The balcony was a winning feature, but it cost my neighbours a lot of money.
Have you ever had to pay money to fix someone else’s property? Even though the damage was nothing to do with you? Sounds ridiculous right? Well, in the murky world of strata living, it’s a clear and present danger.
I should know, because soon after I purchased a Sydney apartment in 2012, each of my neighbours had to pay $15,000, to fix a leak on my balcony and then install a brand new, heightened railing on the balustrade.
When you buy an apartment in a strata building, it’s always best to do your research to avoid nasty surprises after settlement. But you never plan to be the nasty surprise yourself.
My partner and I had been looking for our first owner-occupier home together and it was during a lull in the Sydney property market, which presented a rare opportunity to actually get a property for what it was worth, or perhaps even cheaper?
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At the open inspection for this apartment, we were the only ones there. Must be a dud, we thought upon entering.
The bathroom and kitchen were both small.
Indeed, at first, the place seemed pretty small. The living room was fairly spacious and led to a small side balcony, but the kitchen and bathroom were cramped and the two bedrooms were really one and a half.
But what was that at the other end of the tiny second bedroom? Another door, which opened out onto the biggest balcony I’d ever seen on a unit.
Rectangle shaped, it was essentially the same size as all the internal rooms put together.
It was on the top floor of a three-storey, boutique block of seven apartments and it was as if the original owners could have built an eighth apartment, but chose to put a roof garden there instead.
It was the late afternoon and the serenity was perfect, while the golden tinged district views looked surreal in the fading light.
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I was smitten. And the good news, no one else had made an offer.
We purchased the place and moved in. It was a great spot and we were loving it.
The neighbours all seemed nice and were a good mix between owner-occupiers and renters.
In the apartment below, we met a lovely single mum with a young baby.
I note the side balcony, but, wait, what’s that through the back door?
Things were good, until a few weeks went by and we were made aware by strata that the mum and baby were having a problem with damp coming through their ceiling and walls. Further inspection revealed a leak that was coming from above. Our glorious balcony was the culprit.
The health of the mum and her baby were a major concern and strata called a special meeting.
After engaging a waterproofing and construction company to assess the problem, it had been revealed there was a serious issue with the building’s membrane. Not only that, but the balcony’s side railing was also too short to comply with modern standards.
The entire roof garden would need to be resealed and the walls heightened with new railings put in place.
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The cost of the works was to be $105,000. And to the dismay of the other owners, it was to be shared equally between all apartments. It turns out our rooftop balcony was considered part of the building’s external structure skeleton and was therefore regarded as common property rather than our private responsibility.
One of the owners who had been there for many years blamed the damage on the former owner of our apartment, a reclusive elderly gentleman who had passed away.
Apparently his “massive pot plants” were too heavy and had no doubt caused the damage, despite having being warned by that other owner a number of times.
District views, serenity, the new railing in place and, importantly, only a small pot plant.
It seemed unlikely to me, but as the newcomer in the room who was somewhat responsible for putting everyone out of pocket and potentially making a baby sick, I thought it best to bite my tongue.
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So, the other owners parted with thousands of dollars for a nice new balcony for our own personal enjoyment. And what’s more, the construction proved quite disruptive for the mum with the baby; prompting her to find a new rental and move out before things were even completed.
Over the following years, we had many great times on the balcony and the tiny second bedroom proved a great place for our tiny firstborn son when he came along.
So thanks neighbours! And sorry about that.
For everyone else considering a move into strata living, be sure to find out what is considered common property and what is private, as it may lead to future pain to you, or caused by you. Just another bit of diligence where diligence is due.
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