Who should pay for storm damage?

Check your Strata Insurance Policy because that covers common property AND lot property if the damage was caused by an insurable event (the storm).

If the insurance doesn’t cover it then if it is lot property (fuse box within the lot) it is your responsibility.

The security system would be considered part of the fixtures and fitting on the strata Insurance policy.

Be careful not to confuse some “act of good faith” repair that may be made to a Lot Owner’s property by the Owners Corporation subsequent to some “event” occurring on its Common Property, with what may be covered by its Strata Insurance.

The only “lot property” that Strata Insurance covers are those parts of a Lot that are considered to form part of the Common Property, and the cover for “lot owners’ fixtures” relates only to items that have been fixed in some permanent way to a part of the Common Property within a Lot by the Owner.

Even if the security system was installed as part of the building’s construction, if it’s for Ross‘s Lot only and it doesn’t form part of some centralised system that is perhaps integrated with the intercom, then I agree with Marvin (thread#3); it’s his responsibility.

As Ross‘s intercom wasn’t fitted by him it’s not a “lot owners’ fixture”, but the responsibility for the cabling from the handset in his Lot back to the main access panel has been correctly accepted by the Strata Manager as an Owners Corporation responsibility, as should the electrical supply cabling from the sub-board in Ross’s Lot to the “common meter box”.

Marvin‘s advice about the electricity supply cabling is correct – try to have your Strata Manager treat the maintenance of that in the same way as they have agreed to for the intercom cabling; perhaps ask your neighbours if they’re experiencing similar problems.

There are a few nuances around the electrical wiring in the Lot and a few other items, but a reference to them here would only serve to confuse matters (further); so I won’t.

kiwipaul said 

I’m sorry Whale but I disagree

It is irreverent whether the items are attached to common or lot property they are all covered by the insurance.

Fitted kitchens, bathrooms, wardrobes, internal doors & walls, electrical wiring, pipes are all lot property and all are covered by the Strata insurance policy.

The Strata insurance covers everything a normal household policy would cover plus all the shared facilities.

KP, I am struggling to make sense of your post and quoting a section of the Act relating to the insurance requirements for the whole building sheds no light, while contradicting yourself doesn’t help.

The intercom system will be part of common property unless there is a by-law to say otherwise.  Electrical cabling to and including the internal fuse box will be the same.

And the word is “irrelevant” not irreverent.

KP – I should really should know better than to again even slightly contradict you on your favourite topic…… but way back when, many strata-titled buildings in NSW were found to be grossly under-insured, and Sects 82 and 85 of the SCMA had the objective of ensuring that Owners Corporations (O/C) had such buildings covered for total loss (hence the references to “destruction” and “replacement”), and that the amount insured was reflective of a building valuation that was no more than 5 years old.

So you shouldn’t read too much into terms such as those that you highlighted in your post (#5), because if strata building policies really covered everything that a normal home building policy does, excluding shared facilities, then there’d be no need for specialised strata contents insurance and those normal home building policies wouldn’t specifically exclude any part of a building that’s part of a strata title.

Suffice to say, most of those significant differences aren’t relevant to Ross’s matter, and as some Insurers will depending upon claims history, loyalty etc variously accept or decline claims of the same type after similar events, perhaps Ross should in addition to progressing electricity supply investigations with his Strata Manager, additionally clarify coverage or otherwise for the security system with the O/C’s insurer.

No probably not, and even if I did know something that you didn’t it would be unlikely to be entirely relevant in another country (like Qld.), but if your Owners Corporation has locally relevant Strata Insurance and you have Strata Contents Insurance then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

By the way, I wasn’t having a go at you, it’s just that none of us here should draw too long a bow or go too far off topic, and in fact I’d have put one of those smiley faces in my last post, but only just found the “button” for those at the bottom of the page, so