Common-property electrical in a strata scheme is a shared responsibility that sits squarely with the body corporate — and by extension with the strata manager engaged to administer it. Switchboards serving common areas, emergency and exit lighting systems, car-park and driveway lighting, pool plant and lift motor circuits, external security lighting, and the wiring interconnecting all of it must be maintained in safe, serviceable condition and compliant with current Australian Standards. SynthWire Electrical provides planned maintenance programs tailored to strata properties of every scale, from boutique five-lot schemes to large mixed-use complexes. Every visit is documented. Every defect is reported. Nothing falls through the cracks.
Why strata electrical maintenance needs a systematic approach
Ad-hoc, call-it-when-it-breaks electrical maintenance is the most expensive way to run a building and the most likely way to end up with a non-compliance finding at the worst possible moment. Emergency lighting that has not been tested fails its six-monthly test and generates a defect notice from the fire safety inspector. A car-park switchboard that has never had a thermographic scan develops a loose busbar connection that carbonises the enclosure over eighteen months and costs ten times what a scheduled inspection would have. A body corporate that cannot produce maintenance records for common-area electrical equipment faces exposure under the relevant state building legislation and, in the event of an incident, under WHS law. A planned maintenance program from SynthWire eliminates these scenarios. You know what has been inspected, when, and what was found.
Emergency and exit lighting compliance — AS 2293
Emergency and exit lighting in strata common areas — stairwells, corridors, car parks, foyers, and plant rooms — is governed by AS 2293, which mandates a 90-minute discharge test every six months and an annual inspection of all luminaires, indicators, and the central monitoring system where fitted. SynthWire carries out the full AS 2293 test and inspection program on a scheduled basis, recording the discharge test start and end time for every luminaire, noting any units that fail to hold charge, replacing batteries and lamps as required, and producing a compliance report in the format expected by your Building Fire Safety Officer or property manager. The report is retained on file for the required period and available for audit on request. For bodies corporate that have been previously cited for emergency lighting deficiencies, we can carry out a full remediation assessment and bring the system up to standard before commencing the regular program.
Switchboard safety and thermographic inspection
The common-property main switchboard and any sub-distribution boards feeding common areas are among the most critical assets in the building. They serve a large number of circuits, are often located in plant rooms with limited ventilation, and may not have been opened or inspected since the building was constructed. SynthWire includes an annual switchboard inspection in every strata maintenance program: checking MCB and RCD operation, verifying torque on busbar connections, inspecting cable terminations for signs of overheating, checking switchboard enclosure integrity, and updating the circuit directory. For buildings with switchboards over fifteen years old or with a history of nuisance tripping, we recommend an infrared thermographic scan of all energised components, which can identify loose connections and overloaded conductors before they cause damage or downtime.
- Six-monthly AS 2293 emergency and exit lighting test and inspection
- Annual switchboard inspection including MCB, RCD, and termination check
- Thermographic scan of common-area switchboards and distribution boards
- Car-park and common-area lighting — fault repair, lamp replacement, and upgrade
- External security and perimeter lighting maintenance and fault response
- Pool, spa, and water feature electrical inspection and compliance
- Intercom, access control, and gate motor electrical servicing support
Car-park and common-area lighting management
Car-park and common-area lighting is the most visible electrical asset in any strata building and one of the most maintenance-intensive. Lamp failures in a basement car park are a safety and liability issue. Failing luminaires above common pathways or stairwells create trip hazards in addition to the obvious security concern. SynthWire handles reactive lamp and luminaire replacement as part of a strata maintenance contract, with a target response time of next business day for non-emergency common-area faults and same-day for car-park or entry lighting failures that compromise security. We also carry out LED upgrade assessments for bodies corporate looking to reduce common-area energy costs — car-park lighting in particular responds extremely well to LED retrofits with motion-sensing control, reducing run hours by 60–80% and lamp replacement frequency dramatically.
Planned maintenance programs and reporting for strata managers
SynthWire understands that strata managers are managing dozens or hundreds of properties and need their contractors to make their administrative load lighter, not heavier. Our strata maintenance programs are built around that reality. We maintain a property-specific maintenance schedule and send calendar reminders when visits are due. After every visit, we issue a written service report within 24 hours covering: work completed, any defects found, the recommended remediation with a cost estimate, and a compliance summary noting any items requiring action before the next scheduled inspection. For bodies corporate with AGM reporting obligations, we can provide an annual electrical compliance summary that can be included in the committee's maintenance report. We invoice clearly, referencing the property and the specific maintenance activity, and we hold certificates of compliance for all installation or remedial work on file for each property.
Frequently asked
AS 2293 requires a 90-minute discharge test every six months and a full annual inspection of the entire system including luminaires, indicators, wiring, and any central monitoring. Both the test results and the annual inspection must be recorded in the building's Essential Safety Measures logbook or equivalent compliance documentation.
The body corporate (owners corporation) is responsible for maintaining common property in a safe and compliant condition. In practice, this responsibility is typically administered by the strata manager on the committee's behalf. A documented, systematic maintenance program with a licensed electrical contractor is the clearest way to demonstrate that the duty of care is being met.
Yes. We carry out a baseline inspection of all common-area electrical infrastructure and produce a condition report before commencing a maintenance program. This establishes the starting point clearly and ensures both SynthWire and the body corporate have a shared understanding of the current state of the assets. Transitions mid-year are straightforward — we align the program schedule to your next AGM or budget cycle where possible.