Who is responsible for maintenance in a body corporate
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Maintenance in a body corporate scheme is a shared responsibility: the body corporate is responsible for maintaining common property and shared building elements, while individual lot owners are responsible for maintaining everything within their own lot.
Before you can determine who’s responsible for a specific repair, you need to know what kind of survey plan your scheme is registered under. Each survey plan defines lot boundaries differently, which changes the line between common property and a private lot sit.
Start with your plan type
Your survey plan determines exactly where the boundary between common property and your lot sits, so it’s the first thing to check when working out who’s responsible for a repair.
You can find a full breakdown in our guide to understanding survey plans in a body corporate, but the two most common formats in Queensland are:
- Building Format Plan (BFP) – common in unit blocks and apartment buildings. Boundaries are measured from the centre of walls, ceilings, floors and doors. Owners are responsible for maintaining everything within their lot boundary, while the body corporate maintains the boundary structure itself and anything on common property.
- Standard Format Plan (SFP) – common in townhouses and freestanding dwellings. Boundaries are measured from survey pegs in the ground, often encircling the entire dwelling, so lot owners typically own more of the physical structure, including external walls and roofing.
This matters because the general guidance below can shift significantly depending on which plan applies to your scheme. A townhouse owner on an SFP may be responsible for their own roof, where a unit owner in a BFP building would not be.
What the body corporate is generally responsible for
In most schemes (particularly BFPs), the body corporate maintains and funds repairs to:
- Structural and supporting elements of the building
- Doors and windows on the boundary of a lot
- Roofing structures and waterproofing membranes
- External painting and remedial building works
- Hallways, lobbies and foyers
- Lifts, car stackers and roller doors
- Swimming pools, gyms and saunas
- Gardens and landscaping on common property
- Driveways and visitor parking areas
These works are funded through the administrative fund (day-to-day upkeep) or sinking fund (major, long-term capital works) – both built up through owners’ levies.
If you want a deeper breakdown of how those funds work, see our guide on sinking and administrative funds.
What lot owners are generally responsible for
As a lot owner, you’re responsible for maintaining and repairing everything within the boundary of your own lot, including:
- Plumbing and electrical fittings within your lot (taps, power points, internal pipework)
- Fixtures, fittings and appliances
- Balcony tiles and grout
- Internal painting
- Trees and gardens within any exclusive-use courtyard
Under the BCCM Act, lot owners have an ongoing obligation to keep their lot in good condition. This isn’t optional and neglecting it can create disputes or even safety and compliance issues down the track.
When it's not clear cut
Even with the general rules above, plenty of maintenance issues sit in a grey area, like a leak that starts in a common-property pipe but damages a lot’s internal fittings, or a balcony where the tiles are the owner’s responsibility but the waterproofing membrane underneath is the body corporate’s.
If you’re unsure whose responsibility a repair is:
- Check your survey plan – this defines exactly where your lot’s boundary sits, and is the single most useful document for resolving a dispute. Your body corporate manager can provide a copy, or you can order one directly from the Queensland Titles Registry.
- Check your by-laws – some schemes have specific by-laws that alter or clarify default maintenance obligations (for example, around exclusive-use areas).
- Ask your body corporate manager – if it’s still unclear, your manager can interpret the plans, by-laws and relevant legislation, and advise on the best path forward.
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