Is re-grouting the shower floor the owners responsibility or the body corporate’s responsibility? – Don, NSW

Q: We live in a townhouse complex of 10. One of the townhouses has experienced a side ways leak from their shower into their adjacent wardrobe. This would indicate that the waterproof membrane in the floor of the shower has not been compromised (townhouses are approx 20 years old and if compromised it should have shown up by now). A closer inspection of the shower floor reveals that the grout between the tiles has lifted in some areas and this would appear to be where the water is leaking through. The tiles also show some signs of some etching which could be from the application of a strong cleaner etc.

The question is: Is the re-grouting the shower floor the owners or the body corporate’s responsibility?

A: The responsibility of re-grouting will depend on where it is located. Since the grout in this case is located on the internal floor of an owner’s shower, it will be the owner’s responsibility.

The owners corporation will be responsible for grout repairs and maintenance on areas that are common property.

If you’re interested in finding ways to minimising maintenance and repair costs you can click here to download a free copy of our building compliance guide.