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Topic
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Another water issue – there is a design fault on my 14 story building that puzzles me and I am hoping it can be changed in some way.I leave on the ground floor and have a 20sqm outdoor space at the base of the building (large complex). The balconies of the 14 floors overhang my ground floor courtyard. Each of the balconies have a floor waste pipe that is open and sticks out and runs openly to the ground below – to my courtyard.
All day, every day I endure, at various times, dripping or even torrents of water coming down in the same place – directly outside my courtyard doors. It is obviously from the residents watering their plants or cleaning their balconies. It is in no way malicious but rather this is where the water drains or floor waste takes the water to so they have no choice.
It makes enjoying the outdoor space virtually impossible as the wind can blow the water all over the space and more than a few times myself and/or my guests have been ‘rained upon’. In summer there seems to be an ever present pool of water in my courtyard accompanied by the sound of dripping or even a cascading waterfall. I have tried leaving a bucket for collection or putting my plants under to catch (and conserve the water) but the wind blows this water around so it just ends up everywhere.
On top of this it is falling in the same place and causing moss to form on the bricks. It is dangerous and I try to get rid of it but slipped just the other day. Can only guess what it is doing to the foundations under the bricks as there is nowhere for it to drain away too. I haven’t measured how much water but could easily do that over the course of a week with buckets.
I have every intention of taking this to the Executive Strata committee. I am just concerned that I have lived with it for 5 years and I bought the place like this do I have any grounds to get it fixed/changed?
Any suggestions? Many thanks.
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Replies
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Hi bojooth,
I think that you've really answered you own question when you observed that you purchased your Unit 5 years ago, and that the “spout” type drains from the Plan's balcony floors were there at that time; they've almost certainly been there since construction.
By all means speak with your Executive Committee (E/C) about the problem, and you may thereby ascertain what may be possible to remedy what is obviously a design fault; like perhaps extending / redirecting the “spout” outlets above your courtyard to the closest downpipe.
If you get a sympathetic response from your E/C, offer to draft an Item for inclusion on the Agenda of the next AGM about a possible remedy, and about an allocation of funds from the Sinking Fund to undertake the work.
If the E/C's response is unsympathetic, I'd draft the Agenda Item anyway and submit it to your Strata Manager with a CC to your E/C Secretary – in that way at least you'll get an opportunity to discuss the problem in a wider forum. In this scenario, you might consider canvassing other Owners who may have a similar problem with the “spouts”, and may support your Agenda Item at the AGM.
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