TL;DR
- Water through your ceiling is an emergency until proven otherwise. Stop what you’re doing and act immediately.
- Your first move is always the same: isolate electricity near the leak, then photograph everything before you touch or dry anything.
- Notify your strata manager and the occupant above in writing the same day — not by phone, by email.
- Under NSW strata law, responsibility follows the source of the leak, not where the water landed. That distinction matters for who pays.
- A licensed plumber needs to confirm the source before anyone can argue about liability.
- If the leak is active, significant, or near electrics, call a plumber now — not after the strata meeting.
Water dripping through your ceiling is one of the most unsettling things to come home to in an apartment. It’s also one of the most common plumbing complaints in Sydney’s mid-century and newer apartment blocks. The ceiling stain, the drip into a bowl, the wet patch spreading across the plasterboard — it all feels urgent, because it is.
What you do in the first hour matters more than most people realise. Evidence dries out. Damage spreads. The paper trail that protects you later starts right now.
This guide covers what to do step by step, who’s actually responsible under NSW law, and when to call a plumber rather than wait for strata to sort it out.
Step 1: Deal with the immediate danger first
Before anything else: water and electricity don’t mix. If the leak is anywhere near a light fitting, ceiling fan, power point, or switchboard, turn off the circuit breaker for that area before you go near it. Don’t wait to see whether it’s a problem. Assume it is.
If the ceiling is bulging or sagging, stay out of that room. A waterlogged plasterboard ceiling can come down without warning and it’s heavy.
Once the immediate safety question is dealt with:
- Put down towels or buckets to limit floor damage.
- Move furniture, electronics, and anything you care about out of the wet zone.
- Don’t run the dishwasher, washing machine, or bath — you don’t want to add water to the system while the source is unknown.
Step 2: Photograph everything before you clean up
This step is non-negotiable, and most people skip it because they’re focused on containing the mess. Don’t.
Take date-stamped photos and a short video of the active leak, the ceiling stain, the floor, your contents, and any visible water damage to walls or fittings. Capture the ceiling before anything dries. Once the water stops and the surface dries out, you lose the visual evidence that shows the extent and timing of the damage.
That documentation is what your insurer, the strata manager, and potentially NCAT will rely on if responsibility becomes disputed. A photo taken while water is actively dripping is worth far more than a description written afterwards.
Step 3: Knock on the door above — but also contact strata in writing
It’s worth knocking on the door of the unit above to let the occupant know. They may have no idea. An overflowing bath, a burst flexible hose under the sink, or a washing machine connection that’s failed — these can all be happening in their unit without them noticing straight away.
But don’t stop there. Contact your strata manager in writing — email, not a phone call — the same day. State the date and time you noticed the leak, describe what you’re seeing, and attach your photos. This creates a timestamped record that the problem was reported promptly.
Why does the timing matter? Because a gradual leak that’s been ignored for weeks is treated very differently to a sudden escape of water. The date you reported it in writing is what separates the two, and it can affect both insurance outcomes and liability questions.
Step 4: Understand who’s actually responsible under NSW law
This is where most apartment residents get confused — and frustrated.
Under NSW strata law, responsibility follows the source of the leak, not where the water landed. The fact that the water is in your unit doesn’t automatically make the damage your problem to fix, but it also doesn’t automatically make it the upstairs owner’s problem either. It depends on where the leak originates.
Here’s a rough guide:
- Failed waterproofing membrane under the upstairs bathroom or balcony: Membranes are typically common property in NSW, which means the owners corporation (strata) is usually responsible for the repair.
- A burst flexible hose, leaking tap, or failed appliance connection inside the upstairs unit: That’s the upstairs owner’s responsibility. They’re liable for internal fixtures and fittings that serve only their lot.
- Shared pipework running through the boundary wall or floor slab: That’s typically the owners corporation’s responsibility under the Strata Schemes Management Act.
- Cracked tiles or deteriorated grout in the upstairs shower: Generally the upstairs lot owner’s responsibility, since surface finishes are lot property.
The owners corporation has a legal duty under Section 106 of the Strata Schemes Management Act to maintain and repair common property. That duty applies even if the defect predates the current owners or only affects one lot.
What this means in practice: until a licensed plumber confirms the source, nobody can say with certainty who pays. Don’t accept a patch job that treats the symptom without identifying the cause.
Step 5: Push for the source to be found, not just the drip to stop
This is the mistake that leads to repeat callouts and ongoing disputes. A plumber called to stop the water will stop the water. But if the underlying cause isn’t identified and fixed, the leak comes back — and you go through the whole process again.
