Volunteering to Work on Common Property

As a result of more of us working from home due to COVID-19, interest in home renovations has increased. Those small redecoration projects that we’ve been putting off for years have suddenly become important because we’re looking at the same four walls not just at the weekends but also during the week. And that time we’re saving in not having to travel into the office, can easily be put towards some DIY tasks.

But it’s not just our own apartments we’re seeing a lot more of recently, it’s also the common areas. It can be very tempting to ponder, “If only I could just paint that wall, plug that hole, pull those weeds out, rake up those leaves or mow that lawn.”

With all this spare time, you may also want to give the regular tradespeople already engaged by the Strata Committee a hand. If you have a green thumb, you could help the gardeners.

It’s great to have pride in your strata scheme and a desire to ensure that the common areas are looking as presentable as they can be. It’s also admirable to volunteer your time to help and also potentially invest your own money into the materials required for the task.

But before you jump in and do it, there are processes that need to be followed and approvals that may need to be obtained.

At Netstrata, we advise that you discuss your ideas with the Strata Committee first. Depending on the project and what you’d like to do, it may require approval from either the Strata Committee or the Owners Corporation. The Strata Committee may also already have plans in place to fix the issue that you’ve identified.

The other factor to consider is insurance. When discussing the task with the Strata Committee, it’s important to determine whether you’d be covered in the unlikely event of an accident. The Strata Committee may need to check with the insurer to ensure that volunteer workers are covered against personal injury or property damage.

And needless to say, don’t ever attempt a task that’s beyond your ability, skill set or experience. If you’re not comfortable on ladders, don’t attempt to paint a high wall. Only qualified electricians should handle electrical wiring and only qualified plumbers should undertake work on drains and taps.

If you have any questions about volunteering to work on common property, contact your Strata Manager at Netstrata.