Top 3 Tips to Deal with Strata Building Defects in NSW, Australia

Buying a new townhouse? Or moving to a five-year-old residential apartment in New South Wales? This post is a timely reminder on how you can avoid the pitfalls of building defects in a strata property.

The latest strata schemes management bill in New South Wales got a lot of residents excited and confused for three reasons:

- the proposed changes are only applicable to residential units that are not covered by home building compensation insurance;

- the building inspector is appointed by the developer with approval from the strata owner corporation;

- builders and developers are now required to lodge a building bond for rectification of problems or defects that may arise later.

These proposals sound reasonable, even admirable, at first sight. But if you look deeper, you will find that the policies do not truly address the issue of poor or subpar workmanship of strata builders or developers.

How many strata residents have to suffer or stress over the defective work of building developers before we figure out the best way to assure reliable and high-quality construction?

Three Proven Ways to Deal with Building Defects

Here are three of our best suggestions that have proven to work for many of our customers:

(1) Detect defects as early as possible.

Dealing with building defects should begin at the earliest stage of the buying journey. Before signing a strata flat purchase agreement, you should find out the real condition of the property. You can do that by hiring a reputable property inspector in New South Wales.

(2) Proper upkeep is as crucial as early detection.

Once you’ve locked in the deal, your work is not over. You need to be proactive about the maintenance and management of your property. Find out the maintenance schedule and activities for your strata.Join the Annual General Meeting in your strata to stay in the know. Be observant of defects within your flat so you can raise concerns on building defects and how best to solve them.

(3) Connect and stay in touch with builders/developers

While your strata developers and builders have given you a sort of security in the form of building bond — it is still necessary to stay connected with them. This makes contacting them easier when you find any major defects inside your apartment. You can then directly seek their help in rectifying the problems. Realise that they are people with hearts, homes, and mistakes in judgment. Give them a chance (and your trust) to correct their mistakes.

For more tips and further information, go over NSW Government’s Fair Trading website.