North Shore Strata Management

A reminder to all owners in Strata complexes that the COVID legislation which put a "hold" on any interest being charged on overdue levies has now finished. From 1st May any buildings that were previously able to charge interest on delinquent levies will start again. Make contact with your Manager and discuss a payment plan if you are having any difficulties so this fee is not charged on your ledger.

5 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR SEASIDE STRATA BUILDING WITH PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE
By Higgins on September 17th, 2021 in News
When you think of ocean-side properties, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the smell of the sea breeze? The sound of seagulls circling overhead? The ease of walking down to the beach and feeling the warm sand between your toes? Or perhaps it’s the non-stop struggle of dealing with salt corrosion, excessive moisture and rusting metal?

If it’s the latter, you’ve obviously had some experience with oceanside preventative maintenance and the challenges it presents. Managing sea-facing buildings comes with some serious challenges, and it’s essential to understand these from the outset to avoid some potentially catastrophic problems.

In this article, we’ll discuss what you need to know about maintaining oceanside properties, including the risks of improper building management processes and some best practices to follow.

But first, forewarned is forearmed: The dangers of lax property maintenance for oceanside buildings

Buildings in coastal areas are exposed to the elements much more than those inland – sea air is more moist and contains high levels of salt, which causes common building materials like metals, wood, cement and paint to corrode much quicker than they would elsewhere.

Failing to treat your materials correctly can result in health and safety concerns. In addition to that, cracks, damp, mould build-up, and loose render can cause unsightly damage to buildings that are expensive to fix.

5 best practices for coastal strata building preventative maintenance

Stainless steel is an expensive necessity
Many metals, including certain types of steel, will rust quickly in coastal areas. Make sure you use stainless steel or corrosion resistant metals. They might be more costly than the alternative, but the reduction in maintenance costs will more than make up for the initial investment.

Treat all wood to ensure it doesn’t rot
Any builder worth their salt should know that treating wood correctly is essential to prevent it from rotting, especially in coastal areas with high levels of moisture in the air. Make sure any wood features, especially those that are structural and exposed, are treated correctly.

Invest in durable cladding
The materials that you select for your building – and most importantly the outside of your building – are a vital part of ensuring that it can withstand exposure. When selecting cladding materials, be aware of not just their aesthetic value, but of how well they’ll be able to stand up to the elements.

Get smart about the building materials you use
As we mentioned above, salt build-up can spell disaster for metals, so minimising the amount of metal you use will make property maintenance much more manageable. Consider using fibreglass framed doors and windows to avoid them from corroding – aluminium and vinyl are also options to consider, but they aren’t as rust-proof as fibreglass.

Make use of property maintenance experts’ services
The best way to ensure you’re prepared for the challenges that come with preventative maintenance is to partner with a maintenance contractor who has extensive experience in the field. Higgins has a wealth of experience with high-rise strata repaints and maintenance work in coastal regions – including a number of projects along the Sunshine Coast.

If you’re looking for a commercial property maintenance partner, Higgins offers integrated maintenance plans that cater to the specifics of your maintenance needs. Our tailored strategies protect any structure, regardless of its size, and are designed to result in long-term savings by maximising the lifespan of existing surfaces. To find out more about maintaining your coastal properties, download our free guide to Maintaining Your Painted Property.

TOPICS OF INTEREST - Approving Major Maintenance and Improvement projects
Bodies corporate are no strangers to carrying out large or expensive projects. These projects can include:

1. scheduled body corporate maintenance work;
2. unexpected work (eg building defects); or
3. improvements that the body corporate might want to make.

Whilst there are a number of critically important steps in any project – for example, how to fund the project and who will undertake the work – there are 2 important matters that are commonly overlooked.

1. making sure the body corporate has the appropriate approval to authorise the work to be undertaken; and
2. ensuring an appropriate contract is in place to protect the body corporate’s interests.

Proper approval
To properly approve the project the body corporate needs to:

1. determine if the project is maintenance (repair to the original standard) or improvement (increase or change from the original standard);
2. confirm the scope and costs works, and the terms of any contract that would be entered into – and in some cases with multiple quotations; and
3. pass an appropriate resolution which authorises the project and entry into a contract.

These issues need to be dealt with to properly determine whether a general meeting is required, what threshold of resolution is required and how many quotes are required.

In one of our earlier articles we discussed body corporate spending limits in more detail here.

Proper contract
The majority of issues that arise in body corporate project disputes could have been avoided if the contract sufficiently protected the body corporate. In most cases, the body corporate simply signed the contractor’s template agreement that was provided to them (if there was a contract signed).

Accordingly, it is important that the contract the body corporate enters into for the project is appropriate. Unfortunately many template agreements that are regularly used:

1. are heavily weighted in favour of the contractor’s interests; and
2. do not factor in the unique nature of a body corporate.

Whilst the body corporate may feel that they do not have a say in the contract they receive, it shouldn’t stop them from understanding the risks and seeking changes where appropriate to do so. If a contractor is not willing to consider reasonable and necessary changes, it may be worth finding one that will.

An appropriate contract would consider at least the following issues:

- scope and cost of work;
- timeframe and milestones;
- payment terms and conditions;
- rights to cease work, or terminate the contract;
- warranties, indemnities and insurances;
- access arrangements;
- damage caused to common property;
- latent defect identification;
- variations to work;
- remedy of defective work;
- dispute resolution mechanism; and
- practical completion.

As the contract is a legally binding document, the body corporate should always engage a lawyer to review (or preferably, draft) the terms of the contract prior to being approved and executed.

In most cases the costs of obtaining such advice:

1. would be negligible when considered in the overall cost of the project; and
2. can save the body corporate a lot of time and money if a dispute occurs.

Written by Tod Garsden - Mahoney Lawyers.

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