Buildings Forming Part of the Lot

In most plans the external walls, the floors, roofs and ceilings of a building will be common property. In some cases the developer may request a plan where the building standing on each lot forms part of the lot and is not common property. These strata plans are commonly known as Cubic Strata Plans or Buildings Forming Part of a Lot.

How do I tell if my strata property is a Cubic Strata Plan?

The floor plan will be different from a normal plan in the following ways:

• The walls will be shown by thick broken lines unless they form a lot boundary.
• There will be only one floor plan regardless of the number of levels in the building.
• The floor plan will represent the perimeter walls of the building at ground level.
• The floor plan will include a note indicating that ‘The structure of the building standing on each lot, including walls, floors, ceilings and roofs, forms part of the lot and is not common property.’

Who’s responsible for repairs?

In these circumstances each lot owner is generally responsible to repair and maintain their own dwelling (similar to a Torrens title house) and the common property may be limited to primarily the driveway, boundary fences and common service lines between the units.

The strata plan and by-laws need to be reviewed to determine who is responsible for repairs and maintenance.

How is this different from a ‘standard’ strata property?

The owners corporation is responsible for maintenance and repair of common property – each owner repairs anything in their own property. In a Cubic Strata plan the common property is limited meaning there is more responsibility on the individual owners rather than the owners corporation to repair and maintain.

If you are unsure who should make a repair, check your strata plan and by-laws (or ask your strata committee or Community Manager).