Plumbers who get strata
We look after buildings for strata managers, building managers, property managers and owners corporations right across the Eastern Suburbs. We're a preferred contractor for a number of strata and real estate companies, and some of those relationships go back a very long time.
A good strata plumber makes your job easier. That means turning up when we say, keeping the committee informed, and giving you the detail you need without having to chase it.
A lot of the buildings we look after are older walk ups and mid rise blocks across the Eastern Suburbs. Original stacks, shared sewer lines, tired copper and galvanised pipe, and stormwater that was never built for the storms we get now. We know what goes wrong in them because we've been fixing it for decades.
How a strata job runs with us
Send us the work order by email or through the quote link, with the unit number and the best contact for access. We book in with the tenant, owner or building manager ourselves, so you're not stuck in the middle.
Our plumber turns up, traces the problem properly and takes photos as they go. If it's a quick fix, they fix it. If it's bigger than the work order, you get a price and a recommendation before anyone goes further.
When it's done you get the invoice with your work order number on it, and if you asked for one, a report with the findings, photos, footage and what we recommend next. No chasing.
Send us a work order
Email it to info@mcelroyplumbing.com.au or send it through our online booking form. To save a phone call, include:
- Strata plan number
- Unit number
- Access contact (tenant, owner or building manager) and their phone number
- Your work order number
Documents on request
Ask and we'll send these through for your records:
- Certificate of currency for public liability
- Certificate of currency for workers comp
- Safe Work Method Statements
- NSW contractor licence 494711C
Common property or lot owner?
Repair responsibilities in strata buildings are often a sore point. We trace the problem properly and tell you where it actually is, so it's clear whether it's common property or the lot owner's responsibility before anyone gets a bill.
As a rough guide, pipes that serve more than one lot, or that run through common walls, floors and the slab, are usually common property. A tap, a cistern, a flexi hose or the branch line inside one unit that only serves that unit is usually the owner's. The strata plan and by-laws decide in the end, and we'll put what we found in writing so the manager or committee can make the call.
Reports you can use
When it matters, we put it in writing. Findings, photos, camera footage and recommendations, in a report you can send to the committee, the insurer or the loss assessor, or use in an NCAT matter.
Work we handle in older buildings
Other plumbers refer older building work to us. In older buildings we work to site-specific risk assessments and Safe Work Method Statements, with extra care where asbestos is likely.
- Heritage plumbing: old brass water pipe, gravity flusherette systems, roof hot water storage tanks, lead jointing and corroded cast iron drainage
- Water ingress investigations, with written reports for the committee and the insurer
- Hot water plant that serves the whole building
- Basement pits and pumps
- Stormwater that was never built for the storms we get now
Work we do in strata buildings
- Blocked common stacks, sewer lines and stormwater
- Water ingress and leaks between units, traced before anything is opened up
- Burst and concealed pipes in walls, slabs and risers
- Central hot water plant and individual unit replacements
- Basement carpark pits, sump pumps and stormwater pump systems
- Backflow prevention devices
- Gas lines and gas leaks in common areas and units
- Sewer relining under driveways and common areas with no trench
- Planned drain jetting and maintenance programs for problem buildings
What strata managers get
- Written reports with photos and footage
- Common property vs lot owner advice
- Insurance claim support and liaison with loss assessors
- Access organised with tenants, owners and building managers
- Leak and water ingress tracing before anything is opened up
- WHS compliant, with workers comp and unlimited common law cover
- Clear invoices that match the work order
- 24/7 call outs for emergencies in your buildings
Common questions
How quickly do you attend a strata emergency?
We answer 24/7. For a burst pipe, sewage coming up or water pouring through a ceiling we aim to have someone at the building the same day, and after hours when it can't wait. Call 02 9398 1397 and tell us the building and the unit.
Can you invoice the owners corporation directly?
Yes. Send the work order and we invoice the owners corporation or the managing agent, with your work order number on the invoice so it reconciles.
Do you provide reports for insurance claims?
Yes. Findings, photos, footage and recommendations in a written report, and we'll talk to the loss assessor if they want more detail. It's the same report you can use for the committee or for NCAT.
Who pays, the lot owner or the strata?
Depends on where the problem is. We trace it first, then tell you in writing whether it sits in common property or inside the lot, so the right party gets the bill. If a lot owner needs to be invoiced instead, we can do that.
Can you supply insurance and WHS certificates?
Yes. Workers comp, our unlimited common law cover and our WHS documents are available on request, and we'll keep them current with your office.
Can you look after the building's hot water plant?
Yes. We look after central hot water plant as well as the units in each apartment, including the older roof storage tanks many plumbers don't see any more. If a shared system goes down we treat it as an emergency, and you get a written report with photos for the committee.
Do you work on older buildings with original pipework?
Yes. Old brass water pipe, gravity flusherette systems, roof hot water storage tanks, lead jointing and corroded cast iron drainage are all work other plumbers refer to us. We work to site-specific risk assessments and Safe Work Method Statements, with extra care where asbestos is likely.
Do you do preventative maintenance?
Yes. We set up a planned maintenance program around each building, with drain, pit, pump and hot water checks and a yearly written report for the committee. More on our strata maintenance page.
Where we do strata plumbing work
Based in Randwick and working right across the Eastern Suburbs, including: