Body Corporate Painting: How It Works, Who Approves It and What It Costs

Last updated 28 August 2026·10 min read

What a Committee Needs to Know First

• In NSW the body is an owners corporation. "Body corporate" is the Queensland and Victorian term and still what most people search, but NSW strata law uses owners corporation throughout.
• Painting common property is a capital works fund item. NSW Government guidance names "painting or repainting common property" among what that fund pays for.
• Two independent quotes at $30,000 and above. All schemes, regardless of size, with limited exceptions for emergency repairs.
• The 10-year plan is the planning tool. Every scheme must have one, and it must be reviewed at least every five years.
• The owners corporation must maintain common property. That is an obligation, not a discretion, and deferred repainting eventually becomes a repair bill.
• Scope beats price when comparing tenders. Three quotes on three different scopes tell you nothing.

Body Corporate or Owners Corporation?

In New South Wales, the correct term is owners corporation. "Body corporate" is used in Queensland and Victoria and remains the phrase most owners reach for, which is why it is used here. If you are reading strata documents, correspondence from a strata manager or NSW Government guidance, you will see owners corporation instead.

The practical distinction matters when you are checking your obligations, because searching NSW guidance for "body corporate" will find you far less than searching for "owners corporation" or "strata".

Who Approves Body Corporate Painting Projects?

The owners corporation is responsible for repairing and maintaining common property. That is the starting point, and it is a duty rather than an option. Individual owners are generally responsible for what sits inside their own lot.

Beyond that, the approval pathway depends on the scheme, the scope and the authority the committee holds:

1. Identify the work and why it is needed, whether from an inspection, a maintenance report, the 10-year plan or visible deterioration.
2. Confirm what is common property. Check the strata plan before assuming a surface is the owners corporation's responsibility.
3. Check the committee's delegated authority and any relevant by-laws against the expected value of the work.
4. Prepare a written scope of works so every contractor prices the same job.
5. Obtain the required quotes, at least two independent ones where the work is valued at $30,000 or more.
6. Compare on identical scope, not on the bottom line.
7. Obtain the appropriate approval, committee or general meeting depending on scope and authority.
8. Record the decision, the funding source and the approved scope before anything is scheduled.

Document the process as you go. It prevents disputes about inclusions, budget and authority once work has started, and it gives contractors a clearer basis for tendering.

How Does Body Corporate Painting Get Funded?

Through the capital works fund, in almost every case. NSW strata schemes run two funds and the distinction decides where a repaint sits.

NSW Government guidance names painting or repainting common property as a capital works fund item directly. That removes a question committees often argue about, and it means a repaint should be appearing in the scheme's forward planning rather than arriving as a surprise levy.

Every scheme must have a 10-year capital works fund plan, reviewed at least every five years. The plan predicts what major repairs will be needed and forecasts their cost. A repaint cycle is exactly the kind of item it exists to capture, and a scheme with a current, realistic plan is one that funds a repaint from levies already collected rather than a special levy nobody budgeted for.

If your scheme's plan does not have a repaint in it, that is the finding. Getting the cycle into the 10-year plan is a cheaper conversation than a special levy, and it is the single most useful thing a committee can do about painting before it becomes urgent.

How Much Does Body Corporate Painting Cost?

Costs vary enormously, because a six-unit townhouse complex and a twelve-storey apartment block are different industries. Access, not surface area, is usually the biggest single driver above three storeys.

Indicative 2026 NSW market ranges for budgeting, not fixed 7CPM prices. A site inspection and detailed scope of works are required for an accurate tender.

On a rate basis, common-area interior work commonly falls around $15 to $35 per square metre, and external facade work around $20 to $60 per square metre under standard conditions. Surface repairs, specialist coatings, difficult access, scaffolding, elevated work platforms, rope access and restricted working hours all push beyond those.

Note where the $30,000 threshold sits against those figures. Any medium or large scheme repaint will exceed it, and most small complex repaints will too. In practice, nearly every body corporate painting project triggers the two-quote requirement.

