Spring Cleaning
BY: ANNE RILEY, NORTH QUEENSLAND GENERAL MANAGER
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Well it is that time of year again, Spring is here and the weather is beautiful so we are now outdoors looking at our homes and gardens. Many of us live in Strata titled units or gated communities and the building exterior and grounds are common property, therefore we really want to have them looking good not just for aesthetic purposes but more importantly to maintain the value of our assets. So what do we need to do to Spring Clean our common property?
A maintenance inspection report, common area property condition report and maintenance schedules are a great start. In Queensland the Body Corporate and Community Management Act (Standard Module) Regulations 1997 require a Sinking Fund Forecast (SFF) to be completed to cover a period of at least ten years, which must be updated every two years to keep it rolling forward, and provide funds for necessary expenditure to maintain our property. The purpose of this SFF is to set annual contributions to the Sinking Fund so that foreseeable expenses can be met, e.g. building wash-down or painting, or landscaping the gardens.
The typical scope of a common property condition report includes inspection of:
- exterior aspects of the building
- paintwork, including porosity test
- guttering, downpipes and fascias
- major plant, i.e. cooling towers, chillers, hot water systems and air ducts
- roller door motors, door locks and emergency doors
- paths, driveways, fences, and carparks
- stairwells, balconies and balustrades
- swimming pools and tennis courts
- lawns, plants, gardens, garden lighting, irrigation systems and outdoor fixtures such as barbeques.
Maintenance of a property is essential to prolong its life and increase capital values, at the same time of course, reducing repair costs and downtime.
SSKB and Star Building Management Services have facilities management specialists who can organise and conduct these reports/forecasts. These reports will ensure maximum service life and may even be able to assist you with the provision of an integrated asset management agreement to reduce ongoing maintenance and cleaning costs, thereby giving you more time to enjoy your great Spring lifestyle!
