Body corp telling me to fix up mould outside

Hi all.
I was wondering if I could get an opinion on this matter please?

My IP interstate apparently has mould growing outside it and according to the body corporate poses a safety hazard to tenants. I was sent this photo.



Do people think this is mould? (to me it looks like algae from all of the foliage)

Do people think this is just a sneaky effort by the body corporate to get my townhouse more aesthetically pleasing?

Am I legally obliged to have it fixed up?

Thanks

 

Blast it off with a pressure washer, easy fix.

 

I wish i could. I live interstate though.

 

Why wouldn’t you want to clean it up? To me it would not matter if it was mould or algae. It’s unattractive and you’re not making any friends with your neighbors.

I’d be careful waterblasting it. If it’s cladding or weatherboard the high pressure water can make its way inside and possibly damage internal wall gyprock. (I know ‘cause I’ve done it before).

I’d spray it with a bleach solution first to get rid of the black. Followed by 50-50 white vinegar and water mix to kill any spores. Finally a spray with Wet & Forget to prevent it coming back for a while.

 

Seriously though.... how do you approach other maintenance requests...

Do the same.

- Ask tenant to
- Get PM to arrange
- Arrange yourself

 

Well you need to invoke some plan to take care of maintenance issues for your interstate property/s.

 

Who is responsible for the exterior of the building - Body Corporate or owners?

 

I would say the body corp is responsible.

 

Might depend if it's common wall or not. e.g. block of units as opposed to free standing town houses. Even if free standing OC might have rules and regulations such as colours that can be used to paint external and probably something in relation to keeping the exterior clean and well maintained.

 

You would hope that the Body Corporate at this property fully understands their obligations in regard to what is under their management, hence, why they have requested the OP to have the mould issue dealt with.
Have the walls scrubbed down with Chlorine Dioxide to prevent it recurring. Have your PM organise this if you are interstate.
Mould remediation is fast becoming a serious issue due to health ramifications. I would get onto this ASAP.

 

Usually body corp is responsible. Check your paperwork then ring them back.

 

Agreed. In most cases this would be a BC issue.

This can be rather expensive if you get a house cleaner operating by the book- they'll need scaffolding and all that drama.

 

Whats actually behind it, does it form part of the bathroom or laundry.
In which case it might be a case of bad or lack of proper ventilation for the wet areas , which is causing mould to form on the outside .
How long have you had the property ??.
Is it a problem that has possibly existed for a long time, but the previous owners kept on top of the problem with regular cleaning.