4–Jun–2026
Northmarque
In an emergency
Dial Triple Zero (000) for Police, Fire and Ambulance in an emergency.
SES: SES app or 132 500 for help with a damaged roof, rising flood water, trees fallen on buildings, or storm damage.
When something at Northmarque needs fixing, one question usually gets tangled up with two others. This is a plain-English guide to telling them apart – so you know who pays, who arranges the work, and what to do next.
Most “who’s responsible?” confusion comes from squashing three different questions into one. Pull them apart and almost every situation becomes clear.
1
Who does the maintenance?
Whose job is the ongoing upkeep, wear and repair? This follows the boundary rules below.
2
Whose insurance covers it?
If something was suddenly damaged by an event, which policy might pay?
3
Who decides & pays the excess?
Even when insurance could apply, someone has to decide whether claiming is worth it.
A. The quick rule: follow the boundary
Northmarque is registered under a Building Format Plan – the common arrangement for apartment and unit buildings. Your lot boundary usually runs through the centre of the walls, floors and ceilings around your unit.
As a starting point
If it’s the structure, the outside of the building, or shared with other lots → the body corporate. If it’s inside your unit and serves only you → the owner.
It’s a starting point, not the whole story. Building Format Plans have some deliberate exceptions — the table below covers the ones that catch people out.
B. Who looks after what
The everyday items, and who’s responsible for maintaining them at Northmarque.
Remember:
The ‘Body Corporate’ is not a separate group of people and it is not ‘the Committee’ either. The body corporate is all 68 owners at Northmarque. The committee is an elected group of owners or their representatives who manage the scheme and make decisions – within limits – for the whole scheme.
Building Format Plan – maintenance responsibility
Roof and roof structure
A structural part of the whole building.
Body Corporate
External walls — outside surface, render, cladding, painting
The exterior skin of the building.
Body Corporate
Shared pipes, wiring, cables and ducts that serve more than one lot
Common property even where they run through your unit.
Body Corporate
Foundations and load-bearing / structural walls
Even where they sit within your lot.
Body Corporate
Windows and external doors in a wall between your unit and common property
Includes the frames and fittings.
Body Corporate
Balcony railings, balustrades and parapets on the boundary
Body Corporate
Internal, non-structural walls inside your unit
Lot owner
Internal surfaces – paint, tiles, carpet, floorboards
Lot owner
Pipes and wiring that serve only your unit
The part that serves only you is yours, even if it starts in a shared area.
Lot owner
Hot water system, air-conditioner, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer in your unit
Your appliances and the services that run only to your lot.
Lot owner
Anything you installed for your own benefit, e.g. a screen door, shelving, your air‑conditioning unit, a solar or battery system
Including its future upkeep, even where it’s fixed to common property.
Lot owner
C. Maintenance and insurance are not the same question
This is the trap the title points to. Ask both questions — never assume one answers the other.
Is it wearing out or breaking down over time?
That’s maintenance. Follow the table above to see whose job it is. Insurance does not pay for maintenance, wear and tear, or age – and the body corporate’s building policy never covers your upkeep.
Is it wearing out or breaking down over time?
Think storm, fire, impact or a burst pipe. That’s a possible insurance matter. The body corporate insures the building — the structure and fixed fittings — for full replacement value. You insure your contents, your improvements, and, if you lease your unit, landlord’s contents.
The body corporate can be responsible for insuring something it is not responsible for maintaining — and the other way around. They’re separate questions.
D. Who pays the excess
Even when a claim is possible, the committee decides whether it’s worth making one — for a small loss, the excess can be more than the repair.
And the excess doesn’t always fall on the body corporate. If damage flows from one lot’s pipework or equipment, the body corporate can resolve to make that owner pay the excess — even where the damage is to common property or another unit.
E. Still not sure? Here’s what to do.
Useful contacts
For insurance questions, clarification or concerns, send an email to support@northmarque.net
Response times: We are a volunteer committee and aim to respond within 3 business days. If something is truly urgent, reach out to a committee member via WhatsApp.
In an emergency
Dial Triple Zero (000) for Police, Fire and Ambulance in an emergency.
SES: SES app or 132 500 for help with a damaged roof, rising flood water, trees fallen on buildings, or storm damage.
This is a general, plain-English guide to insurance for owners at Northmarque (CTS 43944). Northmarque is registered under a Building Format Plan (BFP) and regulated by the Body Corporate and Community Management (Accommodation Module) Regulation 2020 (Qld). The information in this guide is not financial or legal advice and explains the usual position. Particular situations can differ – e.g. exclusive-use areas, scheme by-laws, or the terms of an approval may change who is responsible. For a specific issue, check first by emailing support@northmarque.net.
Last reviewed: June 2026 · Northmarque Body Corporate Committee