About the Strata Resilience Program
The Strata Resilience Program helps eligible bodies corporate located in a cyclone risk area – in the area from 100 kilometres of the coastline from Rockhampton, north to the Torres Strait and west to the Queensland/Northern Territory border – to improve the resilience of their strata properties against cyclones.
Eligible body corporates can apply for a grant for up to 75% of the cost of improvements.
The program is jointly funded by the Queensland and Australian Governments, and administered by the Queensland Government Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works.
It follows the delivery of the North Queensland Strata Title Inspection Program, conducted by James Cook University on behalf of the Queensland Government since 2018.
The inspection program gave bodies corporate information about the existing resilience of their properties and strategies to improve them.
Read more about the program on this page and then check your eligibility for funding.
How the Strata Resilience Program works
This program assists strata title properties that both:
- have participated in the North Queensland Strata Title Inspection Program
- are located within 100 kilometres of the coastline from Rockhampton, north to the Torres Strait and west to the Queensland/Northern Territory border.
These properties may be eligible to apply for a grant for up to 75% of the cost of eligible improvements identified through the inspection program to $15,000 (including GST) per residential tenancy to a maximum grant of $150,000 (including GST) per body corporate.
If your body corporate is yet to participate in the inspection program, you can register your interest.
Benefits of the program
The Strata Resilience Program benefits property owners, tenants, contractors and businesses in areas of regional Queensland.
Property owners who previously participated in the inspection program received a detailed report on specific resilience strategies they could carry out on their property. Properties that have completed these strategies have reported:
- cost-of-living benefits – opportunities created for downward pressure on insurance premiums
- security benefits – a feeling of security in their homes and preparedness for a future severe weather event or cyclone
- energy efficiency benefits – better insulated buildings requiring less air conditioning
- improved street appeal.
Through similar programs, more than 400 businesses have been engaged to complete resilience strategies to properties. Most contractors have been sourced directly from the local community.
Eligible resilience strategies
Your property-specific inspection program report must identify specific improvement works eligible under the Strata Resilience Program.
Read about the improvement types that are eligible under the program:
- roof upgrades
- window protection
- external solid core doors
- garage doors
- box gutter overflows
- old style louvres
- cyclone preparedness plan .
How the funding works
Co-contribution arrangement
The Strata Resilience Program operates through a co-contribution arrangement.
Funding covers 75% of the costs of approved eligible resilience strategies, up to $15,000 per residential tenancy to a maximum grant value of $150,000, (including GST) per body corporate.
Approved bodies corporate must make a minimum 25% co-contribution towards the works.
To help bodies corporate manage payment terms, we can pay grant funds in up to 3 progress payments in line with the building contract. The program’s progress payments will be the final payments after the body corporate’s contributions are paid in full.
Grant payments may also be a lump sum on acceptable completion of the works.
Here is an example of how it works:
Maximum grant $150,000 (75%) + body corporate co-contribution $50,000 (25%) = Total works cost $200,000.
- Initial body corporate payments - $50,000
- Grant progress payment 1 - $50,000
- Grant progress payment 2 - $50,000
- Grant progress payment 3 - $50,000 (on receipt of completion documentation and inspection of the completed works)
Improvements covered by the program
The minimum value of works eligible for grant funding is $3,300.
The eligible property owner:
- selects proposed resilience strategies from the available options
- provides a quote from a QBCC-licensed contractor.
Our assessors review the quote and visit the site to confirm that the proposed improvements are eligible under the program funding and will increase cyclone resilience for a reasonable cost.
Payments
We pay the grant funding directly to the contractor through progress payments (up to 3 in total). We make the final payment after the contractor completes the approved eligible resilience strategies satisfactorily.
After completing the works, contractors must provide certification for the completed works. A government assessor must conduct a site inspection before we can release the final funding.
Next step
Resources
- Resources – James Cook University
- North Queensland Strata Title Inspection Program
- Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)
- Resources - QBCC
- National Construction Code
- Cyclone resilient building guidance for Queensland homes (December 2019) (Queensland Reconstruction Authority)
Factsheets
- Information for bodies corporate
- Information for contractors
- Frequently asked questions about Strata Resilience Program
Contacts
For more information about the Strata Resilience Program:
- phone: (07) 3007 4485 (option 3)
- email: strataresilience@epw.qld.gov.au
