Life threatening situation
Your obligations
In an emergency, the exact cause of an issue may not be known immediately. As a resident within a body corporate development, you are required to:
- Take reasonable steps to limit further risk or damage. For example, place a bucket and towel under a water leak.
- Take cost-effective steps where it is safe to do so. For example, if the power goes out at 2am, consider waiting until morning before calling an electrician.
- Do not assume that costs will be reimbursed. Make conservative decisions where you can do so safely.
Is it a body corporate maintenance responsibility?
Consider if the problem is only affecting your lot or property, or if it is also affecting other lots within your development.
For example, if your apartment or lot has no hot water but your neighbours do, this generally indicates the issue is within your lot and is not a body corporate issue.
Will the issue result in an insurance claim?
Insurance may respond to sudden damage, such as storm damage, a break-in, burst pipe, fire or vehicle impact.
Insurance generally does not respond to issues caused by a maintenance failure, such as a hot water system stopping due to deteriorated parts.
Insurance companies generally do not provide emergency assistance. They may consider a claim during normal business hours. The lot owner will usually need to deal with the emergency first and then make an insurance claim.
For emergency insurance advice, including temporary accommodation, contact your insurer. Your insurer’s name will be shown in the insurance motion in your most recent AGM minutes.
Buildings located outside of Toowoomba
If you are located outside Toowoomba, the trades below may not service your area. Please contact your preferred locally based trade.
Building & Maintenance
Damage to buildings will generally need to be made safe temporarily.
Examples include:
- Damaged doors following a burglary
- Damage caused by fire where the property remains habitable
- Vehicle impact damage to buildings
Council
Electricity
If the issue is affecting only your lot:
Check your switchboard to see if a safety switch has tripped. Try unplugging appliances and resetting the safety switch, as a faulty toaster or kettle can cause the power to trip.
Contact an electrician if the situation is an emergency, including where a person in the home relies on electricity for a life-aid system.
If the issue relates to the supply of electricity to the entire building, an electrician may need to investigate at the body corporate’s cost. Consider the impact of an after-hours call-out fee.
Fallen Trees
If a significant branch or tree has fallen and is not damaging the building or blocking common property, you may need to contact a tree lopper.
Fire Alarms, including unwanted fire alarms
For unwanted alarms, there may be no immediate solution.
- Try contacting the occupant.
- Try contacting the real estate agent. You may be able to find the agent by searching the property address. Most agents only take calls during office hours.
- Contact PoliceLink on 131 444 for non-urgent assistance.
Toowoomba STRATA only provides owner contact details during office hours. There is no after-hours service for contact details.
If you suspect the alarm is genuine or there is a fire, call 000 immediately.
Gas
If your gas supply is interrupted, contact your gas retailer, such as Origin or AGL.
Gates or Common Garage Doors, such as basement doors
If a common gate or common garage door stops working at 2am, consider if it can wait until morning to reduce the call-out cost.
Warning!
Generally private garage doors are the lot owner’s responsibility to repair. Although damage may technically be covered by insurance, the repair cost will often be below the insurance excess and remain the owner’s responsibility. Usually, the damage to the door has been caused either by the lot owner or their tenant, thus the responsibility to repair rests with the lot owner.
Glass Breakage
Broken glass windows and doors can usually be replaced on-site. These repairs are often not covered by the body corporate insurance because the cost is below the insurance excess.
Hot Water
Unless your complex has a shared hot water system or no lots in the complex have hot water, loss of hot water will generally be a maintenance issue for the individual lot. Most plumbers may be able to talk you through restarting the system before arranging a call-out.
Generally your cost
Generally your cost
Locks
You will need to arrange and pay for a locksmith.
Pest Control
A sudden pest infestation may require a pest controller. However, it is unlikely to require an after-hours call-out.
Plumbing, Water and Sewer Issues
Check with your neighbours. If multiple lots have the same issue, it may indicate:
- A blockage or failure on council property or body corporate common property.
- A burst pipe on common property. Consider if the water loss is high enough to justify an after-hours call-out fee.
May be your cost if only your lot is affected
May be your cost if only your lot is affected
Warning!
If the issue only affects your lot, such as a blocked shower drain, the cost will be your responsibility. For example, if it is discovered hair is the cause of the blockage.
Roof & Gutters
Roofs and gutters may leak during rainfall. Consider the amount of water entering the unit before arranging an after-hours call-out. A small drip will generally not justify an after-hours fee.
for roof tarping or significant damage
Note: Roofs usually cannot be repaired during rain due to safety risks. If a roof leak develops, you will generally need to wait until the weather clears. Take reasonable steps to limit damage in the meantime.
Telecommunications & Intercoms
A telecommunications issue is unlikely to be an emergency. If assistance is required, contact: