We have an apartment and due to serious noise, light and privacy issues we would like to enclose our back balcony with opaque glass louvres… Does placing movable glass louvres change the meaning of ‘common property’ to our apartment? – Linda, NSW

Q: We have an apartment and due to serious noise, light and privacy issues we would like to enclose our back balcony with opaque glass louvres. We have done considerable research, been in touch with all the relevant authorities and no DA is required for this work. Existing black aluminium /louvres shutters are on several apartments including ours. Does placing movable glass louvres change the meaning of 'common property' to our apartment?

A: It may be best to check your by-laws and consult either your strata committee or strata manager.

Generally, if the changes are cosmetic only and are done within the defined boundaires of your lot then it will not require strata committee approval. If the changes fall on common property, or change the structure of your lot, you will require permissions.

It is always recommended to check before doing any work, as you may be forced to revert works that were not properly approved and break by-laws or extend beyond what is considered cosmetic work.