Understanding Repairs and Maintenance Processes within Your Building

Over time, a building will inevitably require updates to maintain its functionality and liveability. Maintaining a high standard of upkeep is essential to ensure that your building’s value is retained, making it an attractive and enjoyable place to call home. On the other hand, neglecting maintenance can lead to a wide range of issues, including serious damage and safety concerns that can pose a threat to the wellbeing of occupants.

Types of Maintenance

The maintenance of your Owners Corporation common property includes:

• Corrective (or adhoc) maintenance which involves keeping the building clean and tidy such as cleaning gutters and changing light bulbs. These costs are covered in the annual fees.
• Preventative maintenance of major capital items (e.g. garage doors, pumps maintenance, etc). This indicates undertaking work to prevent important parts of the building, like lifts, from breaking down. These costs are also covered in the annual fees.
• Essential Services Maintenance, such as items which protect a resident’s safety (e.g. fire extinguishers, exit pathways, etc).
• Emergency corrective maintenance. This is work that needs to be done immediately to keep everyone safe and to protect the building. For example, repairing a broken roof after a storm or fixing broken glass.

What is a Maintenance Plan?

An Owners Corporation Maintenance Plan is based on capital items that need to be repaired and/or replaced within the next 10 years. A consultant will put this document together which will detail the routine maintenance procedures necessary for the common property of a building. This document acts as a roadmap to monitor the ongoing upkeep of the building’s communal areas, facilitates the timely completion of maintenance tasks, and promotes the longevity of the property.

A Maintenance Plan Must Cover:

• major capital items for repair and replacement over the next 10 years
• the present condition of those items
• when the items or components will need to be repaired or replaced
• the estimated cost of the repair and replacement of those items or components
• the expected life of those items or components once repaired or replaced.

The Owners Corporation is required to report on the implementation of its Maintenance Plan, if it has one, at each annual general meeting. Note that depending on what Tier an Owners Corporation is will depend on whether it requires a Maintenance Plan.

How your Owners Corporation Manager can assist with the maintenance of your building

At Melcorp Strata, our Owners Corporation Managers will investigate and obtain the best value for ongoing maintenance, compliance contracts, and utility supplies. To ensure that your Owners Corporation receives competitive rates and terms for services, we will tender for any services and ensure the scope of works is specific to your building requirements.

We also review all quotations, consult with the Building Management team, and thereafter provide recommendations to the Committee. Our team will carry out compliance checks prior to the engagement of any contractors.

We have a specialised after-hours team committed to assisting beyond standard business hours. Our aim is to reassure our communities that we stand ready to provide assistance at any time, emphasising our unwavering commitment to being there whenever the need arises.

It’s essential to recognise the importance of maintaining a building to a high standard, as doing so will contribute to its longevity and overall quality of life for its residents. If you have any further questions about maintenance and repairs of your property, please reach out to the Melcorp Strata team today by emailing us at info@melcorpstrata.com.au

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