Managing a strata property means you need to stay on top of a range of legal and safety requirements.
As a strata manager ensuring compliance with the relevant regulations is critical. But let’s face it, with new laws rolling in all the time, navigating the world of strata compliance management can feel a bit overwhelming at times.
That’s where recurring work order management plays an important role, helping you stay organised and compliant when it comes to property upkeep.
In this blog post, we’ll break down exactly what strata compliance means for maintenance managers, and how strata work order management tools for recurring maintenance jobs can make your life so much easier.
By the end, you’ll be armed with everything you need to stay on top of compliance like a pro, and ensure your property is safe, well-maintained, and fully compliant.
What Are Recurring Work Orders in Strata?
Before we jump into strategies, let’s quickly define recurring work orders.
Recurring work orders are pre-scheduled maintenance or service tasks that repeat on a fixed cycle, like weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually.
In a strata context, they might include:
- Monthly cleaning of common areas
- Quarterly HVAC inspections
- Annual pest control
- Six-monthly roof inspections
- Monthly pool water quality checks
- Regular testing of emergency lighting
Unlike reactive maintenance (fixing things when they break), these proactive tasks help prevent bigger, costlier issues down the track.
Benefits of Recurring Work Orders for Strata Properties
Why should your strata scheme care about setting up robust recurring work orders?
Protects asset value: Well-maintained buildings hold their value better, reducing long-term costs and protecting owners’ equity.
Improves safety & compliance: Many tasks (like fire safety inspections) are legal obligations under state-based strata laws.
Saves money long term: Preventive maintenance is almost always cheaper than emergency repairs.
Enhances resident satisfaction: No one enjoys broken lifts, overgrown gardens, or pest infestations. Regular maintenance keeps everything pleasant.
Easier budgeting: Predictable expenses make it simpler to set levies and plan capital works.
Best Practices for Strata Management When Implementing Recurring Work Orders
When it comes to best practices for strata management, recurring work orders are one of your strongest tools. But success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of careful planning, clear processes, smart technology, and regular follow-through.
Below, we break down eight detailed strategies to make sure your strata property reaps all the benefits, from cost savings to increased resident satisfaction.
1. Develop a Comprehensive Asset Register
Your recurring work orders are only as good as your knowledge of the property.
Start by creating a detailed asset register, which should include:
- Every plant and equipment item (like lifts, HVAC units, pumps, security systems).
- Shared infrastructure (roof membranes, fire doors, stormwater pits).
- Surrounding features (driveways, perimeter fences, garden irrigation systems).
For each item, record:
- Make, model, and installation date
- Warranty periods and expiry
- Manufacturer-recommended maintenance schedules
Legislative requirements (for fire, lifts, pools)
Think of strata compliance like a safety net. It ensures that your building is up to code, safe for residents, and well-maintained.
Pro Tip: Many modern strata software systems allow you to upload photos, manuals, and certificates directly against each asset. This makes it easy for new committee members or managers to pick up where others left off.
2. Build a Multi-Layered Maintenance Schedule
Instead of a simple list of monthly or annual tasks, the best approach is to develop a layered schedule:
- Short cycle tasks: Weekly or monthly cleaning, bin rotations, light checks.
- Medium cycle tasks: Quarterly servicing of pumps, air conditioning filters, and emergency lighting tests.
- Long cycle tasks: Annual or biennial services like gutter cleaning, termite inspections, and facade pressure cleaning.
Visual calendars or Gantt charts are brilliant tools here. They help committee members instantly see busy periods (like pre-summer servicing) versus quieter months. You can also flag compliance tasks with different colours for easy reference.
A multi-layered schedule ensures that nothing falls through the cracks, particularly tasks required by state-based strata laws or Australian Standards.
3. Prioritise Legal & Compliance Work Orders
Not all recurring work orders carry the same weight. In Australia, some are enforceable by law, with hefty penalties for non-compliance. Examples include:
- Fire safety: Annual Fire Safety Statements (AFSS) in NSW, or their equivalents in other states, require specific checks.
