Strata plumbing, North Shore
Water through the ceiling, and nobody knows whose problem it is?
A stain in the unit below, an owner on the phone and a committee wanting answers. We find where the water is actually coming from, tell you whether it sits with the owners corporation or the lot, and put the fix and the price in writing.
- Same day for active leaks, in most cases
- Photos and a written finding on every job
- Upfront pricing, agreed before we start
- Licenced and insured, licence 227192C
Sound familiar?
- "There's water coming through the bathroom ceiling in unit 3." Usually a shower, a waste or a pipe in the unit above. Which one decides who pays, so it needs finding, not guessing.
- "The owner upstairs says it's not coming from them." A pressure test and a camera settle it. We test the lines and show you the result, so it stops being one neighbour's word against another's.
- "Another plumber came, fixed something, and it's still leaking." The first fix was a guess. We find the source before anything gets cut open.
- "The committee wants a report before they approve anything." Photos, the cause in plain English and a fixed price, in a form they can approve without a second visit.
What happens if you leave it
Water in a ceiling does not stay in one unit. It rots the framing, brings down plaster, grows mould and finds the next ceiling down. Each week it runs, the make-good bill gets bigger and the insurance conversation gets harder.
In older North Shore blocks it is often copper inside a brick wall, corroded through after fifty years.
How it goes
Found, reported, priced, fixed
- Send the work order or ring us. For an active leak we attend the same day in most cases. We arrange access with the residents so you are not fielding the calls.
- We find the source. Pressure tests on the water lines, a camera down the wastes and a leak detector where it is needed. We open the smallest area we can.
- You get the report. Photos, where the water is coming from, whether it sits with the owners corporation or the lot owner, and the price to fix it.
- We fix it and make it safe. Then a photo of the finished repair for your file, and an invoice that matches the report.
One of our strata jobs
A ceiling stain, traced to the pipe in the wall
Owners corporation or lot owner? A straight answer
It depends on where the fault is, and the by-laws for the building. As a rule, the common pipes, stacks and the waterproofing under the tiles are common property, and the fixtures and fittings inside a lot are the owner's. The grey area is the piece in between, and that is where most arguments start.
We tell you where the fault sits, show you the photo, and write it in the report. You and the committee make the call with the facts in front of you.
Before you send the work order
What strata managers ask us
What will it cost?
You get the price for the investigation up front, and the price for the repair in the report, before any repair starts. We can work to a cap or budget on the work order. In an emergency, stopping the damage to the property comes first: we make it safe, tell you what it took, and price the rest.
Will you deal with the residents?
Yes. We arrange access, give notice for any water shutdown and keep them up to date on timing, then report back to you.
Can you help with the insurance claim?
The report is built for it: photos before and after, the cause in writing and an invoice that sets out what was found. That is what an insurer or a loss adjuster asks for.
Do you do ongoing maintenance?
Yes. A service agreement covers the things that quietly cost buildings money: slow drains, failing safety valves, hot water plant past its life and small leaks before they reach a ceiling.
What we look after
- Leak investigation between units
- Common drains, stacks and risers
- Sewer and stack repair and replacement
- Blocked drains and drain camera inspections
- Hot water plant and unit systems
- Shower base repair and replacement
- Roofing, box gutters and downpipes
- Backflow testing and installation
- Insurance work and tenders
Why managers keep us
The report. A committee can decide from it without a second visit.
Whose problem it is. Answered with a test and a photo, before the argument starts.
The same plumbers. People who already know your building save money on every callout after the first.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm. Outside those hours we can still come, for an after-hours fee.
Strata on the North Shore since 2007
Our job records run from 2016. Since then we have completed more than 1,100 strata jobs for more than 180 strata buildings and managers. Licenced plumbers, contractor licence 227192C.
What customers say
STS Plumbing saved us from months of disruption. Their team were professional, organised, and clearly experienced with strata work. We'll be using them again.
Strata manager, Crows NestGreat job carried out today at my rental property. Appreciated the plumber calling whilst on site to provide a full assessment of what needed to be done.
Lisa M., Google reviewThe final price was exactly what he quoted. We will definitely use them again, highly recommended.
Glenn Crouch, Google reviewLeak in a building you manage? Send it through.
Same day for active leaks in most cases. We find the source, report with photos and price the fix before we start.
From our blog
Worth a read
Strata plumbing: what you need to know
Who is responsible for what in a strata building, and why maintenance pays.
Read itStrata bathroom renovations
The plumbing, approvals and waterproofing to plan for in an apartment bathroom.
Read itWhat is commercial plumbing?
How work in a building differs from a house, from licences to tender paperwork.
Read itCommon questions about strata plumbing
What is strata plumbing and why is it different?
In apartments and townhouses the plumbing is a shared network. One stack serves many lots, and a fault in one flat lands in another. The work is as much about working out whose line the problem is actually on as it is about the repair itself.
Something is leaking into my unit from above. Who pays?
It depends where the water is actually getting in, and that is a question for a camera and a leak detector rather than an argument between neighbours. We find the source, put the cause in writing with photos, and the owners corporation can act on that. Most disputes stop once somebody has actual evidence.
Do you do maintenance checks for strata?
Yes, and regular checks are what stop small faults becoming emergencies. We look at active leaks and water damage, blocked or slow common drains, safety and pressure relief valves, hot water plant, backflow devices and their test dates, and the condition of the stacks.
What do you give the building manager or committee?
Photos, a written finding and a fixed price, in a form a committee can approve without a meeting to interpret it. Vague verbal quotes are no use to a strata manager and we do not give them.
Will you deal with the residents directly?
Yes, if that saves you the phone calls. We arrange access with the residents, keep them informed about timing, and report back to you. Most strata managers would rather we did.
Do you do call outs for strata emergencies?
Our office is open Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm, and we do call outs outside those hours for a fee. For a building we look after regularly, you have our number and we know the site, which saves a great deal of time when something goes wrong.
Are you licenced and insured?
Yes. NSW licence 227192C, with current public liability and workers compensation, and our own team on site rather than subcontracted labour.
Word gets around
Neighbours telling neighbours. Give us a call and spread the word.
Managing a building on the North Shore?
Send the building, the suburb and what is happening, or attach the work order. If water is coming through now, ring us.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm.
A photo of the stain or the leak helps us bring the right gear.