This article discusses strata budgeting inaccessible areas, explaining how owners corporations can plan and fund maintenance for hidden building elements like roofs and underground services.
Question: How should an owners corporations budget for inaccessible areas like the roof?
We self-manage our small strata scheme. I create spreadsheets that include administration fund expenses, 10-year plan budgets, and capital works fund for our use and to ensure compliance with the Strata Hub.
We’ve recently had roofing problems. The unexpected repairs threw our budget out the window. The roof wasn’t on our radar. How do we budget for areas we can’t access ourselves? Should we organise annual or bi-annual inspections?
Answer: It’s tough to plan for things that you can’t see.
It’s tough to plan for things that you can’t see. Particularly when it comes to things like roofs, underground pipe work, etc. Nevertheless, any maintenance plan and any proposed funding needs to consider those items. It pays to get a roofer up there every few years to have a look around and see what we can’t see.
You can see the paint, you can see the windows, but you can’t see the roof. As part of our maintenance inspection, we conduct a rudimentary site-wide inspection to identify potential problems and suggest solutions for areas that may be overlooked.
If a contractor is attending the site, say fixing the gutter, pay them extra to have a look around the roof while they’re there and give you some advice. Small problems, such as minor leaks, can be an indicator of bigger issues down the track.
It’s really about taking notice. The building ages incrementally, so you think everything’s fine. Somebody else with fresh eyes may say, “Well, that’s not what it’s supposed to be doing right now”.
This post appears in the September 2025 edition of The NSW Strata Magazine.
Marcus Munstermann and Craig Welsh QIA Group E: info@qiagroup.com.au P: 1300 309 201