For owners corporations
Strata and Body Corporate Gutter Cleaning
Strata gutter cleaning in Melbourne is a different job from cleaning one house. The gutters are shared, the decisions go through a committee or a strata manager, residents need notice, and the paperwork matters as much as the clean. We handle whole schemes in one visit, from a row of four townhouses in Box Hill to an apartment block with box gutters in Brunswick, and give the owners corporation what it needs to approve, record and plan the work. It is one strand of our roof and gutter cleaning services, shaped around how owners corporations make decisions.
- Whole scheme, one visit
- Committee-ready quotes
- Report for every building
How it works
How does strata gutter cleaning work for a whole scheme?
Strata gutter cleaning covers every building on the common property roofline in one visit, arranged through the strata manager or committee. Residents get notice, access is agreed in advance, and the owners corporation receives one quote, one invoice and a photo report that shows each building separately.
Most schemes come to us in one of two ways. Either a strata manager is looking after a portfolio of sites and wants a contractor who can quote them quickly and report consistently, or a committee has had a leak, a complaint from a resident or a note from an insurer and wants the gutters dealt with properly.
Strata managers
Want a clear scope, a quote that can go straight to the committee, insurance and safety paperwork on file, and a report they can attach to the work order without editing.
Committees
Want to know what they're approving, why it costs what it does, and that every owner's building gets the same treatment on the same day.
Building managers
On larger blocks, want the visit planned around car parks, bin rooms, lifts and resident access, with nobody surprised on the day.
Shared gutters are the core reason whole-scheme cleaning makes sense. In a townhouse row, water from one roof often runs through a neighbour's gutter to reach a downpipe, so cleaning one lot at a time leaves the problem half solved. Doing the lot together means every outlet is clear at once and the owners corporation has one record for the whole site.
Building types
How are townhouse rows and apartment blocks different?
Townhouse rows have long, shared eave gutters, lots of downpipes and residents' cars, bikes and gardens underneath. Apartment blocks have fewer, higher roofs, box gutters behind parapets, and roofs reached through a hatch or a lift. The clean is the same idea; the access and planning are not.
Townhouses and villa units. Common across the middle and outer suburbs, from Glen Waverley and Doncaster to Point Cook and Craigieburn. Two storey rows need long poles or ladder work over private courtyards, so notice and access matter. Carports, garages and pergolas along the driveway often have their own small gutters that get forgotten.
Apartment blocks. From 1960s walk-ups in St Kilda and Elwood to newer mid-rise blocks in Brunswick and Footscray. Roofs are usually flatter, with box gutters, sumps and overflows that can send water straight into the top floor if they block. Access is through a roof hatch, with anchors or a lift where needed, and the safety paperwork is more involved.
Mixed-use buildings, with shops below and apartments above, fall somewhere between the two. Our commercial box gutter service covers the approach for flat roofs and sumps in more detail.
Paperwork
What do committees and strata managers receive?
A written scope and fixed quote that can be tabled as-is, a current insurance certificate and safe work method statement, notice text for residents, and after the visit a photo report organised building by building, with defects listed so they can go straight into the maintenance plan.
- Before approvalScope and quoteWhat's included per building, the access plan and one total price, written for a committee to read.
- Before the visitCertificates and SWMSPublic liability certificate, plus the site's safe work method statement covering roof access.
- Before the visitResident noticeShort notice text with the date, times and what residents need to move.
- After the visitPhoto reportBefore and after shots per building, outlets and downpipes checked, defects ranked.
Reports are grouped by building and, where the scheme is set up that way, by lot. That helps when one owner asks whether their section was done, or when a leak in one unit needs to be traced back to a particular gutter. The report is written plainly, so it can be shared with owners without translation.
Planning ahead
Which defects feed your maintenance plan?
The defects that matter most for a scheme's maintenance plan are rusting gutters and box gutters, sagging or poorly falling runs, blocked or missing overflows, loose brackets, cracked tiles along the gutter line and downpipes blocked below ground. Each is photographed, located and ranked in the report.
Consumer Affairs Victoria explains that owners corporations are responsible for repairing and maintaining common property, and that larger schemes need a formal maintenance plan. Gutters, downpipes and roofs are usually a large part of that. A clean every year or two is the ideal moment to check their condition, because the crew is already looking at every run up close.
| Defect | Why it matters to the scheme | Typical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Rust holes in gutters or box gutters | Leaks into units and common areas | Roof plumber repair or replacement |
| Blocked or missing overflows | No escape route when a sump blocks | Urgent roof plumber visit |
| Sagging runs, poor fall | Water pools and overflows at one point | Rehang or refix brackets |
| Cracked tiles at the gutter line | Water gets into eaves and ceilings | Roofer to replace tiles |
| Downpipe blocked below ground | Overflow at the same corner every storm | Plumber with a drain camera |
We don't carry out repairs, so the report isn't a sales pitch. It's a list the committee can price and prioritise with whichever roof plumber it chooses.
On the day
How is the visit run for residents?
Residents get a notice a week or so ahead with the date, the rough times and what to move. On the day, the crew starts at one end of the site, works building by building, keeps driveways passable and leaves each courtyard and path as clean as it was.
Cars parked under gutters are the most common hold-up, so the notice asks residents to move them from carports and visitor bays for the morning. Pets are the next: a dog in a courtyard means the crew skips that section and comes back, which slows the day for everyone.
Where courtyards are private and locked, access needs arranging through the manager or the owner. We note any section we couldn't reach in the report, so it's clear what was and wasn't done.
Noise is modest. The vacuum units run for short periods at each building rather than all day in one place, and work starts at a sensible hour. Shift workers and anyone working from home can ask the manager which part of the day their building is likely to be done.
Before leaving, the crew lead gives the manager or committee contact a quick summary of anything that needs attention before the report arrives.
Programs
How do annual and twice-yearly scheme programs work?
A program fixes the dates and the price for each visit in advance, usually once or twice a year depending on trees. The strata manager approves it once, residents get notice each time, and every visit produces the same style of report, so the committee can compare one year with the next.
Once a year suits schemes with few trees nearby, usually booked in late autumn after the leaves have dropped. It clears the year's build-up and gives a yearly condition check for the maintenance plan.
Twice a year suits leafy sites and those in or near bushfire-prone areas. The second visit is usually booked in early spring, so the gutters are clear before summer.
Frequency can be adjusted as the history builds. If the reports show little debris, the program can drop back. If a neighbouring site plants trees or a building suffers a leak, it can go up. Our guide on gutter cleaning frequency in Melbourne explains the reasoning.
Pricing
How is strata gutter cleaning priced?
Each scheme is quoted as a whole, based on the number of buildings, total gutter length, storeys, box gutters and sumps, access and how often the program runs. The quote is split by building where the scheme needs it, but the owners corporation receives one total and one invoice per visit.
Grouping a whole scheme into one visit is usually cheaper per building than booking lots one by one, because the crew sets up once. Programs also help: the first visit takes the longest, and later visits are quicker once the site is known. Access has the biggest effect on cost at apartment blocks, where a lift or anchor system may be needed. Our pricing page compares strata, commercial and residential costs side by side.
How do we quote your scheme?
Send the site address, the number of buildings or lots, the manager's contact details and any access rules. We measure the roofs from aerial imagery, ask for a short site walk where box gutters or hatches are involved, and send a scope and price ready for the committee.
Own a single home in a scheme and want your own gutters done? See our full list of services on the Roof Gutter Cleaning Melbourne home page.
Scheme questions
What do strata managers ask us?
Strata managers and committee members tend to ask about timing for meetings, how the reporting is split, and whether taller blocks with box gutters are covered. The answers are below.