Practical guide · 23 October 2026

Strata maintenance records: a due date is not service evidence

A reminder tells you work is due. It does not tell you that work happened. Keep the schedule and completion evidence separate, even when both live in the same spreadsheet.

Start with the building, not a generic interval

List each asset, its location and the task you need to arrange. Record the source of each due date: the building's maintenance plan, contractor advice or an applicable requirement. Do not copy an interval from another building without checking its basis.

NSW Government guidance recommends using the capital works plan to inform a detailed maintenance schedule. Responsibility can depend on the strata plan and by-laws. Check those before assigning work. Other states and territories have their own requirements.

Keep these fields in your register

These are practical recordkeeping suggestions, not a statutory checklist.

Asset and location: Identify the equipment and where it is. Use an asset ID that also appears on service reports.
Task and due date: Record the planned work, its due date and where that date came from.
Responsibility: Name the person arranging the work and the contractor assigned to it.
Actual service date: Record when the contractor reports doing the work, separately from the scheduled date.
Evidence reference: Link the dated report or logbook entry. Keep the document somewhere the next manager can find it.
Results and follow-up: Record defects, outstanding work, the responsible person and the next action date.
Review: Record who checked the evidence and when. Leave missing history marked as unverified.

Use statuses that explain what you know

Use separate labels for “scheduled”, “completion reported — evidence pending” and “completion evidenced”. A contractor booking should not change an asset to complete. A verbal report can start the follow-up, but it should not erase the missing document.

Fictional example

A pump service was scheduled for 20 October. The contractor reports attending, but the service report has not arrived. Record the reported attendance date and mark evidence pending.

When the report arrives, check the asset, date, scope, results and outstanding work. Reference the document and record the review. A completed visit can still leave a defect requiring follow-up.

An invoice is supporting material, not the whole history

An invoice may show a charge without describing inspection results or unresolved defects. Retain the service report or logbook entry as well. Photographs can help explain a repair or defect. NSW guidance recommends photographs and written tradesperson details for emergency repairs.

If you inherited a register without evidence, label those entries unverified and request the missing records. Do not reconstruct completion dates from memory. Keep the next due date separate from the evidence review.

Fire safety records need their own checks

Routine service records and an Annual Fire Safety Statement serve different purposes in NSW. Neither a spreadsheet status nor an invoice establishes that the building meets every applicable requirement. Check the building's Fire Safety Schedule and relevant requirements with an appropriately qualified practitioner.

This guide is a starting point, not legal advice or a compliance assessment. Confirm local legislation, standards and building-specific requirements before setting service intervals or retention periods.

Sources and next steps

Explore the Maintenance System sample for a register layout. The workbook is still being built; the sample is not a download or evidence of completed services. See the planned setup workflow for the intended way to use it.

PropOps is built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp, with direction from a working building manager.