Your building will need maintenance as it ages. Good maintenance helps retain the value of the building and makes the property more enjoyable to live in. Poor maintenance or neglect can lead to serious damage and safety hazards.
An owners corporation (formerly body corporate) 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.
If an owners corporation has a maintenance plan then it must have a maintenance fund to cover the cost of works in the plan.
The owners corporation is required to report on implementation of its maintenance plan, if it has one, at each annual general meeting.
Download the approved form for an Owners corporation maintenance plan (Word, 225KB).
Types of maintenance
Maintenance of your owners corporation (formerly body corporate) common property includes:
- corrective maintenance – to keep your building at an acceptable standard. This includes cleaning gutters and changing light bulbs. It should be covered in the annual fees
- predictable maintenance of major capital items – to prevent the predictable failure of building infrastructure or major capital items; for example, replacing lifts due to wear and tear. These costs should be covered in the annual fees under the maintenance plan
- emergency corrective maintenance – must happen immediately for health, safety, security reasons. It includes repairs to avoid rapid deterioration of the structure or fabric; for example, roof repairs after storm damage, or repairing broken glass. The costs should be covered by replacement and reinstatement insurance.
Does my owners corporation need a maintenance plan?
Under the Owners Corporation Act 2006, your owners corporation must repair and maintain:
- the common property
- chattels, fixtures, fittings and services related to the common property
- equipment and services that benefit some or all of the lots and common property
- property that is its responsibility.
All owners corporations, committees and delegates must exercise due care and diligence in carrying out functions and powers, including maintenance and repairs.
We recommend that all owners corporations have a maintenance plan, but only some owners corporations are required to have one by law:
- Prescribed owners corporations must have a maintenance plan and a maintenance fund.
- Non-prescribed owners corporations are not required to have a maintenance plan, but may choose to do so.
- Properties with multiple owners corporations usually have a professional owners corporation manager, who will be able to advise about maintenance responsibilities.
For further information on maintenance plans visit the Land Victoria website.
Last updated: 16/03/2012