In summary
- Emergencies happen, and strata communities are not immune. The most common: burst pipes, severe weather and fire are the issues that most often disrupt strata living.
- Because people live side by side and share common property, an emergency in one lot can quickly affect many, which makes a planned, building-wide approach far more effective than leaving things to chance.
- Preparing for such emergencies in an owners corporation, is a responsible, sensible and forward-thinking plan, that helps your community respond calmly and recover quickly. MBCM helps Victorian owners corporations put that planning in place.
Why emergency preparedness matters in strata
No one likes to dwell on worst-case scenarios, and this is not about expecting the worst. It is simply about recognising that emergencies are a normal part of looking after the occupants of any building, and that strata living adds a layer of complexity worth planning for.
In a standalone house, an emergency tends to affect one household. In a strata community, a single event can ripple across many homes at once. A burst pipe on level five can damage three apartments below it. A storm that floods a basement can take out power, lifts and car park access for everyone. Because lot owners share common property and rely on shared services, preparedness is a shared concern, and responsibility for it sits with the owners corporation.
That is the key difference. Preparing a strata community for emergencies is not the same as preparing a single home. It calls for a coordinated, building-wide approach that takes the shared nature of the property into account.
The emergencies strata communities actually face
When people picture an emergency, they often think of rare, dramatic events. In day-to-day strata life, the most common emergencies are more ordinary, but they can still cause real disruption and cost if a building is not ready for them. Three come up again and again.
- Burst pipes and water damage
Water is one of the most frequent causes of emergency call-outs in strata. A burst pipe, failed hot water service or blocked drain can cause significant damage in a short space of time, and in a multi-storey building the water rarely stays where it starts. It travels, affecting lots below and common areas along the way.
Preparedness here is practical: know where your building’s water shut-off valves are and keep them accessible, stay on top of plumbing maintenance, and have a clear process for owners and residents to report leaks early. Catching a small leak quickly can be the difference between a simple repair and a major insurance claim.
- Severe weather
Victoria’s weather can swing from one extreme to another, and strata managers see it in their call volumes. Heavy rain in particular drives a sharp spike in emergency calls, as storms overwhelm drains, flood basements and car parks, and find their way in through roofs and balconies. Periods of extreme heat bring their own pressures, from strain on shared services to heightened fire risk in surrounding areas.
A prepared building knows its vulnerable points before the season turns: clearing gutters and drains ahead of storm season, checking pumps and roof drainage, and making sure residents know what to do if water starts entering common areas. A little seasonal maintenance prevents a lot of preventable weather-related grief.
- Fire
Fire is the emergency people most associate with serious risk, and for good reason. In a building where homes share walls, floors and exits, fire safety is genuinely a community matter. That is why functioning fire safety systems, such as alarms, extinguishers, sprinklers and exit signage, are so important. In Victoria, these Essential Safety Measures must be maintained and checked on an ongoing basis.
Cladding: an added consideration
Some buildings carry an added risk worth understanding. Combustible cladding, the material at the centre of safety concerns following the 2014 Lacrosse fire in Melbourne’s Docklands, can accelerate the spread of fire across a building’s exterior. Victoria has made significant progress here: Cladding Safety Victoria has supported rectification across more than 1,600 buildings, and the highest-risk buildings have largely been addressed, with remaining oversight moving to the Building and Plumbing Commission.
The practical point for your owners corporation and its committees is simple: know whether your building has any combustible cladding and understand its current status. Where rectification is still outstanding, interim fire safety measures and up-to-date evacuation procedures may be required in the meantime. Your strata manager can help you confirm where your building stands.
Keeping paths of egress clear
One of the simplest and most overlooked parts of emergency preparedness is keeping exits clear. Shared corridors, stairwells, fire doors and exits exist so that everyone can leave a building quickly and safely. When they fill up with bikes, boxes, prams or hard rubbish, they stop doing their job at the exact moment it matters most.
Keeping paths of egress clear is something an owners corporation can stay on top of year-round, through sensible rules, regular inspections and friendly reminders to residents. It costs nothing, and it can save lives.
A forward-thinking approach pays off
The thread running through all of this is planning ahead. Emergencies are, by their nature, unplanned, but a building’s response to them does not have to be. The most effective approach is strategic and long-term: understanding the risks specific to your building, maintaining the systems that protect it, keeping good records, and making sure 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 cover 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 when exiting the building. Reviewed each year and shared with owners and residents, it can turn a stressful situation into a manageable one.
How MBCM helps
This is where a local, proactive strata manager makes a real difference. At MBCM Strata Specialists, helping communities thrive includes helping them prepare. 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.
Because every MBCM branch is locally owned and operated, your manager knows your building and your area, and can respond 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 communities 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 community?
The owners corporation is responsible for preparing for emergencies that affect common property and shared services, because an event in one lot can affect the whole community. Individual owners look after their own lots, and a good plan makes both roles clear.
What are the most common strata emergencies?
Water-related issues are particularly frequent in multi-storey buildings, where damage can spread quickly between lots. Burst pipes and water damage, severe weather (especially heavy rain), and fire (including the additional damage caused by activated sprinklers) are among the most common.
Why is cladding a fire safety concern?
Cladding, where found to be combustible, and when used on a building’s exterior can accelerate the spread of fire across the outside of the building. In Victoria, most high-risk buildings have been rectified through Cladding Safety Victoria’s program, but it is still worth confirming your building’s status and keeping fire safety measures up to date.
What can our committee do to prepare?
Keep essential safety measures and plumbing systems serviced and in effective operational order, know where shut-off valves and meters are, keep exits and common areas clear, do seasonal maintenance before storm season, and maintain at least a simple and current emergency plan shared with owners and residents.
How does MBCM help with emergencies?
MBCM coordinates maintenance and compliance, helps committees plan for building-specific risks, and provides a 24-hour emergency service, all through a locally owned branch that knows your building and can respond quickly.
Glossary of terms
Owners corporation
The legal body made up of all lot owners in a subdivision, responsible for managing and maintaining common property, including shared safety systems. (Formerly known as a body corporate.)
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 plan of subdivision.
Egress
The way out of a building. In strata, this includes the path of exit through the shared corridors, stairwells, fire doors and exits and emergency exits, that must be kept clear so occupants can leave safely in an emergency.
Essential Safety Measures (ESM)
The fire and safety systems in a building, such as fire extinguishers, alarms, sprinklers, exit signage and fire doors. ESMs must be maintained and regularly checked to keep occupants safe.
Combustible cladding
Building material that can catch fire and contribute to its spread. Buildings with combustible cladding may require rectification 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, outside of normal business hours, so they can be actioned quickly.