Property Maintenance

Maintenance plans

All owners corporations are required to repair and maintain the common property, any equipment and services that benefits some or all of the lots and common property and any of its own personal property.

A maintenance plan covers planning and budgeting for future repairs and maintenance of the building. If an owners corporation has a maintenance plan than it is also required to have a maintenance fund to cover the cost of the works to implement the maintenance plan.

Only prescribed owners corporations are required to prepare a maintenance plan and establish a maintenance fund, but any owners corporation can have a maintenance plan and fund.

The maintenance plan must set out the following items:

• The major capital items that it will need to be repaired and/or replaced within the next ten 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, and
• Any other prescribed information (there is no prescribed information at the moment).

Once a maintenance plan is made and adopted, the owners corporation is required to report on its implementation at each annual general meeting.

Upgrades, renovations and alterations to the common property

The owners corporation can only make significant alterations to the use or appearance of the common property if:

• Such alterations are listed in the maintenance plan, or
• The alterations have been approved by special resolution

A special resolution is also required if the common property is to be upgraded, renovated or improved or in cases where work is being performed and:

• The total cost of the work is estimated to be more than twice the total amount of the current annual fees, or
• The work requires a planning permit or a building permit before it can be carried out.

A special resolution is not required if alterations are urgently required to ensure safety or prevent significant loss or damage. This exception only applies to the work necessary to address safety, loss or damage.

Renovation to lots

Owners are entitled to renovate or refurbish the interior of their apartment or unit. However, they must notify the owners corporation if the renovations require an application for a building or planning permit.