Do you know what concrete cancer is, or just how seriously it can affect large residential and commercial properties? As a strata manager, you’re faced with a variety of pressing concerns and responsibilities every day. Working on behalf of the owners corporation, you’re tasked with overseeing administrative concerns and the overall upkeep of common spaces within the scheme. That means when concrete cancer strikes, you’re likely to be the one charged with addressing the situation in a timely manner. Left unaddressed, concrete cancer can present a very real physical risk to everyone living and working in your strata building. Allowing the problem to worsen can also create the need for special levies and rising fees, which aren’t likely to leave residents pleased.
What is Concrete Cancer?
You can’t protect the strata scheme you manage against a danger you don’t understand, so it’s always wise to gain a basic idea of what concrete cancer is and how it can affect you.
Essentially, concrete cancer is the degradation of concrete over time as a result of environmental effects, moisture, efflorescence or a number of other factors. In the end, you’re left with crumbling, structurally unsound concrete. This has the potential to pose a serious risk to a strata building, along with residents’ physical wellbeing. As the concrete begins to rot and crumble, large chunks can fall away. The structure can then be left exposed, with steel reinforcements falling victim to rust and corrosion. Left unchecked, concrete cancer can very easily lead to complete structural failure, damage to property, injury or even death.
The problem faced by strata managers and owners corporations is that these issues aren’t always obvious to the naked eye. In fact, it’s not unheard of for contractors to be instructed to simply paint over the signs of concrete cancer in a bid to disguise the issue. Unless you’re trained and experienced in the building trades, you may not discover the presence of concrete cancer until it’s too late.
How to Spot and Avoid Concrete Cancer
You’d never willingly expose the residents of your building to the expense and danger of structural damage. In the case of concrete cancer, though, you may not be able to detect the signs on your own. For this reason, it’s of vital importance that you secure thorough property condition reports from a reputable, experienced and professional building inspection company in WA. Unlike builders or contractors, a professional building inspector has no financial stake in the findings of an inspection report. Your inspector is a truly neutral party, and a qualified professional will be far more likely to spot signs of concrete cancer than an untrained strata manager.
Don’t let the hidden presence of concrete cancer wreak havoc with the safety and security you’ve been tasked to protect. Work with a professional building inspector to learn what could be lurking in your building today. Protect the residents of the strata scheme you manage, and their investments, from damages brought about by crumbling, poorly maintained concrete structures.
Houspect Building Inspections – Western Australia– Buy, Build, Invest and Sell with Confidence
08 9240 8855
info.wa@houspectwa.com.au
