Are you ready for storm season? Here’s our 5 top tips on how to prepare

Storm

Storm season has rolled back around for those of us who live in South-East Queensland. In this quick guide, we will cover what you can do around your body corporate scheme to best prepare for this storm season.

1. Gutters and downpipes

Make sure gutters and downpipes are clear from leaves, branches, tennis balls, dog toys, and anything else.

Blocked gutters are a very common cause of water damage claims during storm season as water from heavy rain is unable to drain away effectively – overflowing into the ceiling.

Depending on the format plan of your body corporate, gutter clearing may be a body corporate responsibility, so BCsystems or your on-site manager/caretaker (if applicable) can be contacted for further guidance if you notice that your gutters are blocked.

2. Cracked tiles, broken downpipes, cracked skylights

Anything on the roof should be in good condition. These general maintenance items can make a big difference in severe weather events. They can also potentially be a body corporate responsibility.

Start with a visual inspection by walking around your lot and looking at these areas, if you notice any damage to these areas at your unit, BCsystems can be contacted for further guidance on how to proceed.

3. Tree branches

Trees provide shade, cool the area and look great, but they should be kept at least 1 metre away from the edge of your roof. Branches which overhang the roof may drop leaves into your gutters, but also tree branches blowing in the wind in severe storms can cause significant damage.

If you have trees in your exclusive use back yard or courtyard area, these are your responsibility to maintain but the body corporate is responsible for trees located on the common property.

You generally cannot remove or substantially cut back large trees without the committee’s approval, so if you are concerned about a tree, discuss with your on-site manager or strata manager.

4. Check your insurance

If your body corporate insures your building, that will generally cover storm damage to the building.

All owners and tenants are responsible for their own interior contents items (including carpet, furniture, art etc) which might also be damaged in a heavy storm if wind or water enter the lot.

More information on body corporate insurance is on our website: FAQs – BCsystems | Strata Managers and Consultants

5. Have emergency contact details on hand

Sometimes regardless of how well you prepare for storm season, damage can still unfortunately occur. In these situations, it’s important to be prepared and have the right contact details available. We recommend saving the following contacts or having them close-by:

Triple Zero – 000 for life-threatening emergency situations State Emergency Services (SES) – 132 500 for non-life-threatening emergency situations during floods and storms or other similar events

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