Strata Defect or Roof and Building Condition Report

Author: Zac Gleeson, Managing Director of GQS

As a reminder, have you or any of your committees, thought about how a Strata Property Defect or Roof and Building Condition Report service can ensure enduring value and safety in your properties?

At GQS, along with our established Quantity Surveying services to the Strata industry, we are also licensed building inspectors and drone pilots which allows us to undertake comprehensive Strata Property Defect or Roof and Building Condition Reports. These reports can identify, as per QBCC regulations, anything from a Category 0 Negligible to Category 4 Severe defect. With our drone pilot services we are able to inspect and identify defects at height which would otherwise go undetected in a safe and efficient manner. As we are fully licensed, we are also able to operate in CASA restricted airspace.

There is obvious value in obtaining a defect report to identify defects when a building is still under Builder’s and/or QBCC Home Warranty. When defects are identified in a timely manner (we recommend within the first 12 months from completion), along with following due process, it can save all Lot Owner’s thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in the future, should defects go undetected until having to be rectified at the Bodies Corporate own expense.

There is also great value in obtaining such building condition advice for an existing property. We often consult to properties 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years old. This unbiased advice assists committees in making informed decisions as to what current or upcoming issues there are with the property. As well as how they should plan their capital expenditure, what repairs, refurbishments or replacements should be higher priority than others. We also are able to consider these findings prior to undertaking our Sinking Fund Forecast service to establish a considered plan of capital expenditure to ensure enduring value, safety and quality of the property.

Consistently we receive feedback from committees who appreciate our independence. In comparison to directly engaging a Contractor for their advice, we are independent and do not undertake rectification or building works ourselves. We are offering honest, independent and reliable advice and in no way trying to drum up building work for ourselves or anyone else.

Additionally, the body corporate regulations in QLD which came into effect in March 2021 have forced Bodies Corporate to at the very least consider the engagement of an expert like us to identify defects for a new development. It is important to know as a body corporate, especially if your building is relatively new, as to your obligations as a body corporate and your rights to recoup monies if defects are identified, you can read more about this on our blog here or in the QLD Strata Magazine here.

Our team is available Monday to Friday to discuss how a Defect or Roof and Building Condition report may assist your properties and committees now and into the future. Feel free to call our team on 1300 290 235.