7 min read • 2026-04-04
Strata and body corporate properties present a unique set of landscaping challenges. Unlike residential homes where one owner makes decisions, strata sites have committees, residents, levies, and compliance considerations that all factor into how common area gardens are managed. This guide covers everything body corporate managers and committee members need to know to keep strata gardens performing well.
What Strata Landscaping Actually Involves
Strata landscaping covers all common area garden maintenance — the gardens, lawns, hedges, and planted areas that sit outside individual lots and are managed by the body corporate. This typically includes entry gardens, pathway planting, common lawn areas, boundary screening hedges, courtyard maintenance in multi-unit complexes, and any gardens associated with shared facilities.
In Brisbane and across the Logan region — where apartment complexes, townhouse developments, and villa groups have grown significantly over the last decade — body corporate landscaping has become a larger and more visible part of strata management overall.
Common Challenges in Body Corporate Garden Maintenance
- Inconsistent contractor scheduling — service that's reliable one quarter and erratic the next
- Poor communication from contractors about completed visits and identified issues
- Presentation standards that differ between common areas and individual lot boundaries
- Managing resident expectations around seasonal changes in garden appearance
- Contractor liability — ensuring adequate public liability insurance is maintained
- Scope creep — services outside the agreed schedule creating unexpected costs
- Seasonal overgrowth between visits during Brisbane's summer growth period
How to Structure a Landscaping Schedule for a Strata Site
A well-structured maintenance schedule for a strata site typically includes a base maintenance frequency (fortnightly or monthly depending on site size and complexity), supplementary visits for seasonal clean-ups, and a clearly defined scope of works that both the body corporate and contractor understand.
For Brisbane and Logan area sites, fortnightly summer visits and monthly winter visits form the most common base schedule. Sites with high resident visibility — particularly those with prominent entry statements or street-facing gardens — tend to benefit from maintaining a fortnightly schedule year-round to avoid presentation gaps.
Insurance and Compliance Considerations for Queensland Strata Properties
Any contractor working on a body corporate site in Queensland must carry current public liability insurance. As a body corporate manager, it's your responsibility to verify this before works commence and to maintain records of current insurance certificates across your managed properties. Contractors who are hesitant to provide certificates of currency are not contractors you should be engaging for strata work.
Queensland's Body Corporate and Community Management Act also outlines owner corporation responsibilities around common area maintenance. While it doesn't prescribe specific garden maintenance frequency, it does require that common areas be kept in a state of good repair — which can create committee liability if maintenance is demonstrably neglected.
How to Evaluate and Select a Strata Landscaping Contractor
Questions to Ask
- What public liability insurance do you hold, and can you provide a current certificate?
- How many body corporate or strata sites do you currently service?
- What is your process for communicating completed services to management?
- How do you handle scheduling disruptions — bad weather, public holidays, staff changes?
- Can you provide a written service scope and regular invoice documentation?
- How do you escalate issues you identify on site that are outside your scope?
What to Avoid
- Contractors who can't provide written quotes or service agreements
- No clear communication process for completed visits
- Inability to commit to consistent scheduling
- No strata or body corporate experience
- Cash-only arrangements with no documentation
Why Mazzari Landscape Management Focuses on Body Corporate Work
Body corporate and strata maintenance is one of the core pillars of our business. We've built our service model specifically around the requirements of managed properties — consistent scheduling, proactive communication, site documentation, and presentation standards that account for the visibility expectations of common areas.
We service strata sites across Brisbane's south and the Logan corridor, including sites in Sunnybank, Loganholme, Springwood, Rochedale South, Browns Plains, and surrounding suburbs. Our focus is on being the kind of contractor that body corporate managers don't have to chase — one that shows up, communicates, and maintains standards without constant oversight.
Strata Maintenance Service Areas
- Sunnybank and Sunnybank Hills
- Loganholme and Springwood
- Rochedale South and Underwood
- Browns Plains and Marsden
- Slacks Creek and Woodridge
- Daisy Hill and Shailer Park
- Logan Central and Kingston
- Calamvale, Algester, and Parkinson
- Beenleigh and Bethania
- Runcorn and Carindale
Contact Mazzari Landscape Management to discuss your strata site's maintenance requirements. We provide site assessments and written proposals for all body corporate and managed property enquiries.