Tweaks and leaks: advice on keeping the block nice

When we’re pouring money into renovating our homes, no doubt hoping to increase their value if we ever sell, we often forget the old maxim for the potential property purchaser – buy the worst house on the best street.

To turn that on its head for apartment owners, do you really want to be selling the best flat in the worst building?

That’s one reason you want to keep on top of basic maintenance for your block.  The entrance and common areas of your building are its shop window if and when you come to sell or let your unit.

And a well-maintained building will encourage at least as many potential residents as snazzy splashbacks and designer wardrobes.

More importantly, it will also make you feel more at home when you return from a hard day’s yakka at whichever coalface employs you.

With all that in mind, the Owners Corporation Network (OCN) is presenting a free one-hour webinar in which experts from MAX Build and Lannock Strata Finance will cover the common challenges in maintaining a building.

That will include what to prioritise, how to get it done and how to pay for it, including how to find the right professionals and protect yourself from cost blow-outs.

This free webinar is on Wednesday 15 June 1-2pm and you can register to be part of it by clicking on this link.

Meanwhile, it is now established beyond doubt that the most common defect in new buildings and the worst, most distressing and destructive flaw in older blocks and individual units is failed waterproofing.

But different kinds of waterproofing perform in different ways and can be more or less appropriate for different settings.

In another free OCN webinar, waterproofing experts, Daniel Caruana from Danrae and John Riad from Landlay, provide another valuable presentation in their waterproofing series covering the different types of waterproofing and where they should be used, the associated costs and performance criteria.

This free webinar will run on Wednesday June 22, from 1-2pm and you can register to get online on this link.