Strata and Apartment Ceiling Repairs in Perth

Strata and apartment ceiling repairs are different from house repairs. The most common questions we hear: who pays, who organises, and how do we coordinate with the strata manager? Here's a practical guide.

Quick disclaimer

This article is general guidance only. Strata law and individual scheme by-laws vary. Always check your specific strata plan and by-laws or talk to your strata manager before assuming repair responsibility.

Common repair scenarios

Leak from the apartment above

The single most common cause we see. Water from a unit above damages the ceiling in the unit below. The repair to your ceiling is your concern, but the source — and often the cost — typically sits with the apartment above or with shared plumbing. Strata managers usually coordinate.

Leak from common areas

Roof, common-area plumbing, gutter blockages — usually a common property responsibility. The ceiling repair is often arranged through the strata.

Internal damage

Sagging from age, cracking, isolated impact damage — typically a lot owner's responsibility, but check your scheme.

What to do first

1. Stop the source where you safely can.
2. Notify the strata manager in writing — email is fine. Include photos.
3. Notify the unit above if the source is in their unit.
4. Photograph everything. Time-stamped.
5. Don't authorise work yet — let the strata or upstairs owner respond first if the source isn't yours.

Getting quotes for strata work

Strata managers usually want two or three quotes for any work above a threshold. We provide written quotes with clear scope that strata managers and committees can review side by side. We don't pressure for an answer; we let the process happen.

Working with body corporates

Body corporates and strata managers tend to be cautious — they're spending other people's money. Our role is to make their decision easy: clear quote, defined scope, professional documentation, properly insured trade. We've worked on enough strata and apartment ceiling work to make the back-and-forth smooth.

The work itself

Apartment ceiling work has a few practical differences from house work:

• Lift access. We book lifts for material delivery — important for high-floor units.
• Common-area protection. Floors, walls, hallways protected so the body corporate doesn't have a follow-up bill from us.
• Hours. Most strata schemes have noise restrictions. We work to them.
• Cavity access. Apartment ceilings often have a service void above for plumbing and electrical — we work around it without disturbing systems serving other units.

Coordination with neighbours

If the source is in the unit above, we often need their cooperation to access the cause. We can coordinate this directly with the upstairs owner, or work through the strata manager — whichever makes things smoother for everyone.

What to expect from us

• Written quote with total price upfront.
• Public liability cover documentation supplied to strata managers on request.
• Site protection in common areas as standard.
• Communication with strata manager throughout — we copy them on relevant updates.
• 12-Month Warranty on all jobs on the work we deliver.

Frequently asked