Body Corporate Garage Doors in Queensland: Who Is Responsible?

Question 01

Are garage doors the body corporate's responsibility in Queensland?

Often, but not always. The Queensland Government says it comes down to the plan your scheme is registered under. On a building format plan, a garage door in a boundary wall with common property is usually the body corporate's to maintain. On a standard format plan, which many townhouse complexes use, the owner usually looks after it.

Those rows come from the government's guides to building format plan maintenance and standard format plan maintenance. The building format guide is blunt about it. The body corporate is usually responsible for "any doors or windows, and their fittings in a boundary wall between a lot and the common property (including garage doors and their fittings)."

On a standard format plan it flips. The owner is generally responsible for "the outside of the building within their lot boundary, including exterior walls, doors, windows and roof". The same townhouse can land on either side, depending on how the scheme was registered.

Question 02

How do you find out which plan your complex is under?

Look at the registered survey plan. It shows where each lot stops and the common property starts. The Queensland Government says to get it from Titles Queensland, along with the community management statement, which names your scheme's regulation module (the set of rules it runs under). Your body corporate manager or committee may already hold copies, so ask them first.

Don't guess from the look of the building. The government's building format guide says that plan usually covers multi-storey unit blocks. It can also cover townhouses, villas, duplexes and even stand-alone houses in an estate. A standard format plan can't apply to a multi-storey block, and a common example is a townhouse complex where each lot has a building and a yard.

On a building format plan, the edge of a lot runs through the centre of the floor, wall or ceiling that separates it from another lot or the common property. So a garage door in the wall between a unit's garage and the common property, like a shared driveway, is usually a body corporate item. If the plan marks a private yard as part of the lot, that wall stops being a boundary and the door moves to the owner.

Older plans can be hard to read. The government notes a body corporate may need a surveyor to interpret its plan. It's worth doing once and writing the answer down, so the committee doesn't argue the same point every time a door plays up.

Question 03

Who looks after the garage door motor and fittings?

On a building format plan, fittings usually go with the door. The Queensland Government lists garage door motors, auto closers, locks and hinges as fittings when the builder installed them. Anything an owner added later is usually the owner's to maintain. Exclusive use by-laws, and private yards marked on the plan, can shift the job to the owner.

• Builder-installed fittings. The building format guide says the fittings on a door in a boundary wall "can include garage door motors, auto closers, locks and hinges, fly screens or security screens if they were installed by the builder."
• Owner add-ons. The same guide says "owner's improvements to doors and windows are the owner's responsibility to maintain." So an opener an owner fitted later to a body corporate door is usually theirs to look after.
• Exclusive use by-laws. Where one of these covers common property, its wording can move maintenance to the owner. The government's example includes "doors and windows in a boundary wall".
• A private yard on the plan. If a building format plan marks a private yard as part of the lot, the guide says the owner becomes responsible for the windows and doors in those walls.

Standard format plans are simpler. The owner usually looks after the whole outside of their building, doors included, plus any fixtures they or their tenant put in.

Whoever ends up paying, the work on the door is the same. If an opener is struggling, garage door motor replacement covers when a repair makes sense and when it's time for a new one.

Question 04

Can the body corporate arrange servicing for every owner's garage door?

Yes, for each owner who agrees to it. The Queensland Government says a body corporate can supply or arrange services that owners are responsible for, but only with an agreement with each owner or occupier. A general meeting vote isn't enough. Each person who signs up pays their own supply charge, kept separate from the levies.

This matters most in a townhouse complex on a standard format plan, where each owner looks after their own door. The government's guide to maintenance not covered in the Act says it "can be cheaper or easier" for a body corporate to organise work for many lots at once. Its examples are things like exterior painting and pest treatments. Garage door servicing isn't named, so check with your body corporate manager before you set a round up.

It works the other way too. The body corporate can't quietly pick up an owner's bill. Both plan guides say it "cannot pay for, or levy owners for, maintenance that a lot owner is responsible for" unless it has an agreement with that owner and charges them for the work.

Planning a round of garage door servicing for the owners' own lot doors? Call Thom on 0402 882 653 to talk through the doors and how he'll get to them. Repairs and servicing are booked as a callout valued between $200 and $300, depending on the door size and the labour involved.

Question 05

How often should a shared garage door be serviced?

Go by how much it's used, not just the date. The usual guide is a service once a year for a door in most homes, and every six to nine months for a door that runs many times a day. A door that opens for every car in a building is in that busy group.

