Who pays to fix a broken window?

Usually the owner pays for the glass and the corporation pays for the frame. In most jurisdictions the lot boundary runs at the inner surface of the external wall, so the frame sits in common property and the glass sits inside the lot. Two exceptions: storm or vandal damage may be insurable, and glass broken because the frame failed, such as a corroded hinge dropping a sash, is the corporation's problem. Check whether your scheme has adopted a common property memorandum, which can move the line.

Do we have to use safety glass for a replacement?

Yes, in any of the locations listed in Australian Standard AS 1288: full-length glass in doors and adjacent panels, glass within 300mm of door swings, glass below 500mm from floor level, and shower screens. The Standard has no grandfather provision for replacements, so even if the original was not safety glass, the replacement must be. AS 1288 applies nationally.

How often should timber window frames be repainted?

Every 5 to 8 years on weather-side elevations, longer on sheltered ones. Which elevation takes the weather depends on where you are: north and west through most of southern Australia, and the exposure is harsher again near the coast. The single biggest factor in how long the paint lasts is surface preparation: burning off failed paint, filling, sanding and priming bare timber. Cutting corners on prep is why some paint jobs only last three years.

What does it cost to replace a sealed double-glazed unit when condensation appears between the panes?

Less than most people think. A 1m by 1m sealed unit is in the low hundreds of dollars to manufacture, plus installation. The unit is not repairable; once the edge seal fails the only fix is replacement. Most sealed units last 15 to 25 years.

Windows - The Different Types and Who's Responsible

Who owns the window?

Windows are one of the most commonly misunderstood items in a strata or community group, because the answer is usually both. The frame is common property but the glass is the owner's. The split sits on the underlying boundary rule.

Where the line is drawn, by jurisdiction

The frame-versus-glass split turns on where your Act puts the lot boundary. In most Australian jurisdictions the boundary runs at the inner surface of the external wall, which leaves the frame in common property and the glass with the owner. Two things change the answer: whether your scheme is stacked or freestanding, and whether a by-law or memorandum has moved the line.

In practice, under the common arrangement the corporation handles frame corrosion, frame painting, sash and hardware failures and the weatherproofing of the frame-to-wall join. The owner handles broken or scratched glass, condensation inside a failed sealed unit, and the curtains and blinds.

NSW. Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, s 106(1) for the maintenance duty. Worth checking s 107: the common property memorandum expressly deals with windows and glass, and a scheme that has adopted it may have shifted responsibility.
VIC. Owners Corporations Act 2006, s 46. Section 24 also matters here, because an owners corporation must not unreasonably refuse consent to an owner altering an external appearance.
QLD. Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997, s 152, with the duty in your regulation module: Standard Module s 180, Accommodation Module s 170, Commercial Module s 127, Small Schemes Module s 99.
WA. Strata Titles Act 1985, s 91(1)(c), which expressly covers deterioration from fair wear and tear, inherent defect or any other cause.
SA. Strata Titles Act 1988, s 5 puts the boundary at the inner surface of the external wall, and s 25 imposes the duty. Under the Community Titles Act 1996 the answer depends on the division: in a strata division the frame-and-glass split applies, but in a lot-beside-lot division the windows of buildings within a lot are entirely the lot owner's.
TAS. Strata Titles Act 1998, Schedule 1 clause 8.
ACT. Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011, s 24(1).
NT. Unit Titles Act 1975, s 34(b).

If your scheme is freestanding rather than stacked, assume the windows belong to whoever owns the building they sit in, and check the plan before spending anything.

Four common window types

Aluminium sliding

Aluminium sliding is the default in most unit groups built from the 1970s onward. These are long-lasting, low-maintenance and easy to operate. They do have common faults: failed runners (the sash sticks or jumps the track), perished rubber seals and corroded latches in coastal areas. Aluminium frames don't need painting as the powder coat or anodising will outlast most other building elements, but they do benefit from an annual rinse to clear salt and dust from the runners and sills.

Aluminium casement and awning

Hinge mechanisms wear out faster than sliding tracks, particularly on awning windows that take wind load when open. Symptoms include: the sash won't stay open, the winder skips teeth or the window won't close fully. Hardware kits are inexpensive; a window installer can usually replace a casement winder in under an hour.

Timber frame

Timber is common in pre-1970s buildings and some heritage-protected groups. It is beautiful when maintained but can be expensive when neglected. The two killers are moisture (paint failure lets water into the timber, which then rots from the inside out) and movement (timber expands and contracts seasonally, sashes stick or drop, glass breaks at the putty line).

A timber frame in good condition needs repainting roughly every 5–8 years on the weather side, longer on sheltered elevations. Use a quality exterior paint and follow the surface preparation steps, burning off failed paint, filling, sanding, priming bare timber with two top coats. Cutting corners on prep is the most common reason a paint job lasts three years instead of seven.

Steel frame

Steel is rare in strata groups but found in some 1950s-era buildings. Steel frames rust at the bottom rail first (where condensation runs to and pools), then up the jambs. Once rust has bridged from inside to outside, the frame is effectively at end-of-life, even a repaint won't hold. Replacement with aluminium is usually the right answer.

Window glass: the owner's responsibility

Broken glass is the owner's responsibility to replace, regardless of how it broke. However, there are some exceptions:

Storm or vandal damage may be insurable under the corporation's policy, particularly if multiple units are affected. Check the policy excess against the cost of replacement before lodging a claim as the excess for a single broken pane often eats most of the cost.
Damage caused by failure of the frame (e.g., a sash drops because a hinge corroded, breaking the glass on the way down) is the corporation's problem because the frame is the corporation's.

Safety glass

Australian Standard AS 1288 requires safety glass (toughened or laminated) in certain locations: full-length glass in doors and adjacent panels, glass within 300mm of door swings, glass below 500mm from floor level, and shower screens. If a non-safety pane breaks in one of these locations, the replacement must be safety glass, pre-existing glazing is not exempt at the point of replacement.

Sealed double-glazed units

These are increasingly common in new builds and energy-efficiency retrofits. The two panes are sealed at the edges with desiccant between them; over time (typically 15–25 years) the seal fails and condensation appears between the panes. The unit is generally not repairable, so replacement is the only fix. Costs are higher than single glazing but lower than most people expect; a 1m × 1m sealed unit is in the low hundreds of dollars to manufacture.

Window maintenance rhythm

Annually: rinse runners and tracks, vacuum out grit, lubricate hinges and winders with a dry silicone spray (not WD-40 as it attracts dust).
Every 3–5 years: replace perished rubber seals on aluminium frames; this is cheap and dramatically improves weatherproofing.
Every 5–8 years (timber frames): inspect and repaint weather-side elevations; spot-prime any bare timber within a season of noticing it.
Every 10–15 years: budget for replacement of casement and awning hardware on heavily-used windows.

Get in touch

If your group is weighing a window replacement program, or you're trying to work out whether a problem is the corporation's or the owner's, we're happy to help you scope the work. Acacia Collective manages strata and community title groups across South Australia.

Call us on 1300 79 2255 or email hello@acaciacollective.com.au.