In summary
- Emergencies are a fact of life for all of us, and communities in strata schemes are no exception. The ones that cause the most disruption are often the everyday kind: burst pipes, severe weather and fire.
- In a strata scheme, owners live side by side and share common property, so an incident in one lot can quickly affect many. That makes a coordinated, scheme-wide approach far more effective than hoping for the best.
- Emergency preparedness in an owners corporation is a responsible, sensible and forward-looking plan that helps your scheme respond calmly and recover quickly. Australian Strata Management helps owners corporations put that planning in place.
Why emergency preparedness matters in strata
It is natural to put emergencies out of mind, and this is not about thinking about only worst-case scenarios. It is about acknowledging that emergencies are a normal part of caring for the occupants of any building, and that living in a strata scheme adds a layer of complexity worth planning around.
In a freestanding house, an emergency usually affects a single household. In a strata scheme, one event can affect many homes at once. A burst pipe on an upper floor can damage the apartments below it. A storm that floods a basement can knock out power, lifts and car park access for the whole building. Because owners share common property and depend on shared services, preparedness is a collective concern, and responsibility for it rests with the owners corporation.
That is the crucial difference. Preparing a strata scheme for emergencies is not the same as preparing a single home; it calls for a coordinated, building-wide approach that reflects the shared nature of the property.
The emergencies strata schemes actually face
Ask someone to picture an emergency and they will often imagine something rare and dramatic. In everyday strata life, the most common emergencies are far more ordinary, yet they can still be costly and disruptive for a scheme, particularly one that’s not ready. Three recur time and again.
- Burst pipes and water damage
Water is among the most frequent reasons for emergency call-outs in strata. A burst pipe, a failed hot water system or a blocked drain can do a great deal of damage quickly, and in a multi-storey building the water seldom stays put. It moves, reaching the lots below and the common areas in between.
The preparation is practical: know the location of your building’s water shut-off valves and keep them accessible, keep plumbing systems well maintained, and give owners and residents a clear way to report leaks early. Acting on a small leak fast can be the difference between a minor repair and a major insurance claim.
- Severe weather
Weather across New South Wales can shift quickly, and strata managers see it in their call volumes. Heavy rain is the standout: storms overwhelm drains, flood basements and car parks, and find their way in through roofs and balconies. Spells of extreme heat add their own strain, from pressure on shared services to greater fire risk nearby.
A well-prepared building identifies its vulnerable points before the season changes: clearing gutters and drains ahead of storm season, checking pumps and roof drainage, and making sure residents know what to do if water begins entering common areas. A little seasonal upkeep saves a great deal of preventable weather-related trouble.
- Fire
Fire is the emergency most associated with serious risk, and rightly so. In a building where homes share walls, floors and exits, fire safety is truly a shared responsibility. That is why working fire safety systems, such as alarms, extinguishers, sprinklers and exit signage, matter so much. In New South Wales, essential fire safety measures must be maintained, and an annual fire safety statement confirming an accredited practitioner has assessed them must be issued each year.
Cladding: an added consideration
Some buildings carry an added risk worth understanding. Combustible cladding, the material at the heart of fire safety concerns since the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London, can speed the spread of fire across a building’s exterior. In New South Wales, buildings who opted in voluntarily and were deemed high-risk by the Cladding Taskforce were eligible to access Project Remediate, a government program now run through Building Commission NSW that offers interest-free loans and managed support to replace unsafe cladding. Councils and Fire and Rescue NSW can now also issue fire safety orders requiring rectification where the presence of combustible cladding poses significant risks to occupants and fire safety responders.
The practical point for owners corporations and their committees is straightforward: find out whether your building has any combustible cladding and understand its current status. Where remediation is still to be done, interim fire safety measures and current evacuation procedures may be needed in the meantime. Your strata managing agent can help you confirm where your building stands.
Keeping paths of egress clear
One of the simplest, and most overlooked, parts of preparedness is keeping exits clear. Shared corridors, stairwells, fire doors and exits exist so that everyone can leave the building quickly and safely. When they become a home for bikes, boxes, prams or unwanted furniture, they fail to do their job at the very moment it matters most.
