Selling an Apartment During Common-Property Works

Establish what has actually been approved

Common-property work often moves through several stages: an identified issue, investigation, consultant recommendations, quotations, a resolution, funding, contracting and physical completion. A seller should not collapse those stages into one phrase such as the building is being repaired. Obtain current meeting minutes, resolutions, scope documents, consultant or contractor material and the owners corporation's written update. Identify what is approved, what is proposed and what remains uncertain.

Consumer Affairs Victoria says an owners corporation is responsible for managing, repairing and maintaining common property, while its records should include resolutions, contracts, financial statements, maintenance material, notices and correspondence. Those sources are more reliable than corridor conversations. If a report contains technical conclusions, refer interpretation to the relevant engineer, building professional or consultant. The agent can summarise a confirmed status for the campaign but should not diagnose defects or promise what the work will achieve.

• Issue: what has been identified and by whom.
• Decision: what the owners corporation has formally approved.
• Funding: what is budgeted, levied, borrowed or still unresolved.
• Delivery: who is contracted and what the current programme states.

Compare selling now with waiting on evidence

Launching during works can make sense when the seller's timing matters, the disruption is manageable and buyers can receive a clear evidence pack. Waiting can make sense when completion is reasonably near and the finished common areas will materially improve access or presentation. Neither choice is automatically better. Compare the owner's holding costs, personal timetable, buyer experience, programme uncertainty and ability to document the position, with input from legal, financial and tax advisers where relevant.

Do not choose a launch date from an optimistic verbal estimate. Use the latest authorised programme and include contingency for slippage, then make clear that the programme is not a guarantee. If the work is staged, identify which stage affects the lot's entrance, lift, parking, facade, balcony, services or facilities. A campaign may launch after the noisiest work but before cosmetic completion, provided the seller and advisers are comfortable with accurate disclosure and the inspection route is safe.

Explain funding and levies without calculating legal liability

Collect current regular fees, approved special fees or levies, payment dates, fund balances and any recorded proposal for additional expenditure. Consumer Affairs Victoria explains that special fees can cover extraordinary or unexpected costs, including urgent building repairs. The owners corporation certificate must include defined information about fees, liabilities and works that may create extra charges. The seller's conveyancer or property lawyer should advise how these matters affect the contract, vendor statement and transaction.

The agent should not tell a buyer who will ultimately bear a payment, predict that no more levies will be raised or calculate the lot's future exposure. A current quote may change, and an approved budget does not guarantee final cost. Present documented amounts with dates and status, and direct legal or accounting questions to the appropriate adviser. If the seller proposes to pay an amount or negotiate a contract term, that arrangement must be drafted and approved by the legal representatives.

• State only approved amounts and due dates from current records.
• Label estimates, proposals and unresolved funding separately.
• Do not predict overruns, refunds or future owners corporation votes.
• Send allocation and contract questions to the conveyancer or property lawyer.

Design safe, realistic inspections

Work can affect entrances, lifts, stairs, corridors, car parks, noise, dust, lighting and contractor access. Before every inspection, obtain the current access instructions from the owners corporation or site manager and walk the approved route. Coordinate open-home times around particularly disruptive activity where possible, but do not ask contractors to suspend safety controls for presentation. Buyers should see a managed site, not a staged path that misrepresents ordinary conditions.

Photography may be scheduled when an area is safe and clear, but it should not use old images to imply that current works do not exist. If pre-works images help explain the completed appearance, label their date and context and confirm with the legal adviser whether further disclosure is needed. Keep visitors out of restricted areas, provide protective instructions issued by the site authority and use individual appointments if a large open home would conflict with safe access.

Build a buyer information pack with a freshness date

Create a concise pack from the owners corporation certificate, relevant minutes and resolutions, approved scope, funding material, latest programme, access notice and contact pathway for formal enquiries. Do not circulate confidential or privileged documents without advice. Add an as-at date and record which source supports every summary. The pack should sit alongside the vendor statement, not replace it, and buyers should be encouraged to obtain their own legal and technical advice.

Nominate one person to monitor new meeting outcomes, contractor updates, cost decisions and programme changes during the campaign. If a material fact changes, pause scripted answers, update the seller's lawyer and revise the pack and advertising. This avoids one buyer receiving an old version while another receives a new one. A version number and issue date make the update process visible and easier for the agent to control.

Describe the future carefully and the present honestly

Marketing can explain the documented objective of the work and the current approved programme, but should not promise a completion date, final appearance, cost, defect outcome or increase in value. Terms such as fully remediated, all paid for or nearly complete require exact evidence and professional approval. Consumer Affairs Victoria and the ACCC require property representations to be truthful and not misleading, including information about features and future matters.

A strong campaign does not need to minimise the works. It can show the apartment accurately, explain how access is being managed and provide an orderly evidence trail. This guide is general only. A Victorian conveyancer or property lawyer must advise on disclosure and contract implications, while building, engineering, financial, insurance and tax questions belong with the relevant qualified advisers. Recheck every programme and cost statement immediately before publication.

• Current condition: show what buyers will encounter now.
• Approved work: quote the source and its issue date.
• Expected timing: attribute it and state that it may change.
• Legal effect: leave it to the seller's conveyancer or property lawyer.