear sealer on the shower walls and floor, is your responsibility and will be at your cost.

We have attached photos and videos for your reference to better understand the situation. To address these issues promptly, we recommend that you have the carpet removed as soon as possible to eliminate any health hazards for the tenant. Additionally, our plumber will provide you with a quotation for the necessary repairs to the shower.

From a Strata perspective, please be aware that we consider this issue closed, and it is now in your hands to rectify these matters in a timely manner.

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to assist you in resolving these issues efficiently.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

JustAsking – I will attach the photos of the bedroom and a rough floorpan that I have drawn, in the next comment box due to file limitation upload so that you could see where things are.