Springs wear by use. Australian door maker B&D says a spring's life is "measured in cycles", where one cycle is one full open and close. It suggests high-cycle springs for homes with frequent use or several cars. A door that works for a whole block of units racks up cycles far faster than one family's door.

So count before you book. Pick a normal weekday and jot down how often the door runs, or ask the building manager. A townhouse door might go up twice a day, while a car park door can run for every car in the building. For a shared or basement car park door, ask Thom whether it's a job he can take on.

A booked service checks and adjusts the spring balance, lubricates the rollers, hinges and tracks, tightens the bolts and brackets, inspects the cables and drums, and tests the opener, including its safety reversal. For how long springs, openers and rollers tend to last, see how long garage doors last.

Question 06

What garage door records should a body corporate keep?

Enough to show which doors are whose, and what's been done to each one. The Queensland Government says a body corporate must keep records such as invoices, correspondence and contracts. For garage doors, a simple log with a line per door and dated service and repair invoices answers most questions before they turn into arguments.

• Who maintains each door. A list of every garage door in the scheme, marked body corporate or owner, with the plan type and any by-law that touches it.
• The developer's handover papers. The government says the original owner must hand over warranty documents for common property plant and equipment at the first annual general meeting. Dig them out for any shared door and its opener.
• Dated invoices for every visit. Which door, what was found, what was fixed and anything to keep an eye on.
• Service dates. When each door was last serviced, and when the busy ones are next due.
• Contractor details. Name, phone number, ABN and proof of insurance for whoever works on the doors.
• Remotes for shared doors. How many are out, and which lot holds them, so a lost one can be cleared from the opener.
• Owner requests. Keep them in writing, and file each one with its reply.
• Photos. Each shared door, taken from the same spots once a year, so wear and damage are easy to compare.

Owners, buyers and their agents can ask to see body corporate records, according to the government's guide to accessing records. A tidy door log makes those requests quick to answer.

The government's record keeping guide says "records about major repairs and installations to common property" can't be thrown out until they're six years old, unless they're still current. Big jobs on a shared door belong in that pile.

Question 07

What should a committee ask a garage door technician?

Ask who'll do the work, whether they're insured, what a service covers and how the visit is charged. Ask for invoices that name each door. For a shared door, ask how they'll keep residents safe while it's out of action. Clear answers up front save a lot of back and forth at the next committee meeting.

• Who actually comes out? With Deadlock, every job is done by Thom, the owner.
• Are you insured? Thom holds public liability insurance through BizCover.
• What's your ABN? Deadlock's is 17 937 699 636.
• What does a service include? Thom's covers the spring balance, lubrication, the bolts and brackets, the cables and drums, and an opener test.
• How is the visit charged? Repairs and servicing are booked as a callout valued between $200 and $300 depending on the door size and the labour involved.
• What happens after hours? Thom works 6am to 6pm, seven days, and takes 24/7 emergency callouts.
• Will the invoice name each door? Ask for the lot or door number on every line, so it matches your log.
• What's your background? Thom has 3.5 years of hands-on experience, and he's trained across multiple garage door brands, systems and businesses.

Want Thom's number on file for the owners' own garage doors? Call 0402 882 653 and ask to add Deadlock as your nominated garage door repairer. For a door that's already playing up, book a callout. Thom is based in Maroochydore and works across the Sunshine Coast, from Mount Coolum down through Mooloolaba to Caloundra.

Question 08

What if an owner and the committee don't agree about a garage door?

Put it in writing and try to sort it inside the body corporate first. The Queensland Government says owners must try self resolution, like writing to the other side or putting a motion to the committee, before applying for dispute resolution. After that, the Commissioner's office offers conciliation and adjudication. Its free information line is 1800 060 119.

The government's self resolution guide says written contact is best, because it may be needed later as evidence that you tried. Attach the plan and the by-law to your letter.

Meanwhile, make the door safe. A door stuck open or a spring that's gone won't wait for a meeting. Agree in writing who'll book the garage door repairs, and keep the photos and the invoice.

The Commissioner's office says it gives general information only, not legal advice or rulings. For a tricky case, talk to a lawyer who works in body corporate law.

If the lot is rented, the tenant goes through the landlord or property manager. Garage door repairs in Queensland rentals covers who the tenant calls and what counts as urgent.