In a discussion this morning with a residential strata owner representative in Perth, we reached a really important point — one that often unlocks better decisions straight away:

A 10-year maintenance plan and defect resolution are not the same thing.

Both matter. But if you expect one to do the job of the other, you can waste years (and a lot of money) going in circles.

What a 10-year maintenance plan is actually for

A maintenance plan is a strategic budgeting tool. It’s designed to forecast and allocate funding for predictable lifecycle items such as:

• repainting cycles

• general roof servicing allowances

• common property renewals

• equipment replacement

• ongoing condition monitoring

It’s broad, it’s high-level, and it’s helpful for planning.

But it’s not built to solve urgent faults in the original building fabric — especially when water ingress is involved.

What defect resolution is for (and why strata often needs it urgently)

Defect resolution is tactical and cause-focused. It’s about diagnosing why a failure is occurring and defining works that stop it recurring.

The example we discussed today was classic strata pain: courtyard tiling issues and water ingress into the car park below. That’s not a “maintenance cycle” problem — it’s a failure pathway problem.

These issues typically require evidence that a maintenance plan doesn’t capture, such as:

• membrane detailing and termination points

• screed condition below tiles

• drainage performance (including CCTV where appropriate)

• movement and cracking relationships

• moisture pathways and entry points

Why confusing the two leads to repeat repairs

When defects are treated as “maintenance”, the building often ends up funding surface-level works without addressing the source.

That creates the loop many schemes know too well:

• symptom appears

• patch repair happens

• it improves briefly

• moisture/contaminants continue behind the scenes

• the problem returns (often worse)

How I recommend strata use both properly

My approach is simple:

• Use your 10-year plan to keep the building healthy overall and to forecast predictable costs.

• Use defect resolution to tackle failures with an evidence-based process that converts symptoms into a scope you can trust.

At CONSPAR, that’s exactly why we use a staged pathway:

1. initial site meeting (priorities + what needs proving)

2. remediation plan (investigation + specification + budgeting)

3. execution (works delivered for durability and warranty intent)

It’s not about making things bigger than they need to be. It’s about making sure what you do actually works.

Call to action

If your strata company wants a clear separation between “strategic planning” and “tactical defect resolution” — and you’re ready for an evidence-based pathway that owners can understand and approve — I’m happy to help. Visit CONSPAR