How does building management prevent incidents like the Miami Surfside Condominium collapse?

As strata properties become more popular in New South Wales and across Australia, many strata committees are looking for complementary services like maintenance that can improve the safety and living experience of their strata residents.

Although cleaning and maintenance services may seem unimportant for the smooth functioning of strata properties, they’re indeed very crucial to all strata properties. 

This was proven yet again in a brutal fashion with the news of the Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, Florida last year.

Since then, strata committees have been doubling down on their investments in building management services to ensure that their strata properties don’t face the unfortunate fate of the Champlain Towers.

What happened to Champlain Towers?

Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida, United States collapsed on the 24th of June 2021 when the pool deck of the building suffered a partial collapse, which triggered the collapse of the central section and eastern wing of the building. 

Another destabilised part of the northeast corner of the building also collapsed around 99 seconds later. This incident destroyed at least half of the 136 units in the building and took the lives of 98 people. 

After the collapse, the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association faced several legal charges from the families of the deceased and residents whose properties were destroyed. 

The association may need to pay upwards of 1$ billion for “its failure to secure and safeguard lives and property”. 

What caused the incident?

Signs of structural damage to the building’s pool deck and garage ceiling were spotted and reported as early as 1996. 

A local contractor noted in a report that the pool deck and the ceiling of the underground parking garage beneath the building needed structural repair due to penetration of water and corrosion of the reinforcing steel. 

The problems were brought to notice again in 2018 and 2021, but the building association failed to take any action to repair the damages.

Several experts and engineers stated this prolonged structural damage and ignorance of maintenance requirements over four decades was the main cause behind the building’s collapse.

While it’s scarcely believable that calls to repair the structural damage were neglected for over four decades, if the responsible parties had worked with a building management partner to rectify these issues, millions of dollars in damage and 98 precious lives could have been saved.

How can building management services help?

Here’s how building management services can help prevent such incidents from happening in your strata property. 

• They can help spot structural deformities and other issues

While ignorance of minor repairs often leads to costly repairs and poses considerable threats to life and property, strata committees may not even know that their property is due for repair if they don’t work with building management companies.

Building management service providers conduct periodic reviews of your property to make sure that everything is in working order.

These inspections can help you identify minor repairs—leaks, cracks, and weakened structures, for example—and renovations inside and outside the property and prevent these issues from evolving into something more dangerous and expensive. 

This also omits the need to invest in major repair projects that will disrupt the lifestyle of your strata residents.

• They can help coordinate repair projects

In addition to helping you detect maintenance issues in your strata property, building management services can also help address these issues by coordinating repair and renovation projects.

They can lend their expertise in procuring the right repair services to fix these issues before they become major repairs. This way, you can provide a comfortable space for your fellow strata residents to live in.

This can also help prevent inconveniences that large-scale repair projects to your strata property can cause to your fellow strata residents.

• They can help avoid reputational damage

Apart from helping you keep track of your maintenance requirements and coordinate repairs, building management companies can help you attract more potential strata residents and establish a positive image.

They do this by helping you make sure that your property remains safe and ergonomic for all residents.

In addition, they can help you meet building safety compliance, ensuring that your property always comes across as an efficient, safe, and compliant space, which boosts the credibility of your property.

Ensure the safety of your strata properties with professional building management services

Today, building defects have become a continuous issue in Australian strata schemes. 

That said, there’s a greater realisation in the strata industry that ignorance of maintenance needs can lead to tragic events like the collapse of the Champlain Towers in Miami.

Thankfully, you can ensure that your property doesn’t meet the same fate by working with professional building management companies. 

Just make sure that you’re partnering with a service provider that understands your unique requirements and can provide a bespoke and comprehensive building management package.