The Waterproofing Experts
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Strata managers oversee all facilities management, including apartment waterproofing. Acting on behalf of strata committees, you are responsible for maintaining property condition – and ensuring the safety of your tenants – which is why it’s essential to have an overview of waterproofing requirements, industry standards and the contracting process.
Danrae Group provides expert waterproofing solutions for strata, construction, civil, commercial and government sectors. We’re skilled and experienced across end-to-end waterproofing including diagnostic, solution design, waterproofing, remediation and preventative maintenance, so we have a full understanding of all strata waterproofing needs.
Here’s our guide to apartment waterproofing for strata managers, from licencing to warranties, scope and strata loans.
Licencing and registration
If you’re looking to contract a waterproofer or waterproofing company, you need to know that all waterproofers in NSW must be licenced. Licencing ensures your waterproofing contractor has the necessary skills to provide you with a first-class, effective and industry-compliant solution.
In addition, the NSW government has recently implemented new legislation that includes a registration scheme for anyone who provides building services. It’s part of a bid to restore confidence in the industry after so many public property defect issues.
Commercial waterproofing statistics tell us that waterproofing can account for just 1% of building construction costs, yet resultant damage from ineffective and neglected waterproofing is the primary cause of defects.
Under the Design & Building Practitioners Act (DBP Act) every registered builder must also be registered as a Building Practitioner in order to perform any building works. Danrae Group is of course registered, and with an in-house team of waterproofers and trades specialists to oversee every stage of project management, we guarantee a high-quality, compliant waterproofing solution.
Contracting the right waterproofer
In order to get the right tradespeople to tender for any waterproofing job, you will need a scope. It’s a professional report outlining the issue and all required repair work. Engineers and waterproofing consultants can prepare scopes, which are central to the tender process. They will then put the tender out to three or four contractors, before making a final recommendation for you to pass onto your strata executive committee.
By closely adhering to the scope, you will obtain a waterproofing solution that best fits your problem, and your property.
Ignore it and you will likely choose the wrong technicians. If you hire someone without a proven track record or who is offering a bargain price, it’s likely they will be altering the scope to fit their costs – and cutting corners in the process.
By failing to follow a scope, you also open up your property to ongoing issues that will manifest further down the track. Most issues with remediation projects for instance, are a disconnect between scope and delivery.
Strata loans for waterproofing repairs
Whilst it can be tempting to opt for a band-aid solution, there will be consequences. Every waterproofing issue left unchecked will worsen. Eventually that will affect the structural integrity of your property and lead to a hefty repair bill. Major repairs also stay with strata history, which can impact property value down the track.
It’s one reason why we’ve partnered with Strata Loans, which offers great interest rates to finance your project so we can repair the leaks now without the upfront costs and without having to raise a special levy.
Among the benefits, Strata Loans may provide unsecured loans direct to a strata plan with no settlement line, commitment or monthly fees, no unused funds charges and loan periods up to twelve years.
You may also elect to have an interest-free period up to two years on loans longer than three years.
Please see the chart for indicative interest rates and speak to us or directly to Strata Loans for further details.
Guarantees and warranties
It’s also very important that you have a clear understanding of guarantees and warranties. Leading brands do provide product warranties, but this is only one part of the equation.
One important point is that you have a responsibility under brand warranty to maintain your waterproofing membrane to a sufficient standard. If you neglect your waterproofing, resulting in a damaged or degraded membrane, manufacturers may void your warranty.
Strata managers also need to ensure the property insurance is adequate to protect your waterproofing from unforeseen events such as the wild storms we’ve seen recently across NSW.
And consider too that a product warranty is also separate from a workmanship guarantee, which is something Danrae – but not all waterproofers – provide.
As waterproofing experts, Danrae can look after all your strata waterproofing needs, quickly and with quality guaranteed. Contact us to find out more.
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