This factsheet provides general information on maintenance requirements and responsibilities in a body corporate.
Who is responsible for paying for repairs and maintenance in a body corporate property?
the body corporate is usually responsible for maintenance of common property, while the lot owner usually has the responsibility of maintaining his or her lot.
A body corporate’s repairs and maintenance responsibilities as well as the lot owner’s will vary, depending on whether the property’s is under a Building Format Plan (BFP) or Standard Format Plan (SFP).
What bodies corporate are responsible for? -Building Format Plan
A building format plan’s body corporate is generally responsible for the repairs and maintenance of the following:
- Garage doors and their fittings, which can include any springs, gears, and various mechanisms
- Roads, gardens and lawns on common property
- The foundations and roof, including the roofing membranes
- Essential supporting framework of the building, including load-bearing walls
- Facilities on common property such as swimming pools, gyms and barbeque areas
- Pipes, cables, wires, drains, sewers, plant and equipment that services the building
- The outside of the building including doors, windows and fittings, and balcony railings.
What bodies corporate are responsible for? -Standard Format Plan
A standard format plan’s body corporate is generally responsible for the repairs and maintenance of the following:
- Pest control on common property
- Roads, gardens and lawns on common property
- Facilities on common property like swimming pools or BBQs
- Pipes, cables, wires, drains, sewers, plant and equipment that supply a service to more than one unit or apartment.
What lot owners are responsible for? – Building Format Plan
Lot owners in building format plan properties are generally responsible for the repairs and maintenance of the following:
- Doors and windows leading onto a balcony
- The inside of the lot, including all fixtures and fittings inside the lot
- Any fixtures or fittings that were installed by the owner for their benefit
- Exclusive use areas the owner has the benefit of (unless the exclusive use by-law says otherwise)
- Pipes, cables, wires, drains, plant and equipment such as air conditioning, a clothes dryer, hot water system, that services the unit or apartment only.
What lot owners are responsible for? – Standard Format Plan
Lot owners in standard format plan properties are generally responsible for the repairs and maintenance of the following:
- Pest control within their lot
- Their lot, including all lawns and gardens within their boundary
- Any fixtures or fittings that were installed by the occupier for their benefit
- Exclusive use areas, if applicable or unless the exclusive use by-law says otherwise
- Pipes, cables, wires, drains, plant and equipment that only services their unit or apartment
- Their building’s foundations and roof and the painting, exterior walls, doors, windows and roof
Who is responsible for utility maintenance?
Infrastructure (such as pipes, ducts, cables, wires, sewers, drains etc.) that supply utilities such as water, electricity, telecommunications, drainage etc. are the responsibility of the body corporate if these are located on common property or it services more than one lot.
If the utility infrastructure is not part of common property, the lot owner is generally responsible for repairs and maintenance.
Failure to maintain common Property
The Body Corporate has a general responsibility to maintain, manage and control the common property for the benefit of all lot owners. This is usually managed through the committee.
If a body corporate repeatedly fails to maintain common property, owners can enforce the obligation, if necessary, with assistance of the Office of the Commissioner.
How to make a maintenance request
The best way to make a maintenance request is to submit a ‘Maintenance Request From’. This form can be found on Stratacare’s website or by requesting it from your body corporate manager.
Your request will be submitted to the body corporate committee for consideration.
An important note on maintenance fees.
Please note that maintenance requests may incur additional charges.
