Linkedin Facebook Instagram Youtube

07 3899 0299

Request a proposal

Main Menu

4 steps to manage water leaks

Water leaks

Receive an
obligation-free proposal

We offer an obligation-free quote.

The first step is a short phone or in-person meeting to better understand the needs of your committee and scheme. This will only take around 10 minutes.

From there, we’ll put together a tailored proposal, including our easy-to-understand fee package.

Submit our proposal form, including the best contact time, and we’ll be in touch.
Changing strata managers e-book

Receive an obligation
free proposal

We'll need to get some details about your building. Let us know the best time to contact you.

Receive an obligation-free proposal

We offer an obligation-free quote.

The first step is a short phone or in-person meeting to better understand the needs of your committee and scheme. This will only take around 10 minutes.

From there, we’ll put together a tailored proposal, including our easy-to-understand fee package.

Submit our proposal form, including the best contact time, and we’ll be in touch.

Receive an obligation
free proposal

We'll need to get some details about your building. Let us know the best time to contact you.
Request a body corporate proposal
We have been building houses for about a million years – but buildings still leak! As Brisbane enters day 3 of continuous torrential rain, let’s look at some guidance on how to handle building leaks.

The focus of this article is on water that enters a building from its roof, walls and windows. These 4 steps apply and should be followed before any discussions about insurance take place.

Insurance companies do not help owners and body corporate committees to stop the leak, the role of the insurer is to pay for financial losses which are specifically covered under each policy. Generally the insurer cannot advise whether something will be covered until the cause of the leak is identified and stopped – and the final damage is known.

1. Identify the source of the water leak

You’ve just noticed a wet patch of carpet… Time to start hunting for where that water is coming in. Check the walls, windows and doors nearby, and ceilings above.

Common sources of water ingress into buildings & responsibility guidance

Unsure whether your building is a building format plan (BFP) or standard format plan (SFP)? Read our website FAQ: maintenance.

Roof (flashing, skylights, perished silicon etc)

  • In a building format plan (BFP):
    • The body corporate is responsible for nearly all roofing issues
    • Owners are responsible if their installations are causing the leak (solar panels, satellite dish etc)
  • In a standard format plan (SFP):
    • The owner is responsible for the roof of their lot

Blocked gutters/downpipes

  • In a building format plan (BFP):
    • The body corporate is responsible for nearly all gutters/downpipe issues
    • Owners are responsible if a tree in their private yard/courtyard has caused the gutters to become blocked
  • In a standard format plan (SFP):
    • The owner is generally responsible for gutters and downpipes.
    • The body corporate may be responsible for shared gutters that span multiple lots

Leaking windows/doors

  • In a building format plan (BFP):
    • Doors and windows which open onto a balcony, patio, courtyard or side access path are generally the owner’s responsibility to maintain.
    • Body corporate is generally responsible for doors and windows which open directly into a common property area
  • In a standard format plan (SFP):
    • The owner is responsible for doors and windows

Balconies filling with water – inadequate or blocked drainage

  • Balconies are the responsibility of lot owners. Owners must ensure that the balcony is able to drain freely and that any drains are clear and not blocked with leaves or debris.

Courtyards filling with water

  • Courtyards are the responsibility of lot owners, including the way the courtyard drains and manages stormwater.
  • Over time courtyard soil can become compacted and can stop accepting rainwater to soak into the ground. This may be corrected by aeration of soil, or installing garden areas instead of hard surfaces (paving).
  • Owners are responsible for their courtyards but may require body corporate approval to make changes to these areas.

Water seeping through joints under exterior walls

  • In a building format plan (BFP):
    • Exterior walls between the lot and a private balcony, patio, courtyard or side access path are generally the owner’s responsibility to maintain.
    • Body corporate is generally responsible for exterior walls which form the boundary between private areas and common property areas
  • In a standard format plan (SFP):
    • The owner is responsible for exterior walls

2. Stop the leak if you can

This may sound obvious, but try to identify and stop the source of the leak. If water is coming in through your balcony door frame, go out and sweep away the water away from the door if it is safe to do so.

In many cases you will not be able to stop the leak until the rain has stopped, in that case – take actions to mitigate the loss or damage.

3. Mitigate loss or damage

Owners and residents should always take any possible steps to mitigate or reduce loss or damage. This rule applies whether or not there is insurance coverage over the issue. If the issue is covered by insurance, the insurer expects that you will have taken steps to reduce the damage and loss, otherwise the insurer may not pay the claim.

For water leaks, the following steps should be taken as soon as possible:
  • Move furniture away from the leak area
  • Unplug any nearby appliances and move them
  • Remove curtains/blinds that might become water damaged
  • Put out buckets to catch water instead of letting it hit the floor
  • Lay down towels to act as a barrier to incoming water and change them frequently
  • If water is coming through or near electrical devices (light switches, downlights, powerpoints) – go to your switchboard and switch off those circuits to prevent electrical damage.
For fitted carpets, these can usually be towel-dried with pressure (e.g. walking on a dry towel to soak up moisture). If the carpets are very waterlogged, they can be pulled up and back to allow the underlay and the carpet to dry out. It is often cheaper to re-lay existing carpet that has been pulled back, rather than to replace it. There are companies that specialise in carpet drying – if carpets are wet they should be dried as soon as possible to prevent mould. These actions are often very inconvenient, but are a very important part of managing a water leak into your home.

4. Be patient if the rain is ongoing

If the rain is ongoing, you will generally not be able to get a contractor to attend to the cause of the leak until the rain stops. Particularly with roof leaks (the most common cause), a roofing plumber cannot safely get onto the roof and then treat the problem if it is still raining (or raining on and off).

This type of leak will generally need to wait until the rain stops, so that the problem can be repaired properly in dry conditions, and then have the fix tested.

Roofing plumbers are in high demand after rain events, so there may also be a delay to wait for a suitable contractor to assist you.

Further reading:

Share This Post

Related content

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Is BCsystems your current body corporate manager?
You are

More To Explore

Making and changing a by-law
By-laws

Making and changing body corporate by-laws

By-laws are the set of regulations established by a body corporate to oversee and regulate how a body corporate should operate. Your scheme’s by-laws are found in Schedule C of your body corporate’s Community Management Statement (CMS).

18 Apr 24
Voting at an AGM
Basics

Voting in a body corporate: General meeting resolutions

Many body corporate decisions are decided by vote at either an annual general meeting or an extraordinary general meeting. This article looks at the different types of resolutions and the criteria required to determine an outcome.

9 Apr 24

Stay up to date with BCsystems' strata articles

Subscribe here!

Is BCsystems your current body corporate manager?
You are
Subscribe now!
ARAMA Logo
SCA logo
udia logo

Like this article?

Follow us for more

Facebook Youtube Instagram Linkedin