What to ask a maintenance contractor before you sign a strata services agreement

A maintenance contract is only as good as what happens when something goes wrong, not what the glossy proposal says will happen when everything goes right. For a strata manager, the right building maintenance partner removes a category of ongoing problems — coordination, compliance tracking, owner complaints. The wrong one adds to all three. These are the questions worth asking before a services agreement is signed, not after.

Coverage and response

• What exactly is in scope, and what isn't? Routine items (gutters, common-area cleaning, minor repairs) should be listed specifically, not described as "general maintenance." Anything not listed is a job you'll be chasing someone else for.
• What is the response time for an emergency call-out, and is that commitment actually in the agreement, not just said in a meeting?
• Who do owners and residents contact, and does that route through you, or does the contractor deal with residents directly? Either can work, but it needs to be clear, because an ambiguous chain is where complaints get lost.

Compliance and documentation

• Can they produce a compliance register covering fire safety servicing, essential safety measures and any statutory inspections relevant to the building, and will they flag upcoming due dates before they lapse?
• Will work be reported with evidence — photos, dates, what was found and what was done — in a form you can forward to the committee and keep on file? This is what protects the owners corporation later, and it's also what makes your reporting to committee easier.
• How is work scoped against the National Construction Code and relevant standards where compliance is actually engaged — for example, waterproofing or fire-related repairs — and is that stated in the scope, not assumed? Our post on why the NCC matters covers why this line in a scope is worth insisting on.

Coordination

• Can they manage multi-trade jobs under one contract and one warranty, rather than you coordinating a waterproofer, a painter and a builder separately for what is really one job?
• How do they plan around the building's maintenance schedule and capital works plan, rather than treating every job as a one-off? A contractor who asks about your 10-year capital works plan and maintenance schedule is thinking about the building the way you need them to.
• What access and disruption planning do they offer — advance notice to residents, lift protection, scheduling around quiet hours — so this doesn't become something you have to manage yourself.

Risk and accountability

• What insurance do they hold, and will they provide a current certificate of currency for public liability (and, where relevant, professional indemnity) before work starts?
• Are they licensed for the work they're quoting, where a contractor licence is required for the type and value of work involved?
• What is the process if something goes wrong — a defect in their own work, damage to common property, a missed compliance deadline? An agreement that is silent on this is an agreement that leaves the owners corporation carrying the risk by default.
• What are the termination terms, and how much notice does either side need to give? You want to be able to exit a relationship that isn't working without it becoming a dispute.

Communication

• How, and how often, do they report back to you — not just when something breaks, but as a matter of course? A monthly or quarterly summary of completed work, upcoming items and compliance status is what lets you keep the committee informed without chasing it yourself.
• Will they put a name to the relationship — one point of contact who knows the building — rather than a call centre that starts from zero each time?

Why this matters for owner satisfaction, not just compliance

Most of what drives owner complaints to a strata manager is not the maintenance itself — it's not knowing what's happening, feeling ignored, or being surprised by a cost. A contractor who documents work, gives advance notice, and reports clearly is handing you the material you need to look responsive and in control, which is exactly what keeps a committee satisfied with how their manager is running the building.

If you manage strata schemes and want a maintenance partner who works this way, our Strata Inspections & Repairs service works alongside strata managers, with scheduled inspections, clear reporting to the owners corporation, and coordinated multi-trade repairs. Get in touch to talk through how it would work for your portfolio.