Is salt damp covered by insurance and who is responsible?
LookUpStrata
18 October 2016

Question:
Is salt damp covered by insurance and is it the responsibility of the Lot [unit] Owner or the Strata Corporation?

Could you please clarify the responsibility of “Salt Damp” issues within a Strata Corporation block of Home Units. Is there a difference in external “Salt Damp”, versus internal “Salt Damp”, with regard to financial responsibility for any “Salt Damp” repairs.

Is it an Insurance issue, the responsibility of the individual owner, or a Strata responsibility. e.g. if internal plumbing has created the problem is it the individual owner’s responsibility?

Answer:
Salt Damp is an issue faced by many units and can be quite a contentious issue due to the cost of repairs in many cases.

In most cases this matter is not a insurable event and cannot be claimed on the insurance policy, however ask your insurer as policy wordings may differ.

Determining who is responsible can also be tricky. First you need to identify if the salt damp was caused by excess water from a unit, poorly drained areas or the age and surroundings of the building.

If it is clear that it was caused by a unit, then the unit may be liable to pay for any repairs otherwise in most cases the remedy of salt damp is the corporation.

If left untreated the salt damp may cause further damage causing further loss to the buildings which in turn will affect the integrity of the corporation.

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