Body corporate roof repairs in Queensland: who fixes and pays for a roof leak

Published 23 October 2026

Who maintains the roof: building format plan or standard format plan

The Queensland Government’s body corporate pages say “The body corporate and owners are both responsible for maintenance in a community titles scheme.” Which parts each looks after turns on the plan type and the regulation module in your community management statement. Titles Queensland (07 3497 3479) can give you a copy of the survey plan and the community management statement.

Who maintains the roof in a Queensland body corporate

Standard Module Regulation 2020 ss 180, 198, 199 and 204 (version in force from 1 August 2025) and the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management’s maintenance and storm pages, checked 23 October 2026. The Accommodation, Commercial and Small Schemes modules use the same roofing wording; the Specified Two-lot Schemes Module has differences.

For a building format plan, the Standard Module says the body corporate must maintain in good condition “roofing membranes that are not common property but that provide protection for lots or common property”, and in a structurally sound condition “roofing structures providing protection”. For standard format plans, the Commissioner’s office explains that “as the boundaries are unlimited under the ground and into the air, an owner will normally be responsible for the building foundations and any roofing structures.”

Reporting a roof leak to the body corporate

• Tell the committee or body corporate manager straight away, then put it in writing with the date, where the water is coming in and how heavy the rain was.
• Take photos and video of the ceiling, walls and anything damaged, before you clean up.
• Tell your own insurer if your belongings or your lot’s fixtures are damaged.
• Keep copies of every email, letter and reply. You’ll need them if it turns into a dispute.

The Commissioner’s office says “The body corporate may fail to meet its obligations if it does not fix maintenance problems within a reasonable time of becoming aware of the problems”, and that if you speak to committee members verbally, “we recommend following this up with a written request.”

Spending limits, quotes and emergency roof repairs

A roof repair can stall on the body corporate’s spending rules. Under the Standard Module, the committee can only spend above its limit with an ordinary resolution of a general meeting, the written consent of every owner, an adjudicator’s order for an emergency, or for a few other listed reasons.

• Committee spending limit: the amount the body corporate has set by ordinary resolution, or if none is set, $200 multiplied by the number of lots.
• Major spending limit: the amount set by ordinary resolution, or if none is set, the lesser of $1,100 multiplied by the number of lots, and $10,000.
• Quotes: for major spending, “The owner of each lot must be given copies of at least 2 quotations”.

By our arithmetic, a 20-lot scheme with no limits set has a committee limit of $4,000 (20 × $200) and a major spending limit of $10,000 (20 × $1,100 is $22,000, so the $10,000 cap applies). Check your scheme’s own limits in its meeting minutes.

For urgent work above the committee limit, the Commissioner’s office says “If the cost of employing tradespeople to do urgent work is more than the committee spending limit and there is not enough time to call a general meeting to authorise the spending, then you can apply for adjudication with us.” It adds that “Ideally, at least 2 written quotes will also be attached” and that it deals with these applications “on an urgent basis”.

Insurance and the excess after a roof leak or storm

The body corporate “must insure, for full replacement value” the common property and, in a building format plan, “each building in which is located a lot included in the scheme”. In this part of the regulation, “damage” includes damage from “storm and water”.

The excess is set out in s 203 of the Standard Module. “For an event affecting only 1 lot, the owner of the lot is liable to pay the excess unless the body corporate decides it is unreasonable in all the circumstances for the owner to bear the liability.” For an event affecting two or more lots, or a lot and common property, the body corporate pays the excess unless it decides it’s reasonable for owners to pay or share it.

Your belongings are a separate policy. Moneysmart says that in a strata property “you’ll still need contents insurance to cover your belongings, and to cover legal liability.” In a standard format plan with a stand-alone building, the Commissioner’s office says “a lot owner will be responsible for their own building insurance.”

Water damage inside your unit: who pays

The Commissioner’s storm page says: “In general, lot owners will each need to cover the costs of fixing their own lot. Owners will also need to contribute, according to their lot entitlements, to the costs incurred by the body corporate in fixing areas that the body corporate is responsible for.”

Fault can shift the cost. “A body corporate may also be liable if it does not maintain common property and that results in damage to a lot”, and “An owner may be liable if they do not maintain their lot and this causes damage to another lot or common property.”

When the body corporate won’t fix the roof

Start with “self resolution”: write to the committee, or put a motion to the committee or a general meeting. The Commissioner’s office says “If you can’t show us you have tried to fix the problem before lodging a dispute application your application may be rejected” and “If what you want done costs money you should always include quotes.”

If that fails, apply to the Commissioner’s office for conciliation or adjudication. Its fees from 1 July 2026 are $117.90 for conciliation, $117.90 for adjudication (final order only) and $247.90 for adjudication with an interim and final order; they rise each 1 July. Its free information service is on 1800 060 119, though it says it can’t give legal advice.

Getting roof repair quotes for a unit block or townhouse

Roof work on a strata building needs the same QBCC licence as any other: building work “valued over $3,300” needs a licensed contractor in the right class. Check each roofer on the QBCC licensee register.

For a quote, give the roofer the number of storeys, the roof material, safe roof access, where the water shows inside, and whether there are box gutters behind parapets. The overflowing gutters guide explains why box gutters leak, and published repair prices are in the roof repair cost guide. Renting the unit? The roof leak in a rental guide covers the tenant’s side.

Common questions