Apartment owners are surprised, sometimes more than once, by what they actually own and what they don’t. The bathroom tiles. The hot water unit. The aircon condenser on the wall outside. The flooring. The wiring inside the wall. Some of those are lot owner property, some are common property, and some are a fight waiting to happen. A tradie called to do work in a strata or community title property without the right approvals can land both customer and tradie in expensive trouble with the body corporate, the building manager, and sometimes the local council. Most of those problems are avoidable with five minutes of due diligence.
Here’s what every apartment owner should check with their body corporate or owners corporation before a tradie starts work, why it matters, and how to keep both the work and the relationship with the building intact.
Lot property vs common property
The first question in any strata work is whether the affected area is lot owner property or common property. Lot property is what the owner exclusively owns, typically the inside surfaces of the apartment. Common property is everything else: structural walls, the slab, the roof, balconies in some buildings, building services, and shared infrastructure. The exact boundary is set by the relevant state’s strata legislation and the registered plan of subdivision. A tradie touching common property without approval is a different problem from one touching the owner’s own kitchen splashback.
Why bylaws and rules matter
Every strata scheme has registered bylaws or rules. They commonly include rules about renovations, noise, working hours, lift bookings, contractor parking, common area access and approvals required for changes that affect the building’s appearance or services. Those bylaws are enforceable. A tradie working outside the building’s permitted hours, blocking a fire egress route, or installing a visible item without approval can trigger fines and orders requiring removal. Read the bylaws relevant to renovations before booking the work, not after.
When a renovation needs body corporate approval
Most strata schemes require body corporate approval for any renovation that affects common property, the building’s external appearance, structural elements, fire safety systems, building services (plumbing, electrical, mechanical), or waterproofing. A bathroom renovation almost always falls into one or more of these categories because the waterproofing membrane is treated as common property and any plumbing connection is shared. Kitchen renovations often involve electrical and plumbing changes that need approval. Even installing an air conditioning condenser typically needs sign-off because the unit hangs on the building’s exterior.
The contractor insurance requirement
Most owners corporations require any contractor working on common property, or in a way that affects common property, to have current public liability insurance, often at $20 million minimum, and to provide a Certificate of Currency. Some buildings also require a copy of the tradie’s licence and any relevant safe work method statements. A tradie who can’t produce these documents shouldn’t be allowed onto common property. Bookings can be refused, and rightfully so, because the building’s own insurance position depends on the contractor being properly covered.
Approval often takes longer than expected
Body corporate approval for renovations is rarely instant. Some matters require a committee resolution, others a general meeting vote, depending on the bylaws and the state’s strata law. Approval for a bathroom waterproofing renovation can take weeks or months. The customer who books a tradie for next Tuesday and only thinks about strata approval the day before is going to have a difficult conversation. Allow the approval timeline. Some buildings have streamlined processes for common renovations; others are slower and more deliberate. Plan accordingly.
What needs to be in the application
A typical renovation application includes: a description of the proposed work, drawings if relevant, the contractor’s name, licence number and insurance details, the proposed start and finish dates, working hours, and a method statement for any work affecting common property. Some buildings ask for a bond or a small renovation levy to cover potential damage to common areas. The customer who supplies a complete application package gets approved faster than the one who submits a paragraph and hopes for the best.
Hidden services and common-property pipes
One of the silent risks in strata renovations is hitting a common-property service hidden inside what looks like the lot owner’s wall. The hot water riser. The fire sprinkler line. The shared sewer or stormwater stack. Damage to these can affect every apartment in the column. Before any work, the tradie and the customer should check building drawings (held by the building manager) and identify where common services run. Cutting into the wrong pipe can lead to water damage across multiple lots, an insurance claim, and a serious bill.
When the work hits a snag mid-job
If a renovation discovers something unexpected (water damage, an undocumented service, a structural element that turns out to be common property), stop and consult the body corporate before continuing. The temptation to keep going so the schedule doesn’t slip is the source of most strata renovation disputes. The body corporate has standing to require remediation if work proceeds beyond the scope of approval. Pausing for two days while you get fresh approval is much cheaper than completing a job that has to be partially undone.
After the work, document and notify
Once the work is complete, send a short notification to the body corporate confirming completion, attaching any compliance certificates (electrical, plumbing) and photos of the finished state. This closes the loop on the approval and creates a clean record for any future sale of the apartment. Buyers and their conveyancers regularly ask whether body corporate approval was obtained for renovations and whether compliance certificates exist. The customer who can produce both makes settlement easier; the one who can’t may have to renegotiate price or deal with delayed contracts.
Strata and community title work has a layer of approvals that most freestanding home renovations don’t. The body corporate or owners corporation has a real interest in protecting common property and a real legal authority to require approvals, insurance and bylaw compliance. Read your bylaws before booking. Apply early. Get the right contractor with the right cover. Document the approval and the completion. Apartment renovations done this way go more cleanly. The ones done in defiance of the building usually end up costing far more than the original quote.