Something that comes up time and again in body corporates is who pays for what?

The body corporate is responsible for common property. The lot owner is responsible for the lot.

Issues arise in determining what is common property and what is the lot, since boundaries will differ between plans.

There are two types of plans in Queensland: Standard Format Plans which are horizontal developments like gated communities, and Building Format Plans which are vertical developments such as high rise buildings.

What is common property, hence body corporate responsibility, and what is the lot, hence owner responsibility is determined by the plan of the subject body corporate. Below is an Infographic which compares differences.

I cannot stress the importance of finding out the boundaries of your lot.

The body corporate cannot pay for works that are lot owner responsibility. It’s not fair use of group funds.

Equally there is no sense paying for something that is body corporate responsibility.

As important, undertaking repairs works that are not yours to arrange can actually lead to conflict with the Committee. Body corporates are often complex and made more so by the legislation they must act within, and random acts, even kind acts, can have consequences you’ve not considered.

You might also like: Common Property which discusses how to find out if your body corporate is a building format plan or a standard format plan.