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Last week a fire inspector arrived, inspected my front door (one bedder) and told me it was not closing properly and also that he thought there was asbestos in the door. The door, it seemed would have to be ‘de-commissioned”. Now I think this is a Body Corp expense (sinking fund) but my door is painted, has nice brass numbers and a peep hole (I live alone). Who pays for the ‘door accessories and painting)? I notice other doors in the 14 unit complex are plain, unpainted and frankly look awful. Our exec committee Chair (who lives in the block) sent me the enigmatic message that the ‘compliance plate was previously shared with (another owner, who does not live in the block) “so the costs of replacing are no longer an issue.”What does this mean. If there is asbestos it must be removed and entry doors are the BC issue. ” But how can a ‘shared compliance plate’ exist ? My first thought was that this (person) previously owned the unit and rented it out (she owns the unit directly below mine). But surely this should have lapsed when I bought the property?
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First, if the fire safety inspector only “thought” there was asbestos in the door, then the easiest way to check is to temporarily remove the peephole viewer and look at the door’s core.
But then we get to the issue of the peephole and, paint and brass numbering. These are clearly non-standard, meaning someone has changed the door, with or without owners corp permission.
So your next step may be to ask the committee chair to show you the relevant paperwork to indicate that the door is no longer “body corp” (are you in Queensland?) responsibility.
It may be that the previous owner sought permission to make the changes you described and received it on condition that they took responsibility for the changes.
If that permission was given under a special resolution, then you acquired responsibility when you bought the unit.
If it wasn’t, then the door was altered without permission, and you are looking at a legal wrangle with either the committee (the OC is still responsible for the door) or the previous owner who did not disclose that there might be an issue with the door.
If you insist that the OC replaces the door, and they turn out to be responsible, they probably only need to replace it with a standard door painted the same colour as all the others and may well deny permission for replacement of the peephole and brass numbers.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
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