How Common Areas Can Increase The Value of Your Property

Strata title properties are not just about units or houses sitting side by side with individual maintenance needs. Often common areas like pools, tennis courts and barbecue areas all come as part of the package. This makes common area maintenance one of the biggest issues for managers, owners and residents alike.

Handled well, ongoing maintenance and a little TLC of common areas adds value to a group property. Handled badly, and there could be some nasty insurance surprises ahead. Here are four reasons maintenance is always a priority, and how to conduct it with ease.

Keep it regular

Regular maintenance of common areas adds to the appeal of a property, increasing rental value and property prices. Simple matters like groundskeeping, regular pool cleaning, and a fresh coat of paint for the tennis court all add up to create a property that feels tended to, and subsequently attracts the right type of people.

Once the ongoing tasks dealt are with, small maintenance problems stand little chance of becoming big issues or worse yet an insurance claim. Meanwhile, regular maintenance also enables managers to quickly get on top of any additional or urgent matters that may arise.

Have a plan

Every now and then common property will require more than the weekly maintenance care. Barbecue areas may need water blasting, the pool deck might require a recoat, and the shade sail may need a clean. By factoring this into an annual maintenance plan, the body corporate can budget for maintenance and schedule it, in the knowledge it increases the value and appeal of the group property.

Make it simple

Despite the best maintenance plans, tiles will get broken, pool lights will go out and decking will become loose either due to age or accident, and often when least expected. This makes it important to have a notification policy where residents can let the manager know when something is amiss.

Clear policy and communication methods allow residents to tell the body corporate when something needs fixing, a clearer policy still will indicate what timeframe residents can expect these repairs to be made within, and who will be responsible for the works.

Keep communicating

On the note of communicating, keeping residents informed about maintenance goes a long way to having them feel a valued part of the strata-title community, and encourages them to take ownership of their surrounds and respect them.

Simple initiatives like notifying residents when certain works, such as water blasting or pool deck repairs, will take place keep them in the loop, and will also stem the flow of complaints about broken items. That’s not to mention the fact they will understand and anticipate why the pool may not be accessible for a couple of days.

What we do

Strataspot is a cloud based app that allows residents, owners and building managers to connect with ease. From simple maintenance requests to noticeboards, every party has access to all the information they require at the tip of their fingers.

You can learn more about the services we offer including our building management tools here.