Water appearing on someone's ceiling is never a quiet problem. One neighbour calls another, the strata manager gets a text at 10pm, and everyone wants to know the same thing straight away: who's paying to fix this?
The short answer is that it depends entirely on where the leak is coming from. Until the source is found, no one can say with certainty whether it's an owner's problem or the strata's responsibility. That first step, finding the fault, is what decides everything that follows.
The source decides the bill
In a strata building, some pipes and fittings belong to individual owners, and others belong to the owners corporation. The dividing line sits in the by-laws, and every scheme draws it slightly differently.
Generally, anything inside the boundary of a lot is the owner's responsibility. That includes taps, flexi hoses under the sink, the mixer in the shower, toilet cisterns, and often the first section of pipe that connects an appliance to the main line. If a flexi hose bursts in your laundry and floods the unit below, that's usually on you.
Common property covers things like vertical stacks, rising mains, sewer lines shared between units, and pipes embedded in structural slabs or walls. If the cast iron stack between floors has corroded through, or the water main feeding three units springs a leak inside the wall cavity, that's typically the strata's side of the ledger.
But until someone lifts a panel, runs a camera down a drain, or opens a wall, it's all guesswork. Water travels. A drip in the middle of a ceiling might be fed by a split pipe two metres away, tucked behind someone else's vanity.
What happens when it's not obvious
Sometimes the leak is straightforward: a burst flexible hose spraying water everywhere, or a toilet cistern overflowing. Other times, the water mark grows slowly over weeks, fed by something hidden behind tiles, under floorboards, or inside a cavity no one's opened since the building went up.
In those cases, the first job is investigation. That might mean a licensed plumber isolating sections of pipe, checking pressure, or using a camera to inspect what's happening inside a wall or slab. The aim is to pinpoint the source and confirm what's failed.
If the leak turns out to be in common property, the strata pays for the repair and notifies its insurer if the damage is large enough. If it's inside an owner's lot, that owner arranges the fix and deals with their own insurer for any damage caused downstairs.
If both parties' pipes are involved, or if the leak sits right on the boundary line, things get more complicated. That's when the strata manager, the by-laws, and sometimes a strata lawyer need to step in.
The by-laws matter more than general advice
Every strata scheme in New South Wales operates under a registered set of by-laws. Some follow the model by-laws in the legislation. Others have been customised over the years, redefining what counts as common property or shifting maintenance obligations in ways that suit that particular building.
One scheme might make owners responsible for everything up to the point where their waste pipe joins the stack. Another might say the strata owns and maintains all pipework, even the bits feeding individual units. A third might split responsibility based on whether the pipe is concealed or exposed.
The only way to know for certain is to read the by-laws for that building. General principles don't override what's been registered. If you're the owner or the tenant dealing with the leak, the strata manager is the person to ask. They hold the by-laws, the building plans, and the maintenance records that show what's been done before.
We're plumbers, not lawyers. We can find the leak, explain what's failed, and carry out the repair once everyone agrees who's paying. We can't tell you what the by-laws say or settle a dispute between neighbours.
What about damage to the unit below
Fixing the leak is one cost. Repairing the damage it caused is another.
If water has stained a ceiling, ruined carpet, or damaged furniture in the unit below, that's generally a matter for insurance. The owner whose lot the leak came from may be liable if the fault was on their side and they failed to maintain something properly. The strata's insurer may cover it if the leak was in common property. Sometimes the downstairs owner's contents policy picks up part of the loss.
Each insurer will want to see evidence of where the leak started and whether there was negligence involved. That's why getting a clear report from the plumber who found the source is important. It becomes the basis for any claim and helps avoid drawn-out arguments later.
Again, the strata manager is the right person to guide that process. They'll know which insurer to notify and what information is needed.
Common questions
Can I just call a plumber and send the bill to strata? Not unless the strata manager has authorised it. If you arrange a repair without approval and it turns out the leak was in your lot, you'll wear the cost. Always check first.
What if the leak is coming from a unit that's tenanted? The landlord, as the owner, is still responsible for anything within the lot boundary. The tenant should notify the landlord and the strata manager straight away so the source can be found and fixed.
How long does it take to work out who pays? If the source is obvious and the by-laws are clear, it can be sorted in a day. If the leak is hidden or the by-laws are complicated, it might take longer while the strata manager, owners, and plumber work through it.
When water's dripping through and no one's sure where it's coming from, the first step is always the same: find the source. Once that's clear, the by-laws and the strata manager will point to who's responsible. If your building needs that leak traced or the repair carried out once responsibility is settled, we work across the North Shore with strata managers and owners to get it sorted without the runaround.
Call STS Plumbing on 9904 3074 or book a visit.