Can an owners corporation force a lot owner to repair works performed by a previous lot owner that was unauthorised when the works were done many years ago and the owners corporation knew about them but did not enforce any breach? – Patrick, NSW

Q: Can an owners corporation force a lot owner to repair works performed by a previous lot owner that was unauthorised when the works were done many years ago and the owners corporation knew about them but did not enforce any breach?

 

A: Generally speaking, the owners corporation are able to force a lot owner to repair unauthorised works undertaken by a previous owner.

It may, however, cause issues for the current lot owner who may question why the owners corporation did not rectify the issue with the previous lot owner, and have only made the demands to repair works now.