Help Centre
All information is general of nature and should not be taken as advice. Legislation varies by state and territory. If you are unsure, please contact us.
Maintenance
Introduction
Your building will need maintenance as it ages. Working together as a community by being proactive and quickly fixing things as they come up will make your building more enjoyable to live in, as well as protecting the property value.
Poor maintenance or neglect can lead to serious damage and safety hazards. Severe safety hazards that were neglected may even in some cases void your insurance.
Who pays for what?
When something needs to be repaired, it can be sometimes hard to define if the bill is the responsibility of the community, or of an individual owner.
The simple answer is, whatever is defined as common property is the responsibility for the owners corp. See more information on common property.
In some instances it can be complicated to figure out a fair way of defining who needs to pay for something. If the community cannot agree on a fair course of action, it may be necessary to speak with a strata lawyer or other strata consultant to get a definitive answer. But this should always be a last resort as it will only increase the costs associated with the repair.
For NSW residents, see this comprehensive guide from Strata Community Association NSW that covers this question: https://nsw.strata.community/responsible-guide/
Maintenance Plan
Planning ahead for your maintenance plan is a requirement in many states. It is often referred to as the "10 year plan". This covers things like:
- Major capital repairs or replacements
- Considering the present condition of the building (such as the facade, driveway, etc.)
- When these large capital expenses will be conducted.
- The estimated cost to repair these components.
- The expected lifespan of these components after they have been repaired or replaced.
It is common to hire a third party to create this sinking fund forecast for the community. As a neutral third party will effectively consider what's necessary as opposed to what's desired by some members of the community.
If you search something like "Sinking Fund Forecast" you will find consultants local to your area that can assist you with this.
Types of Maintenance
Corrective Maintenance
To keep your building at an acceptable standard. This includes cleaning gutters and changing light bulbs. It should be covered in the annual fees.
Predictable Maintenance
To prevent the predictable failure of building infrastructure or major capital items.
For example: If the driveway is starting to crack and could potentially become a tripping hazard, proactive repair should be conducted.
Emergency Corrective Maintenance
Must happen immediately for health, safety, security reasons. It includes repairs to avoid rapid deterioration of the structure or fabric.
For example, roof repairs after storm damage, repairing broken glass. In some cases, this should be covered in the building insurance.
Common Property Quick Summary
Definition of common property varies between states, check your local state resources for this definition. For quick reference, see the below definition for NSW.
Owner's Lot
- Changes you have made to the ceiling
- Internal walls
- Carpet in your property
- Internal painting or wallpapering
- Lights that hang into your property
- Window cleaning, unless you can’t access it (for example, if it is too high)
- Plumbing in internal walls and fixtures (such as baths, toilets, sinks and showers)
- Water damage coming from inside your property
- Broken appliances or whitegoods
Common Property
- Roof and gutters
- Ceiling, (except painting) unless the problem is due to changes the owner has made
- Boundary walls
- Concrete slab (floor)
- Carpets on common property (such as hallways)
- Lights on common property
- Any lights recessed into the ceiling
- Garage repairs
- Balconies and balcony doors
- Windows and window locks
- Plumbing in boundary walls and under the floor
- Water damage coming from common property
Can I Fix it myself?
It's common for a community to receive a quote for a repair to common property (Eg. $280 to paint an electrical cupboard door) and for an owner to respond, "I'll just do it myself." In order to save money for the community.
This sort of community effort should be encouraged! As it transforms the legislative quagmire of strata into a friendly, wholesome community.
However, unless you have insurance coverage for Voluntary Workers Insurance this could potentially create more risk than reward for the community. Without this extra, if a voluntary worker hurts themselves or others, they won't be covered.
Another consideration is if a member of the community has public liability insurance already in a professional capacity as a tradie. In that case, this owner may be employed by the community to conduct the repair, and their professional public liability insurance will keep them covered while conducting works on the building.
Tradie Access to the Property
An owners corporation may authorise someone to enter a lot or building on a lot to carry out repairs and maintain services and common property.
An owners corporation may also authorise someone to enter a lot if a lot owner has refused to or failed to carry out repairs to a lot. In this case the owners corporation must follow an appropriate procedure to serve a notice on a lot owner to make the repairs in the first instance.
The owners corporation must:
- provide at least 7 days’ notice in writing to the occupier of the lot, unless it is an emergency, or the occupier agrees to a shorter amount of time, or
- if the lot is rented, the owners corp must act in accordance with the local state's Tenancy Act. Eg. In Victoria that is the Residential Tenancies Act 1997.
Repair Process
See the below handy guide from NSW Gov regarding the general repair process.
1. Get quotes
Get a minimum of two quotes for the job.
Remember to check that the supplier:
- is qualified and/or licensed to do the work
- has the right insurance
- prepares the right type of contract for the job.
Where an owners corporation is approving work valued at more than $30,000 – it must obtain at least two independent quotes for that work. This helps ensure schemes get value for money.
Exceptions
This requirement does not apply where the work is for emergency repairs, such as burst or blocked water or sewerage pipes, serious damage caused by a fire or storm, unexpected electrical or security system failures, and broken glass that affects the security of a building.
2. Approve the quote
The owners corporation or strata committee will need to approve the preferred quote and supplier.
3. Complete the Work
Once the quote is approved, schedule the work with the tradesperson and get the work done.
4. When the repairs are completed
Once the repairs are done, check that the work has been finished to a high standard and pay the invoice.