- Lift certifications: Often mandated every 12 months by state safety authorities.
- Pool fencing inspections: Depending on local council requirements.
Failure to meet these can result in fines, insurance issues, or even closure notices.
So always:
- Mark compliance tasks distinctly in your schedules.
- Set reminders well ahead of deadlines to allow for contractor availability and rechecks.
- Store certificates digitally, linked to the work order for easy retrieval.
4. Formalise Agreements with Contractors
It’s common for strata committees to develop friendly relationships with local plumbers, gardeners, or cleaners. That’s great, but informal “handshake” deals can become risky.
Formal service agreements or recurring contracts help by:
- Locking in scope: Exactly what’s covered, and how often.
- Setting quality benchmarks: Like “all garden beds to be weed-free and edges trimmed monthly.”
- Outlining insurance and compliance requirements: So you’re not liable if a worker gets injured.
- Providing pricing clarity: Helping with transparent levy budgets.
Also, insist that contractors provide Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) where applicable. This is especially important for tasks like working at heights.
5. Use Technology to Automate & Track Everything
Modern work order management best practices revolve around technology. Here’s how:
- Auto-create future work orders: Good software lets you set a frequency (e.g., every 3 months) and automatically issues the work order, with reminders for both the manager and the contractor.
- Mobile completion: Contractors can log completion on-site, upload before/after photos, and attach compliance certificates.
- Dashboards: Give committee members and owners real-time visibility into upcoming and completed tasks.
- Maintenance histories: Essential if an issue later goes to insurance or a tribunal. You’ll have a neat digital paper trail.
Popular strata platforms like i4T Maintenance also integrate invoicing, so payments are matched to completed work orders without manual shuffling.
6. Foster Committee & Resident Buy-In
Many strata schemes run into conflict because owners don’t understand why so much money is spent on routine maintenance. You can mitigate this by:
- Presenting the maintenance plan at the AGM: Show how regular servicing prolongs asset life and prevents large special levies.
- Providing plain-English summaries: Not everyone wants to read a 15-page register. A simple 1-page overview by quarter can be powerful.
- Sharing success stories: “Because we did proactive roof inspections last year, we avoided a $15,000 ceiling replacement from hidden leaks.”
The more informed owners are, the more supportive they’ll be when levy discussions roll around.
7. Review & Optimise Annually
Just because a task has always been done quarterly doesn’t mean it still needs to be. Each year, set aside time to review:
- Actual incident reports vs planned maintenance: If you’re still seeing frequent blocked downpipes despite quarterly cleaning, perhaps the frequency needs increasing. Or if there have been zero issues, maybe it can be dialled back.
- Contractor performance: Are there frequent callbacks or resident complaints? It may be time to switch providers.
- Cost benchmarking: Obtain comparative quotes every few years to ensure competitive pricing.
These reviews help ensure your scheme remains both protected and financially prudent.
8. Plan for Long-Term Capital Works Integration
Recurring work orders handle the “small to medium” jobs. But many overlap with larger capital works. For example:
- Regular lift servicing vs a full refurbishment due every 25 years.
- Annual waterproofing checks vs a roof membrane replacement at year 20.
Align your recurring tasks with your 10-year capital works fund plan. This avoids double spending and ensures that maintenance supports — rather than competes with — major upgrades.
Bonus Best Practice: Engage External Specialists When Needed
Not all strata committees or managers have the technical expertise to judge every maintenance area. For complex systems (like building facades or large HVAC plants), periodic external audits by engineers or specialist consultants can:
- Provide an unbiased assessment of maintenance adequacy.
- Identify hidden issues before they become insurance headaches.
- Offer recommendations that may extend asset life by years.
The best way to handle non-compliance in strata properties is to prevent it from occurring in the first place.
Common Mistakes to Avoid with Recurring Work Orders
Sometimes, well-intentioned strata schemes stumble. Avoid these pitfalls:
Forgetting to update schedules after major works: If you replace a roof, gutter cleaning might be less frequent for a while. Adjust your plan accordingly.
Not verifying contractor insurance & licences: Always ensure your service providers meet Australian legal standards.
