dwmyhome – Is your apartment on the top floor directly under the common property roof?
The exhaust fans mounted within “Structural cubic space” e.g. communal ducting or a false ceiling which is designed to carry communal pipes etc or outside the lot are the Owner’s Corporation (OC) responsibility to maintain.
The OC is responsible for damage to a unit after a water leak when the OC effected a repair. This should include your new paint work. It appears as though the second attempt at fixing the leak has not worked.
The Owner is generally responsible for dampness in a lot coming from condensation from the inside of the unit.
The condensation could be coming from various sources. Numbers 2 – 5 below are all owner responsibility:
- A burst pipe or leak coming from outside the unit, such as from a unit above, or the roof. As noted above the OC is responsible for this condensation.
- The temperature difference between the heated interior and cold exterior of a building in winter, which can form condensation on walls and windows. Are the tenants using an electric blanket in their bedroom?
- Hot showers on cold mornings where further condensation can cause condensation throughout the whole apartment, particularly when an exhaust fan is inoperable and the bathroom door is left open.
- Windows being closed during the day while occupants are out, or not opened sufficiently wide to vent the apartment.
- Units that don’t receive much sun during the day.
Possible solutions to your condensation problems are:
- For the OC to find and repair the leaks AND
- For the OC to repair the common property fan.
- For the OC to trim trees that may be shading the building and preventing sunlight from falling on your apartment.
- For you to install dehumidifiers in your apartment which would remove humidity and condensation from a warm home during winter without having to open any windows.
If I was you I would be immediately contacting the OC by email and/or letter. You could state that the time delay has been unreasonable and that you demand that the leak and the fan problems be rectified within 7 to 14 days. You could state that if this does not occur then you will be seeking Mediation through the Office of Fair Trading.
Mediation is free.