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Following an inspection of my investment strata apartment after the end of lease, I identified significant rising damp on two internal walls which were not included on the final property condition report by the property manager nor was the issue notified by the tenant. The wall damage is quite apparent with bubbling and peeling paint/cracked plaster at almost knee height and as it wasn’t obscured by furniture, I’m at a loss as to how it wasn’t ‘seen’ by both parties.
I’ve escalated the issue with the property manager as I’m not satisfied with the excuse that the water damage wasn’t noticed by the tenant and they’ve failed to explain how it was missed at the final inspection by the agent themselves.
Requesting advice from this learned forum as to whether the above issue:
(i) could be categorised as damage to the property through the tenant’s lack of care or attention?
(ii) should be notified to the strata manager for rectification or is it the lot owner’s responsibility to arrange a plumber to attend and any repairs as it affects the internal walls?
Thanks in anticipation!
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If the walls are adjacent to the bathroom then most probably a failed membrane which is a strata responsibility but you would be liable for the internal wall component of the repair. Suggest you ask strata to organize for a plumber to pressure test the pipes to verify. Also be aware that the leak could be damaging the property underneath.
The tenant is NOT responsible as its clearly a building fault. They may genuinely never have noticed it, and proving otherwise is pointless.
Who’s responsibility to repair it is a question to answer.
If its an external wall, its the OC responsibility
If its an internal wall it is probably the owners responsibility UNLESS it has been a failure of the original waterproofing (say in a bathroom)
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