Access is what separates two quotes on the same building. Scaffolding, elevated work platforms and rope access are very different cost structures, and a tender that does not state which method it has priced is not comparable to one that does. Committees comparing commercial painting services should check exactly how access, preparation and supervision are accounted for in each submission.

What Areas Are Included?

A body corporate painting project covers agreed common-property surfaces, but the exact inclusions follow the strata plan rather than what looks shared. Common inclusions:

• Exterior walls and render
• Common hallways, corridors and stairwells
• Entryways and foyers
• Balconies that form part of common property
• Ceilings in common areas
• Doors and frames in shared spaces
• Railings, balustrades and metalwork
• Garages, car parks and shared storage areas
• Trim and architectural features

Surfaces inside an individual lot usually fall outside the scope. Where an owner wants private areas painted at the same time, that is normally arranged separately through residential painting rather than assumed into the owners corporation's project. Some schemes coordinate the two to share access costs, which is worth raising early if several owners are interested.

Shared garages and car parks sometimes warrant a specialist finish rather than paint. Where the concrete is dusting or stained, an epoxy floor coating is a different and more durable answer than a floor paint, and it is worth pricing separately.

Scope of Works Checklist

1. Exact surfaces being painted, listed by location
2. Preparation requirements for each surface type
3. Repairs required before painting, and who carries them
4. Number of coats and the coating system specified
5. Primer or sealer requirements
6. Access equipment and method
7. Site and vehicle protection
8. Resident access arrangements and notice periods
9. Working hours and noise restrictions
10. Cleanup and waste removal
11. Defect rectification process
12. Final inspection and handover

A documented scope makes like-for-like comparison possible and cuts off the most common source of variations mid-project.

How Do You Choose a Body Corporate Painting Company?

Relevant strata experience, preparation standards, insurance, safety documentation and quote detail. Not price alone. A lower tender is poor value if essential preparation, access or repairs have been left out and return as variations.

What to verify before appointing:

• Experience in occupied strata buildings, which is a different discipline from painting an empty house
• Current licence and insurance, including public liability and workers compensation
• Safe Work Method Statements for the high-risk activities involved, particularly work at height
• The access method, stated and priced
• Preparation methodology, surface by surface
• Coating system and number of coats
• Resident communication plan and how disruption is staged
• Warranty terms and the defect rectification process
• What is specifically excluded

One thing worth knowing about scope of engagement. A painting contractor paints. Managing a scheme's finances, collecting levies, arranging insurance or convening meetings are strata managing agent functions, and in NSW they require a strata managing agent licence under the Property and Stock Agents Act 2002. If a painting contractor's marketing offers those services, ask which licence they hold before relying on it.

When assessing strata painting contractors, use the same checklist for every tender. It makes it far easier to spot the quote that looks cheap because something important is missing.

How Often Should Strata Properties Be Repainted?

There is no single interval, and any contractor quoting one is guessing. Repainting frequency depends on the quality of previous preparation, the coating system, surface condition, building orientation, exposure and moisture.

What shortens the cycle in Sydney:

• Coastal exposure. Salt accelerates deterioration of metalwork and coated surfaces markedly.
• West and north-facing elevations, which take far more UV than the sheltered sides of the same building.
• Water ingress, which causes localised paint failure long before the rest of the building is due.
• High-traffic interiors. Foyers, lift lobbies, stairwells and garages show wear faster than corridors.

Signs a scheme is due: noticeable fading or colour change, chalking residue on painted surfaces, peeling, bubbling or flaking, cracking or exposed substrate, corrosion around railings and fixtures, moisture staining, worn finishes in high-traffic areas, and repeated patch repairs in the same locations.

Periodic inspection beats a fixed schedule, and catching deterioration early is what lets the owners corporation plan the work through the capital works fund rather than fund it urgently.

Frequently Asked Questions

References

• Managing strata repairs and capital works, NSW Government
• Managing strata finances and insurance, NSW Government
• Strata managing agent licence, NSW Government