Quoting for Property Managers and Body Corporates

Strata and property management work is repeat business gold if you quote it the way they want. Here is how to win and keep the work.

Property managers and strata committees can be the best customers a tradesperson ever has. The work is regular, the buildings are nearby, and one good relationship can be worth twenty private jobs a year.

But they quote work very differently to homeowners. The format matters. The response time matters. And there are unwritten rules that, once you understand them, make you the first call every time.

Who you are actually quoting for

When a tap is leaking in a unit, the resident calls the property manager. The property manager calls you. But your quote does not go to the property manager, not really. It goes to the owner of the unit, or to the body corporate committee, who has to approve the spend.

That means your quote needs to read clearly to someone who has never been to the site, does not know the building, and is reading it on their phone between meetings. Plain language. Clear scope. No jargon.

Speed is everything

Property managers juggle dozens of buildings. The tradie who replies fastest gets the job, almost without exception. If you can quote within four hours during business hours, you will become a preferred contractor in six months.

Teams handling quotes and invoices for property maintenance often build templates for the 20 most common jobs (tap washer, leaking shower, blocked toilet, broken window) so they can quote in under five minutes from a photo.

Format that gets approved

Property managers and strata committees approve thousands of quotes a year. They have a mental template. Match it and your quotes get approved without queries.

• Reference the building name and unit number at the top
• One line scope summary in plain language
• Itemised pricing for labour, materials, and call out
• GST shown separately
• Clear access requirements (do you need a key, a parking permit, a notice to residents)
• Insurance and licence numbers at the bottom

If your quote is missing the unit number or the licence numbers, it goes back into the queue. That delay alone costs you the job.

Pricing strata work

Strata and property management work pays at fair market rates. It does not pay premium rates. The trade off is volume and reliability. Price competitively but never cheap.

Common job benchmarks

• Tap washer replacement: $ 145 to $ 195
• Leaking shower diagnosis: $ 220 to $ 320
• Blocked drain (machine clear): $ 280 to $ 450
• Light fitting replacement: $ 165 to $ 280
• Door lock change: $ 220 to $ 380
• Window pane replacement (small): $ 320 to $ 580

Handymen on strata work often build a fixed price list for jobs under $ 500 and quote those instantly without a site visit. A set of free quote templates makes that list reusable. Faster turnaround, less admin, more jobs.

The hidden rules of strata work

Every strata tradesperson learns these the hard way. Here they are upfront.

Always invoice the right party

Common property repairs (roof, external walls, common stairwells) get billed to the body corporate. Inside the unit gets billed to the lot owner. Get this wrong and your invoice sits unpaid for months while everyone argues.

Always confirm access in writing

If you turn up and cannot get in, the call out is on you, not the property manager. Confirm in writing: who is letting you in, what time, which unit.

Never do extras without approval

If you find more damage on site, stop. Take photos. Quote the additional work. Wait for approval. Doing extras and then sending a bigger invoice is the fastest way to get dropped from the contractor list.

Plumbing on strata work

Plumbing is the most common strata trade. Plumbers on strata work need to be specific: which fixture, which valve, which pipe. "Repair leak in unit 12" is not a quote. "Replace mixer cartridge in main bathroom basin, unit 12, supply and install Dorf cartridge, $ 285" is a quote.

Building the relationship

Once you are a preferred contractor, treat the property manager as gold. Reply fast. Quote fast. Invoice clean. Never argue over $ 50. They will send you ten more jobs next month.

Drop in a coffee at the office every couple of months. Send a Christmas card. Property managers move firms regularly and they take their preferred contractors with them.

A worked example

Property manager calls Tuesday morning. Resident in unit 14 has a leaking laundry tap. By 10am you have:

• Confirmed access for Wednesday 9am
• Sent a quote: $ 165 supply and install new mixer, billed to lot owner
• Confirmed insurance and licence on the quote
• Booked it into your schedule

Job done Wednesday by 10am. Invoice sent Wednesday afternoon. Paid Friday. The property manager has spent maybe ten minutes on the whole thing. They will call you first next time.

Want to put this into practice? QuoteGenio handles quoting across the property and maintenance trades, mobile-first, with no spreadsheets and no after-hours admin.

The bottom line

Strata and property management work rewards speed, clarity, and reliability over price. Quote within hours, format clearly, bill the right party, and never do extras without approval. Get those four things right and you will have steady, repeat work for years.