Letting informal arrangements creep in: A friendly handyman is great, until there’s a dispute. Keep everything documented.
Ignoring small resident complaints: A dripping tap today could be water damage tomorrow. Recurring checks help catch these early.
How to Budget for Recurring Work Orders
When planning your levies and administrative fund budgets:
- Use past invoices plus quotes for upcoming tasks to estimate costs.
- Remember inflation and rising contractor rates.
Allocate for occasional extras. For instance, pest control might be needed more frequently during wet summers.
Well-managed recurring work orders often mean fewer nasty surprises that trigger special levies.
Leveraging Technology: The New Normal in Work Order Management
These days, more and more strata managers and committees are embracing technology to handle work orders. It’s no longer just a “nice to have”. It’s quickly becoming the standard way to keep everything organised and running smoothly.
Let’s break down why.
Automated Scheduling: Less Chasing, More Doing
Old-school systems often relied on diaries, spreadsheets, or someone’s memory. That’s a recipe for missed services or last-minute panics.
Now, smart software platforms can:
- Create recurring work orders automatically. For example, once you set up quarterly gutter cleans, the system will generate the job every three months without you lifting a finger.
- Send reminders to contractors and managers. No more manually chasing up who’s due to service the lifts next week; the system does it for you.
- Flag overdue tasks. So if something slips through, you’ll know straight away.
This means fewer dropped balls, less stress, and a building that stays well looked after.
Central Records to Keep Everything in One Place
One of the biggest headaches in strata is tracking paperwork. Think:
- Compliance certificates for fire safety
- Lift maintenance logs
- Pest control treatment records
- Contractor insurance and licences
- Photos of completed work
With modern systems, all of this is stored in one secure, online location. You can:
- Upload documents directly against the asset or task
- Search by date, contractor, or type of work
- Quickly produce records if an insurance assessor or auditor asks
It’s far better than digging through filing cabinets or endless email chains.
Transparency for Committees and Owners
A common frustration in strata is owners or committee members feeling “out of the loop.” Technology helps solve this.
Most platforms offer:
- Community Apps: Owners and tenants can log in anytime to see upcoming work, completed jobs, and even view invoices.
- Progress updates: Some systems send automatic updates when a contractor finishes a task, often with photos attached.
- Reports at your fingertips: Easy-to-generate summaries for AGMs, showing exactly what’s been done over the past year.
This builds trust. Owners see where their money is going, and it cuts down on disputes.
Helps with Insurance and Audits
When there’s a big claim, say water damage or a structural fault, insurers often ask for maintenance histories. If you can show regular servicing was done, with certificates and photos to prove it, it massively strengthens your case.
Likewise, during audits or if authorities ever review your strata scheme, having neat digital records makes the process quick and painless.
Set Your Strata Up for Success
Implementing a robust system of recurring work orders is one of the smartest ways to safeguard your strata property. It keeps your building compliant, residents happy, and long-term costs under control.
By following these work order management best practices, your strata committee can move from a reactive firefighting approach to a proactive strategy that truly protects everyone’s investment.
FAQs
Reactive work orders are raised when something breaks, like a burst pipe or a faulty lift. Recurring work orders are pre-planned, repeated tasks such as regular servicing of the lift to prevent breakdowns. Both are essential, but recurring work orders reduce the frequency (and cost) of emergencies.
Typically, the strata manager arranges these on behalf of the owners’ corporation. However, the committee should approve the maintenance plan and ensure it aligns with the by-laws and budgets. In self-managed schemes, the committee handles it directly.
Look for platforms that specifically cater to Australian strata needs, with features like automated reminders, contractor portals, and compliance tracking. Ask for local references and test the ease of use with committee members.
Yes. Routine, expected maintenance is paid from the administrative fund, which is funded by regular strata levies. This is why careful budgeting and transparent planning are critical to avoid shortfalls.
Neglecting recurring work can lead to higher costs from emergency repairs, faster asset deterioration, legal risks (especially for safety systems), and even insurance claim rejections. It often ends up costing owners more in special levies.