Keeping paths of egress clear is something an owners corporation can manage year-round, through sensible by-laws, regular inspections and friendly reminders to residents. It costs nothing, and it can save lives.
A forward-looking approach pays off
The common thread here is thinking ahead. Emergencies are unplanned by definition, but a building’s response to them need not be. The most effective approach is strategic and long-term: understanding the risks specific to your strata scheme, maintaining the systems that protect your building, keeping good records, and ensuring everyone knows what to do and who to call.
An emergency plan doesn’t have to be complicated, even a simple plan goes a long way. It might set out key contacts and after-hours numbers, the location of shut-off valves and meters, access for emergency services, and clear steps for residents to follow. Reviewed annually and shared with owners and tenants, it turns a stressful event into a manageable one.
How Australian Strata Management helps
This is where a knowledgeable, proactive strata manager earns their place. Australian Strata Management combines local branch knowledge with the backing of a wider network, helping schemes prepare as well as respond. We coordinate the maintenance and compliance that underpin a building’s safety, help committees think through the risks specific to their property, and provide a 24-hour emergency service so there is always someone to call when something goes wrong.
With a local team supported by a national network, your strata manager understands both your building and your area and, can act quickly when it counts. Good preparation is rarely dramatic. It is steady, sensible work done in advance, and it is some of the most valuable work an owners corporation can do.
The schemes that handle emergencies best are seldom the lucky ones. They are the ones that thought ahead.
FAQs
Whose responsibility is emergency preparedness in a strata scheme?
The owners corporation is responsible for preparing for emergencies that affect common property and shared services, since an incident in one lot can affect the whole scheme. Individual owners look after their own lots, and a good plan makes both roles clear.
What are the most common strata emergencies?
Burst pipes and water damage, severe weather (heavy rain in particular) and fire (including the water damage sustained from activation of the fire sprinklers) are among the most common. Water issues are especially frequent in multi-storey buildings, where damage spreads quickly between lots.
Why is cladding a fire safety concern?
Cladding, where found to be combustible and placed on the outside of the building, can accelerate the spread of fire across a building’s exterior. In New South Wales, eligible high-risk buildings can access the Project Remediate program. However it’s still worth all owners corporations confirming their building’s status and keeping fire safety measures in effective operation at all times.
What can our strata committee do to prepare?
Keep fire safety measures and plumbing systems maintained, know where shut-off valves and meters are, keep exits and common areas clear, carry out seasonal maintenance before storm season, and share at least a simple and always current emergency plan with owners and occupants.
How does Australian Strata Management help with emergencies?
Australian Strata Management coordinates maintenance and compliance, helps committees plan for building-specific risks, and provides a 24-hour emergency service, with a local team backed by a wider network so help is never far away.
Glossary of terms
Owners corporation
The legal body made up of all lot owners in a strata scheme, responsible for managing and maintaining common property, including shared safety systems.
Strata committee
A group of lot owners elected to make decisions and oversee the day-to-day running of the scheme on behalf of the owners corporation. Strata committee roles are voluntary and unpaid.
Common property
Areas and services shared by owners, such as driveways, foyers, stairwells, lifts, roofs, external walls and shared pipes, as set out in the strata plan.
Egress
The way out of a building. In strata, this includes the path of exit through the shared corridors, stairwells, fire doors and exits that must be kept clear so occupants can leave safely in an emergency.
Essential fire safety measures
The fire and safety systems in a building, such as alarms, sprinklers, exit signage and fire doors, that must be maintained. An annual fire safety statement confirms they have been assessed by an accredited practitioner.
Combustible cladding
Building material used for the purpose of external walls on a building, which can catch fire and increase its spread. Buildings with combustible cladding may require remediation or interim fire safety measures.
24-hour emergency service
An after-hours service that lets residents report urgent issues, such as burst pipes or storm damage, at any time so they can be actioned quickly.