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Under Division 5.4 of the Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011, an owners corporation must insure all buildings and fixtures on the units plan against a defined set of risks, including fire, storm, malicious damage and bursting or leaking water pipes and tanks, and must hold public liability insurance under section 102. The executive committee carries this responsibility, and individual members can face financial penalties personally if the corporation fails to comply.
We work directly with executive committees and owners corporation managers to make sure the policy actually covers the named perils the Act requires, that liability and public risk positions are properly considered, and that the sum insured reflects genuine rebuild cost, not a figure carried over from a previous renewal. From townhouse-style units plans in Belconnen to high-rise apartment buildings in the city and Kingston foreshore precinct, you get a broker working from the actual ACT legislation, not a mainland strata policy relabelled for Canberra.
We check your policy against the named perils and liability requirements in the Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011, not a generic mainland template.
We compare cover across multiple insurers to find genuine value for your units plan.
Executive committees in Canberra don't have time to wait weeks for a comparison. Neither do we.
Our obligation sits with the corporation, not the insurer.
Units plan number, location, building details. A short conversation, and we take it from there.
We check policies against what Division 5.4 actually requires, and compare pricing across insurers rather than accepting the first renewal offer.
Plain language, a clear breakdown of inclusions and exclusions, and the reasoning behind what we're suggesting.
Once approved, we finalise the policy and send through all documentation to the executive committee.
Yes. Division 5.4 of the Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011 requires the owners corporation to insure the buildings and fixtures on the units plan, and to hold public liability insurance under section 102. Executive committee members can be personally liable to penalties if the corporation fails to comply.
The Act specifies named risks, including fire, lightning, tempest, earthquake, explosion, riot, civil commotion, strikes and labour disturbances, malicious damage, and bursting, leaking or overflowing boilers, tanks and pipes. A compliant policy needs to respond to each of these, not just a generic building damage clause.
In limited cases, yes. Section 101 allows an exemption where the units plan has very little shared infrastructure, such as some dual occupancies with fully separate water and power connections. It requires a unanimous resolution and isn’t available to most schemes with shared driveways, common walls or shared utilities.
The obligation sits with the owners corporation, and in practice the executive committee holds that responsibility even where a manager handles renewal on their behalf. Managers shouldn’t renew a policy without the executive committee’s authorisation, since the legal liability doesn’t transfer to the manager.
Storm and tempest are named risks under the Act, and hail falls within that. Given Canberra’s exposure to significant hailstorm events, it’s worth confirming your sum insured reflects current rebuild costs rather than a figure set before the last major claims event drove up repair pricing across the region.
No. The owners corporation’s policy covers the building, fixtures and common property, not your furniture, appliances or personal belongings. If you’re leasing your unit out, a separate landlord policy covers tenant related risks and lost rent, which sits entirely outside the owners corporation’s cover.
It depends on the building’s replacement value, age, construction and location. A high-rise in the city centre carries a different profile to a low-rise townhouse development in Gungahlin. Get a same-day quote based on your actual units plan rather than a general estimate.
Yes. Any owner can request the details of current insurance policies, and the owners corporation must provide them within 14 days at no charge. It’s a reasonable thing to ask for before or after purchasing into a units plan.
Owners corporation insurance covers the building, fixtures and shared liability for the whole units plan. Landlord insurance is a separate policy an individual owner arranges to cover their own rental income, tenant damage and contents inside their unit. If you’re renting your unit out, you’ll typically need both.
Yes, outside of your renewal date if needed, though check the cancellation terms of your existing policy first. If your premium jumped significantly at the last renewal or you’re unsure the cover matches Division 5.4’s requirements, it’s worth getting a comparison before committing to another year.
