Who pays for a leak from the apartment above?

It depends on where the leak originated. If the source is common property, the owners corporation is generally responsible for repairing it. If it originated within the upper lot — a failed flexible hose, a fixture — that lot owner is generally responsible, including for damage caused below. Establishing the source is the first and most important step.

Can I arrange my own tradesperson in a strata building?

For work entirely within your lot, generally yes. For anything touching common property, get approval first — otherwise you will usually not be reimbursed, and unapproved work on common property can create a further problem. Genuine emergencies are the exception, and should be notified the same day.

What if the owners corporation refuses to act?

Put the request in writing and keep the record. Every state has a strata dispute resolution process, and repeated failure to maintain common property is one of the more common matters they deal with. Continuing damage strengthens the case rather than weakening it, but do not let that be a reason to wait.

Strata repairs: who is responsible?

Short answer

The owners corporation is responsible for common property — structure, roof, external walls, and usually the pipes and wiring serving more than one lot. The lot owner is responsible for what is inside their own lot. Water leaks are the common dispute because the source is frequently common property while the damage is inside a lot. Report to strata in writing before arranging your own tradesperson, or you will likely wear the cost.

Almost every strata repair argument is the same argument: something broke, and it is not obvious which side of the boundary it broke on.

The general division

Usually common property	Usually the lot owner
Roof, external walls, foundations	Internal wall linings, paint, floor coverings
Pipes and wiring serving more than one lot	Fixtures and appliances inside the lot
Common area lighting, lifts, entry doors	Internal doors and their hardware
Balcony structure and membrane	Balcony tiles in some schemes, depending on the plan
Windows and external doors in many schemes	Internal plumbing fixtures — taps, toilets, basins

Why water leaks cause most of the disputes

A leak often originates in common property — a failed balcony membrane, a shared stack — while all the visible damage is inside somebody's lot. That splits responsibility across two parties who each have reason to believe it is the other's problem, and it is why these matters escalate more often than any other.

The practical answer is to stop the leak first and settle responsibility second. Damage compounds daily while an argument runs, and every state's strata tribunal has seen the version where nobody acted for six months.

What to do, in order

Report it to the strata manager or committee in writing immediately, with photographs and dates.
Say whether it is urgent and whether damage is ongoing. Urgency changes what the owners corporation is expected to do.
Do not arrange your own tradesperson for anything that might be common property without approval, unless it is a genuine emergency — you will usually not be reimbursed.
For a genuine emergency, act to stop further damage, keep every receipt, and notify strata the same day explaining why you could not wait.
If nothing happens, escalate. Every state has a strata dispute process, and they are used to exactly this.

Insurance

The owners corporation insures the building; lot owners insure their contents and, depending on the state and plan, internal fixtures. Where a common property failure damages your contents, there may be a claim against the owners corporation's policy. Notify both insurers rather than guessing which one applies — an unreported claim is harder to run later.

Common questions

Who pays for a leak from the apartment above?: It depends on where the leak originated. If the source is common property, the owners corporation is generally responsible for repairing it. If it originated within the upper lot — a failed flexible hose, a fixture — that lot owner is generally responsible, including for damage caused below. Establishing the source is the first and most important step.
Can I arrange my own tradesperson in a strata building?: For work entirely within your lot, generally yes. For anything touching common property, get approval first — otherwise you will usually not be reimbursed, and unapproved work on common property can create a further problem. Genuine emergencies are the exception, and should be notified the same day.
What if the owners corporation refuses to act?: Put the request in writing and keep the record. Every state has a strata dispute resolution process, and repeated failure to maintain common property is one of the more common matters they deal with. Continuing damage strengthens the case rather than weakening it, but do not let that be a reason to wait.

Strata repairs: who is responsible for what