Maintaining Common Property in a Body Corporate

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Maintaining common property within a body corporate is essential for a safe, functional, and aesthetically pleasing environment for all residents. This responsibility to identify, plan, and execute maintenance tasks for all common property is shared between the body corporate and individual lot owners, however many of these tasks are in conjunction with the body corporate manager or onsite manager.

This article looks at how maintenance of the common property is managed within a body corporate scheme.

Identify maintenance needs

Regular inspections are crucial. These should cover structural elements, common areas, facilities, and external features such as gardens and driveways.

Lot owners and residents should also be encouraged to report any maintenance issues they notice. Implementing a formal system for logging and tracking reported issues ensures nothing is overlooked.

Plan and prioritise

Develop a maintenance schedule that outlines both routine tasks like gardening and pool maintenance, and periodic tasks, like roof inspections and painting. Preventive maintenance, like pest control, should also be included to avoid potential problems.

Tasks should be prioritised based on urgency, safety, and impact on residents, with immediate attention given to issues posing safety risks or significant potential damage.

Budgeting and funding

A detailed budget for maintenance activities, covering routine and unexpected repairs, should be prepared. Funds are allocated from administrative and sinking funds for these works, financed by the collection of levies recovered from lot owners.

Approval process

Routine maintenance tasks are typically approved by the body corporate committee within their spending limit. For more significant tasks or improvements, approval may be needed from the body corporate at a general meeting (AGM or EGM).

The approval guidelines are based on cost – basic improvements within the spending limit can be approved by committee resolution, while more costly tasks require an ordinary or special resolution at a general meeting.

Execution of maintenance work

Qualified and insured contractors or service providers should always be engaged to perform maintenance tasks. The body corporate should obtain multiple quotes for work of a significant value, ensuring competitive pricing and quality.

The work should be supervised to ensure it meets required standards and is completed on time, with any issues or delays addressed promptly.

Documentation and record-keeping

Keeping detailed records of all maintenance activities, including inspection reports, work orders, invoices, quotations and approvals, is essential.

Maintaining a log of issues reported by residents and the actions taken to resolve them provides transparency and accountability. Regular updates to lot owners on maintenance activities, costs, and upcoming major works help build trust and ensure owners are aware of how their levies are being used.

Review and feedback

Post-maintenance inspections ensure the work has been completed satisfactorily, with any deficiencies or outstanding issues addressed promptly. Gathering feedback from lot owners and residents on the quality of maintenance work and their overall satisfaction helps improve future processes.

Use our online forms for all maintenance requests of common property within the body corporate.

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