Common area pest programmes for body corporates
Rats in a bin room are a common property problem. Cockroaches in one kitchen may be a unit problem. Committee disputes about pests often come down to which one it is.
Is pest control a body corporate responsibility?
For common property, largely yes. Section 138 of the Unit Titles Act 2010 requires the body corporate to repair and maintain common property, its assets, and building elements and infrastructure that serve more than one unit. Keeping pests out of bin rooms, car parks, risers and roof spaces is reasonably read as part of that maintenance, so a pest management programme for the common areas is a reasonable way to meet it.
Inside a unit the position is less clear-cut. It depends on where the pest is coming from, the body corporate's operational rules and any decision the committee or the owners have made. This page does not set out how costs should be shared; that is a decision for your body corporate, ideally recorded in a policy before a dispute arises. The guide to body corporate pest responsibility goes through the questions to settle.
Where pests live in an apartment building
In apartment buildings, pests live mostly in the shared spaces nobody occupies: bin rooms, basement car parks, plant rooms, service risers and roof spaces. These areas are warm, quiet, connected to every floor and, under the Unit Titles Act, usually common property. A building programme starts there, because activity in a unit often began in one of them.
Common property areas and their usual pests
| Area | Usual pests | Why it matters to the building |
|---|---|---|
| Bin room and chute | Rats, cockroaches, flies | Food waste from every unit in one place, often next to a riser |
| Basement car park | Rats, mice | Gaps around services and garage doors lead into storage cages and lifts |
| Plant rooms and service risers | Rats, mice, cockroaches | Run the full height of the building and connect to every floor |
| Roof space and ceiling voids | Ship rats, mice, birds | Cabling and insulation damage; noise reported by top-floor owners |
| Balconies, parapets and roof plant | Pigeons, sparrows, mynas | Droppings on balconies and blocked gutters and outlets |
| Ground floor commercial tenancies | Depends on the tenant | A food tenant has its own food control plan; activity can cross into common property |
Common property or inside a unit: tracing the source
When an owner reports pests, the first question is where they are coming from. If the source is common property or a shared building element, the body corporate's duty is engaged. If it is confined to one unit, the owner or occupier usually deals with it. Tracing the source needs an inspection of both, and a written record of what was found.
- ReportThe owner or building manager records the unit, the pest and where it was seen.
- Check the shared spacesBin room, riser, ceiling void and car park stations near that unit are checked and recorded.
- Inspect the unitWith the owner's agreement or, where the body corporate is carrying out its own maintenance, under its right to enter units at reasonable hours.
- Name the sourceThe report states whether activity points to common property, a shared element, or the unit alone, and why.
- Decide and recordThe committee acts on common property findings and tells the owner in writing about unit findings.
What the committee receives
A committee needs a short, regular account of what was found, what was done and what is outstanding, in a form it can table at a meeting. Each visit produces a report by monitoring point, and the building manager or committee contact receives a periodic summary that sets activity trends against recommendations still open.
- A numbered plan of every station in the common property.
- Activity by area over the period, so a recurring problem in one riser is visible.
- Recommendations with an owner: the body corporate for common property repairs, the building manager for housekeeping, individual owners where a unit is the source.
- Bird proofing quotes, separated from routine service, so they can be approved as a project.
Your service agreement is with our partner, and it sets out the visit frequency, the monitoring layout and the reporting you receive.
Residents, children and pets in shared areas
Apartment common property is used by residents, visitors, children and pets. Rodenticide is kept in locked, tamper-resistant stations fixed in place, away from play areas and pet routes, and the building manager is told where each one is. Before bird proofing or treatment of a bin room, residents receive a notice from the building manager with the date, the area and any access needed.
Questions facility managers ask
Who pays for pest control in a single apartment?
The Unit Titles Act places common property and shared building elements with the body corporate; how the cost of a problem confined to one unit is handled depends on your body corporate's rules and decisions. A report that names the source is the best basis for that decision, and for explaining it to the owner.
Can the body corporate enter a unit to deal with pests?
Section 138 lets the body corporate enter units at reasonable hours to carry out its repair and maintenance duties for common property and shared building elements. In practice most unit inspections happen by arrangement with the owner, with the building manager present.
Should bird proofing be part of the annual maintenance plan?
Usually as a separate project. Netting and spikes are a one-off installation with occasional inspection, while rodent and insect monitoring is ongoing. Quoting them separately lets the committee approve proofing through its maintenance planning and keep routine service costs predictable.
Related pages
Sources
- Unit Titles Act 2010, s 138 (version as at 10 July 2026)
- Wildlife Act 1953, Schedule 5 (wildlife not protected)
Request a site audit. Our partner's technician walks the site and checks the records your verifier or committee will ask for. You receive a written scope with a monitoring layout and a quoted visit schedule.