Owners Information
Maintenance
The Body Corporate must maintain the common property of a complex in a good condition. The individual owners of a lot must also maintain their lot in a good condition. To learn more about the responsibilities of the Body Corporate and individual owners in relation to maintenance of a scheme please click here.
As part of the Additional Services BCP Strata provides our Bodies Corporate, we can assist with the arrangement of the maintenance, repair or replacement of the common property or body corporate assets. To make an enquiry in relation to this service please forward your query to maintenance@bcpstrata.com.au.
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Insurance
Insurance for Bodies Corporate can be quite confusing. To learn more about the responsibilities of Bodies Corporate in relation to insurance please click here.
What is Covered?
In summary, the Building section of the policy covers the building structure, including both external and internal permanent fixtures (e.g. awnings, pergolas, built in wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, bathroon vanities, toilets and shower screens, solar panels etc.) as well as the common property. The damage must be caused as a result of a defined act.
A 'defined act' is usually an accidental or malicious event, storm damage or fusion (i.e. motor burn out). Please note: policies are not issued to cover damage resulting from gradual deterioration. Gradual deterioration and wear & tear are maintenance matters and should be attended to as such.
How do I Make a Claim Against the Body Corporate's Insurance Policy?
If your Body Corporate is insured with an insurer/broker that we act as an Agent (i.e. CHU Insurance, Strata Unit Underwriters or Forbes Chatham Insurance) than we will lodge your insurance claim for you. If your Body Corporate has organised it's own insurance you will need to contact your Chairperson to organise a claim through the relevant broker.
If your unit has sustained damage as defined above and you wish to claim it against the Body Corporate's insurance then click here and complete the Insurance Claim Information Form. Follow the instructions on the form and when completed send the form with a copy of your paid invoice or quotes to rectify the damage to our office. A claim will then be lodged with the Body Corporate's Insurer for processing. Please note: If the matter is urgent we will contact the Insurer immediately and they will appoint an Insurance Assessor to supervise repairs and the claim.
What Insurance do Owners Need to have for their Units?
Owners need to organise their own Contents cover and/or Landlords cover for items that are not covered by the Body Corporate's policy. These include (but are not limited to) floor coverings, light fittings, curtains, air conditioners and public liability for inside their units. Owners should speak to their Insurance Broker to determine what coverage they require.
If you have any further questions or you wish to lodge an insurance claim please contact our office - Click here for details
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Information and Education
The Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management (BCCM Office) provide a variety of very informative 'Fact Sheets' to assist Body Corporate members and other stakeholders to keep abreast of the complicated world of Bodies Corporate. All 'Fact Sheets' are written in line with BCCM Act and Regulations. The laws referred to in these guides are complex. The information in the Fact Sheets does not constitute legal advice and you are encouraged to obtain independent legal or financial advice if you are unsure of how these laws apply to your situation. To access the BCCM Office website please click here
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Body Corporate Approvals
By-laws are a set of rules for a community titles scheme that regulate a variety of matters including the keeping of animals and how owners lots appear from the common property. To alter the appearance of a lot or to keep a pet, the owner must first make application to the Body Corporate.
Altering the appearance of a lot can include installing a shade sail or pergola, installing an air conditioner, erecting a sign and in the case of some buildings even what colour curtains/blinds you are allowed to hang in a window. If you are planning to make some changes to your lot and it is going to affect the appearance of your lot from the common area, then you should first check your by-laws and then make an application to the Body Corporate for approval.
BCP Strata is not authorised to approve your application. Your application will be forwarded to the Committee for your Body Corporate for consideration and approval and you will be notified of the outcome in due course.
BCP Strata has designed a set of application forms for the most common requests we have from owners to have various matters approved. Click here to peruse the list of application forms we have available. These forms assist owners, committee members and our office to process applications in a more efficient and expedient manner.
When you have completed the form and have all relevant information attached, send the form to our office and the matter will be referred to the Committee for consideration.
We note that there are circumstances whereby the committee cannot provide an approval and a resolution at a general meeting may be necessary. This would generally apply when approvements to common property for the benefit of a particular lot exceed $3000 in value (minor improvements). For further information refer to Section 164 BCCM Standard Module Regulations
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