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anyone have views on who should pay for the cleaning of windows? Strata …. Owners
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If the windows are inaccessible or access would be dangerous, cleaning them is the Owners Corporation’s responsibility (see item 6 below).
Otherwise it’s the resident – whether they are a tenant or an owner.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
Can I please add to this query? Who owns the fly screens – the owner or the OC? I’m a tenant in a fourth floor building in Sydney and I would like to clean my windows and think I could do it by, relatively safely, hanging out the window to clean the other window panel but the fly screens are so old I think I’d damage them by trying to remove them. I’ve lived in this place for almost three years and the windows have never been cleaned and they are filthy so I assumed it was the owner/tenant responsibility. I have an overseas landlord and it takes months to get anything fixed so I’m reluctant to test the stability of the fly screen frames!
The responsibility for the flyscreens can reside with the OC or the lot owner, depending upon who put them in. If the fly screens were an original fixture (put in at the time the building was built) then it would be the Owners Corporation who would look after them. If an owner put them in, then it is that or subsequent owners responsibility to maintain.
In relation to hanging out the window, I would suggest instead going off to the local hardware store to buy an extendable handle window cleaning blush and squeege. I have had same situation in a number of apartment blocks I have lived in, and find using one of these allows me to clean the outside windows in relative safety.
Thanks Happy Strata. They look original but I could be biased! I’m not sure so I’ll just leave it. I have seen those extendable squeegees but even though I’m fourth floor, it’s actually like the fifth floor as the building is built into a hill and my unit is towards the back where the hill dips down. Not sure if something would extend that far and also how useful it would be. I’ll just have to be happy with cleaning the inside of the windows!
Check your building’s by-laws to see if they have the standard clause (or variation thereof) that says: “The owners corporation is responsible for cleaning regularly all exterior surfaces of glass in windows and doors that cannot be accessed by the owner or occupier of the lot safely or at all.”
If it’s there, write to the strata manager, building manager or committee and politely ask why the windows haven’t been cleaned.
You could also ask if the fly screens are original.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
If you do not get your windows cleaned by the OC then you could try the magnetic window cleaner option. One brand that sells these items is Window Mates.
Or you could look at this clever robot invention – the Winbot:
Thanks Jimmy – good suggestions.
Lady Penelope – those contraptions look expensive! 🙂
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