Who Pays for What: Maintenance Responsibilities in a Queensland Body Corporate

The Basic Rule

In a Queensland body corporate scheme, maintenance responsibilities follow ownership:

The lot owner is responsible for maintaining their lot and everything within the lot boundary
The body corporate is responsible for maintaining common property

Simple in principle — but the boundary between a lot and common property is often less obvious than it seems.

What Is Common Property?

Common property is everything within the scheme that is not part of any individual lot. It is collectively owned by all owners and managed by the body corporate.

Common property typically includes:

External walls, roof, and gutters
Foundations and structural elements
Gardens, driveways, and car parks
Swimming pools, gyms, and other shared facilities
Stairwells, corridors, and lifts
Shared plumbing, drainage, and electrical infrastructure

What Is the Lot?

In most standard module schemes, the lot is everything inside the inner surface of boundary walls, the upper surface of floors, and the under surface of ceilings. This means:

Internal wall linings, flooring, and ceiling finishes
Internal plumbing (taps, toilets, basin, shower fittings)
Electrical fittings within the lot (power points, light fittings)
Air conditioning units serving only your lot
All fixtures and appliances

The lot owner is responsible for maintaining all of these.

The Grey Areas

The most contentious maintenance issues arise at the boundary:

Pipes and wiring: A pipe or conduit that passes through common property but serves only your lot is generally still your responsibility to maintain — even though it physically runs through a shared wall. The test is usually: does it serve one lot, or multiple lots?

Windows and doors: In some schemes, windows and sliding doors on the boundary are common property. In others, they are part of the lot. Check the scheme plan.

Balconies and courtyards: The structure (floor slab, balustrade) is often common property; the surface finish (tiles, decking) may be part of the lot.

Exclusive use areas: If a lot has exclusive use of a courtyard or car park, the owner usually has the maintenance obligation for that area even though it is technically common property.

What to Do When There's a Dispute

Check the scheme plan in the community management statement — it shows the physical boundary
Ask the body corporate manager for their interpretation
If still disputed, seek an independent building consultant's opinion on where the boundary falls
If the body corporate refuses to carry out work it is responsible for, apply to the Commissioner's office

Getting clarity before a maintenance issue becomes an emergency is always better than arguing about responsibility while water is coming through the ceiling.

This article is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice about maintenance obligations in your scheme, consult a strata lawyer or the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management.