Ask your strata manager to arrange a licensed plumber to trace the source of the leak, not just patch the ceiling. The ceiling is where the water arrived, not where it came from. The two are often in different parts of the building.
If the strata manager is slow to act, you can arrange your own licensed plumber to assess the damage inside your unit and document what they find. That report becomes part of your paper trail. It doesn’t fix the source — that requires access to the unit above — but it gives you an independent professional assessment of the damage and its likely origin.
For a detailed breakdown of what each type of leak source looks like and how plumbers trace them, see our guide on water leaking through the ceiling below an upstairs bathroom.
Step 6: Know what the strata insurer covers — and what it doesn’t
Strata building insurance generally covers sudden and accidental water escape that damages common property. Whether the policy responds to damage inside your lot, and whether the upstairs owner or the owners corporation ultimately bears the cost, depends on the specific policy wording and the cause of the leak.
What strata insurance typically does not cover is your personal contents — carpet, furniture, electronics, clothing. That’s what your own contents insurance is for. If you don’t have contents insurance and the damage is significant, you may need to pursue the upstairs owner directly for the cost of replacing your belongings.
Keep every receipt for anything you buy to manage the damage: towels, fans, temporary repairs. Keep a log of every conversation, email, and visit related to the leak. If the matter ends up at NCAT, that paper trail is what you’ll rely on.
Step 7: Know when to call a plumber directly — not wait for strata
If the leak is active, significant, or anywhere near electrics, don’t wait for strata to organise someone. Call a licensed plumber now.
Strata managers often work business hours. Leaks don’t. A slow response from a strata manager while water is actively coming through your ceiling can turn a manageable repair into a much larger problem — mould, structural damage, ruined flooring.
A plumber attending your unit can:
- Assess the damage inside your unit and document it professionally.
- Confirm whether the source appears to be above the floor slab or within the ceiling cavity.
- Advise whether emergency containment is possible from your side.
- Provide a written report that supports your strata claim.
What they can’t do without access to the unit above is fix the source. But getting a professional on site quickly protects you, gives you documentation, and puts the strata manager on notice that this is being taken seriously.
What if the upstairs owner won’t cooperate?
This happens. An upstairs owner who denies there’s a problem, refuses access, or simply doesn’t respond is unfortunately not unusual.
Your escalation path in NSW is:
- Put everything in writing to the strata manager and the owners corporation, requesting the matter be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.
- Request strata mediation through NSW Fair Trading, which is a free service for disputes between owners in a strata scheme.
- Apply to NCAT (NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal) if mediation doesn’t resolve it. NCAT can order repairs and award compensation.
The stronger your paper trail — written notifications, photos, plumber reports, dates — the stronger your position at each stage.
A quick reference: what to do and when
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Water near light fittings or electrics | Turn off the circuit breaker immediately |
| Ceiling bulging or sagging | Vacate the room and call a plumber now |
| Active leak, significant volume | Call a licensed 24/7 plumber, notify strata in writing |
| Slow drip or stain, no active flow | Photograph, notify strata and upstairs in writing today |
| Strata slow to respond | Arrange your own plumber to document the damage |
| Upstairs owner uncooperative | NSW Fair Trading mediation, then NCAT if needed |
A note on older Sydney apartment buildings
In buildings constructed before the 1980s — and there are a lot of them across inner Sydney, the St George area, and the lower North Shore — the pipe materials and waterproofing methods are simply older. Flexible hoses weren’t standard. Lead waste connections, cast iron stacks, and clay drainage pipes are common. Waterproofing membranes in bathrooms weren’t a requirement until relatively recently.
In these buildings, a leak from above is often not a single isolated failure. It’s a sign that the building’s plumbing infrastructure is reaching the end of its serviceable life. A plumber who knows older apartment stock can tell you whether what you’re dealing with is a one-off fix or part of a larger pattern worth raising with the owners corporation.
If you’re in a newer apartment building, the most common culprits are flexible hose failures under sinks and behind toilets, dishwasher or washing machine connection faults, and shower membrane failures — particularly in bathrooms that have been renovated without proper waterproofing sign-off.
What to do right now
If water is coming through your ceiling as you read this: isolate the electricity, photograph the damage, knock on the door above, and send a written notification to your strata manager. If the leak is significant or near electrics, call a licensed plumber before you do anything else.
Jasco Plumbing attends apartments across Sydney, including after hours. We can assess the damage inside your unit, provide a written report for your strata claim, and advise on the most likely source. Give us a call or book online and we’ll get someone to you.