what is common property

I own an apartment in Qld. My ranch slider door leading to my balcony does not function properly and its hard to open and close the doors. Who would be responsible for the repairs? Can i get the body corp to look after the repairs? Is the ranch slider party of the common property? Any suggestions welcome.
 
Sorry to say you are responsible for the rollers on your door.

We do a LOT of this type of work and always invoice the owner of the unit, not body corp.

The good news is that changing the glass door rollers should not cost you more than about $100.

Where in Brisbane are you situated? I maybe able to recommend someone.
 
For all strata property, have your strata agent detail exactly what is common and what is yours and keep a record.

Some units will differ and it is always good to know.
 
Pursuant to the link kindly provided by Spades, it all comes down to the definition of what common property is. Maintenance issues, and legal liability etc all flow from the defined areas.

It is clear from the definition provided that common property is everything other than the individual lots owned by owners.

The individual strata lots normally (but not always) refer to the airspace inside the inner surface of the walls and doors that constitute the inside of the property.

I would of thought the roller door leading out to the balcony would be outside that definition, and not part of the inner airspace.....and hence common property.
 
In the link provided by Spades it states
The lot owner is usually responsible for:
doors and windows leading onto a balcony that forms part of the lot

However, whether or not the balcony is a part of the lot depends on what the strata plan says.

This publication from NSW states
If the strata plan was registered before 1 July 1974 the balcony wall including the windows and door and their working parts are generally part of the lot and the lot owner?s responsibility for maintenance and repairs (unless there is a notation on the strata plan or the balconies are not shown on the strata plan).

If the plan was registered after 1 July 1974 the balcony wall including the windows and doors and their working parts are generally common property and the owners corporation?s responsibility (unless the strata plan says otherwise). With the exception to flyscreens and/or security doors where they were installed by an owner after registration of the strata plan.
 
I own an apartment in Qld. My ranch slider door leading to my balcony does not function properly and its hard to open and close the doors. Who would be responsible for the repairs? Can i get the body corp to look after the repairs? Is the ranch slider party of the common property? Any suggestions welcome.

Hi there,

The door as you have described would be an Owner's responsibility. Depending on the subdivision plan, external doors (doors connecting the Lot and Common Property) can be a body corporate responsibility.

A door between your unit and your on-title balcony is considered an internal door for the purposes of maintenance, as it connects your Lot with another area of your Lot (no different to your bedroom door).

Get out your registered plans, or contact your body corporate administration company, and check the boundaries of your Lot.

Matt
 
some great feedback here, and thanking you all for it. Here is the pic of my balcony

http://tinypic.com/r/28u60j6/8

Here is the plan i got from strata document. Does this mean anything? or do i need better plans?

http://tinypic.com/r/2iaq3a0/8

travelbug, talks about his/her body corp replacing the roller doors.

I did speak to strata and i was referred to the maintenance contact for my unit and there were his exact words

"I have checked and confirmed with several parties in regards to your faulty sliding door to your balcony.

As the sliding doors are sitting within the unit lot boundary, it is the owner responsibility to carry out any repairs"

he seems like he is not sure either, as he talks about liaising with several parties and not the bodycorp law.
 
I own an apartment in Qld. My ranch slider door leading to my balcony does not function properly and its hard to open and close the doors. Who would be responsible for the repairs? Can i get the body corp to look after the repairs? Is the ranch slider party of the common property? Any suggestions welcome.
I just changed over the rollers on my roller door myself. It wasn't that hard but it can be depending on the type of door. I took the old rollers down to bunnings and a staff member showed me the correct replacment part.

From your plan it appears the door is within your lot boundary, so I would say this is something you will have to take care of yourself, DIY or a contractor.
 
the issue is not the roller, its the metal piece where the roller sits.

http://tinypic.com/r/v60zsz/8

Oh, that looks like a PITA to fix.

Bunnings has a track cover that clips over the old track: http://www.bunnings.com.au/sliding-door-window-spares-1-8m-replace-alum-cvr-trk_p3960521

Or a company installs stainless steel tracks if you are not inclined to DIY http://miracleslidingdoors.com.au/article/your-patio-sliding-door-driving-you-nuts

I hope this helps.
 
I would check the Strata plan to see if the balcony is covered. Most recent ones I'd see it is however not sure on the old ones.
 
Here is the plan i got from strata document. Does this mean anything? or do i need better plans?

http://tinypic.com/r/2iaq3a0/8

he seems like he is not sure either, as he talks about liaising with several parties and not the bodycorp law.

The plan attached is exactly what you need for this task.

According to the plan attached, the door in question is an Owner responsibility. Doors and windows are a body corporate matter ONLY when they are within the boundary structure of a Lot, i.e. they are located inside the hard black line around Lot as shown on the plan.

The wall between your balcony and living room is a dashed line, therefore it is not a boundary structure and the door is within your lot.

I can't explain who your strata manager has contacted, the only reason that as a strata manager I would query this rule, is if there had been an accidental precedent set by other owners or the body corporate as a whole - it is sometimes more practical to stick to the incorrect precedent rather than changing tactics and having Owners come back for reimbursements for work done to doors or visa versa.

Even though that exterior wall is within your lot and maintenance of the wall, windows and doors is your responsibility, you could not change the colour of the wall, door, screens etc without approval as this would change the external appearance of the building.

Matt
 
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