CONTRACT TERMS
Maintenance contract terms
Term, renewal, payment, cancellation and what happens when the building changes. Written down before you sign, not after something goes wrong.
Contract terms
Term and renewal
Twelve months from the start date. Renewal is offered 30 days before expiry with any rate change stated in writing. Plans do not renew automatically without confirmation.
Payment
Annually in advance, or quarterly for society plans. Private plans are annual. Invoices carry GST at the applicable rate.
Cancellation
Either side may cancel with 30 days' written notice. Unused whole months are refunded pro rata, less any included call-outs already used as set out in the proposal.
Condition survey
Every plan begins with a survey. Pre-existing defects are recorded and quoted separately. A plan does not cover faults present before it started unless they are quoted and repaired first.
Access
Reasonable access is required for preventive visits and call-outs. Visits missed through lack of access count as used and are rescheduled at the member visit rate.
Scope changes
Added flats, added equipment or a change of use may alter the plan rate. Changes are quoted before they take effect.
What a plan does not cover
Stated plainly, because unclear scope is where maintenance contracts go wrong. None of the following is included in the plan fee. Each can be quoted separately.
- Materials and spare parts. Quoted separately and procured only where included in the approved service scope.
- Replacement of equipment — pumps, motors, lifts, generators, geysers, appliances.
- Work requiring specialist licensing or certification beyond routine maintenance. Arranged through qualified partners, charged separately.
- Lift, generator, fire system and pest control contracts. Coordinated, not carried out.
- Structural repair, waterproofing works, painting and renovation. Inspected and quoted, not included.
- Damage from misuse, alteration by others, or force majeure.
- Faults in installations not disclosed at the first inspection.
- Consumables — bulbs, tubes, washers, tap cartridges — quoted separately and procured only where included in the approved service scope.
Every plan begins with a condition survey. Existing defects are recorded and quoted before the plan starts, so nobody is arguing later about what was already broken.
Start with a survey
Every plan begins the same way — a visit, a written condition report, and a quotation for anything found. The survey is chargeable and credited only where the quotation states it against the first year of any plan taken.
Society committees: ask for the committee pack — scope, response times, exclusions and rates set out in one document for circulation before a decision.