Maintenance painting is what stops a five-year-old paint job from becoming a fifteen-year-old paint problem. Done annually or two-yearly on a body-corporate or commercial schedule, it costs a fraction of a full repaint and prevents the substrate damage that makes full repaints expensive in the first place.
We run maintenance contracts for body corporates and commercial property managers across the inner west and CBD — typically a yearly inspection, a written report on what needs work and when, and a small annual budget for re-coats, touch-ups, graffiti removal and minor remedial work. The savings show up two ways: cheaper individual jobs each year, and a much smaller number when the building eventually does need a full repaint.
What's included
- Annual or 2-yearly inspection schedule
- Written condition report
- Photo evidence per element
- Touch-up and re-coat allowance
- Graffiti removal
- Anti-graffiti coatings
- Stair, common-area and lobby refresh
- Out-of-hours work where needed
- Annual budget reconciliation
Common questions about maintenance painting
What does a maintenance contract typically cover?
Most contracts cover an annual or 2-yearly inspection of all painted elements, a written report identifying what needs touch-up versus full re-coat, and a budgeted allowance for the work itself — typically split between routine refresh (lobbies, stair wells, doors) and one-off remedial work (graffiti, water damage, vehicle damage to bollards). The exact scope is agreed at the start of each year so you've got cost certainty.
How often should a typical Brisbane building be repainted?
Depends on exposure and use. Sun-exposed exteriors typically need a full re-coat every 7–12 years if maintained, longer if not visibly fading. High-traffic interior elements (lobbies, hallways, corridors) need refresh every 3–5 years. Doors, skirtings and trim on heavy-use spaces often want a yearly touch-up. We assess each element at the inspection and recommend accordingly.
Do you handle graffiti removal as part of the contract?
Yes — usually as a call-out service with a fixed response time (typically 48 hours). If the building is in a graffiti-prone area we'll often recommend an anti-graffiti clear coat on lower wall elements, which lets us pressure-wash off paint hits without re-painting. The clear coat is a small upfront cost that saves a lot of weekend call-out fees.
Is there a minimum contract size?
We're flexible. We run contracts as small as a 4-unit body corporate (a few hundred dollars a year) and as large as a multi-building commercial portfolio (low five figures a year). The contract is sized to the building, not the other way around. If you're not sure whether a maintenance contract makes sense, we'll do a free initial inspection and tell you straight.
How do you bill — fixed annual fee or per-job?
Most clients prefer a fixed annual fee covering inspection, reporting, and a defined work allowance, with anything beyond the allowance billed at agreed hourly rates. Some prefer pure per-job billing with a free annual inspection. Either model works; we'll structure whichever is easier for the body-corp committee or the commercial finance team to budget.
Do you coordinate with our building manager?
Yes — every contract has a single point of contact at your end (building manager, strata manager, or facilities lead) and a single point of contact at our end. Inspection scheduling, work scheduling, after-hours access, key handovers, all run through those two contacts. Committee or board members get reports through the contact, not direct.
What's the response time for urgent damage?
Standard is 48 hours for non-urgent work and 24 hours for urgent (graffiti on a public-facing wall, vehicle damage to a structural element, water-damaged ceiling). Genuine emergencies get same-day response where physically possible. The contract spells these times out so there's no debate when something goes wrong.
Will the maintenance contract be cheaper than ad-hoc work?
In our experience, almost always yes — typically 20-40% cheaper across a 5-year window. The savings come from avoiding emergency call-out rates, batching small jobs together, getting bulk paint pricing, and catching problems before they become substrate damage. We're happy to show the working at the start of the contract so you can see the comparison numbers.