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5 July 2026
Strata Painting Warranties and Insurance: What Committees Need to Check
A long painting warranty can look reassuring on a strata quotation. So can the words "fully insured". But what do those promises actually cover?
For a strata committee, owners corporation or strata manager, the details matter more than the headline. A ten-year warranty may apply only to selected surfaces. Public liability insurance may cover accidental property damage, but not peeling paint. A manufacturer's warranty may cover the coating itself, while leaving the cost of access, labour and surface repairs outside the claim.
Before approving a major repaint, it helps to separate four different forms of protection:
- The painting contractor's workmanship warranty
- The paint manufacturer's product warranty
- Statutory warranties and consumer rights
- Business and project insurance
They work in different ways. None should be treated as a substitute for a clear scope of works, correct surface preparation and competent project management.
This guide explains what strata painting warranties and insurance generally mean in NSW, what documents to request and which questions to ask before signing a contract.
Quick answer:
A strata painting contractor should provide a written warranty setting out the covered surfaces, warranty period, defects, exclusions and claim process. The contractor should also hold appropriate insurance, usually including public liability and workers compensation where applicable. Home Building Compensation cover may be required for certain residential projects over $20,000, but exemptions and project-specific rules apply.
Table of contents
- Strata Painting Warranties and Insurance: What Committees Need to Check
- What Does a Strata Painting Warranty Cover?
- Workmanship Warranty Versus Paint Manufacturer Warranty
- What Is Usually Excluded From a Painting Warranty?
- How Long Should a Strata Painting Warranty Last?
- NSW Statutory Warranties May Also Apply
- Is a Painting Licence Required in NSW?
- What Insurance Should a Strata Painting Contractor Hold?
- How to Protect the Warranty During the Project
What Does a Strata Painting Warranty Cover?
A painting warranty is a written commitment to correct defined problems that arise during a stated period. It should tell the owners corporation what will be repaired, who will pay for it and which circumstances are excluded.
Common workmanship defects that may be covered include:
- Peeling or flaking caused by inadequate preparation
- Loss of adhesion between properly specified coating layers
- Blistering caused by incorrect application
- Premature cracking of the applied coating
- Noticeably uneven coverage
- Failure of repaired areas where the repair formed part of the agreed scope
- Application of the wrong specified colour or coating
Coverage depends on the contract. The word "warranty" by itself is not enough. The committee should be able to read the document and understand precisely which surfaces and paint systems are protected.
For qualifying paint systems, Painters Link may provide an 8 to 10-year written warranty. The applicable term is confirmed for each project because exterior render, internal corridors, metal balustrades and trafficable floor coatings do not all perform in the same way.
Workmanship Warranty Versus Paint Manufacturer Warranty
These warranties are often mentioned together, but they cover different responsibilities.
Contractor workmanship warranty
The contractor's warranty relates primarily to how the professional painting services were performed. This may include cleaning, preparation, patching, priming, application methods, required film build and the number of coats.
If paint peels because a surface was not cleaned or primed correctly, that is more likely to be a workmanship issue.
Manufacturer product warranty
A manufacturer's warranty relates to the performance or quality of its coating when the product is used according to its technical requirements. Conditions may include:
- Using the complete nominated coating system
- Applying the correct primer and topcoats
- Meeting specified coverage rates
- Allowing appropriate drying and recoat times
- Applying the coating within suitable weather conditions
- Ensuring the substrate is sound and dry
- Keeping product and batch records
A reliable contractor should be willing to explain where its workmanship responsibility ends and where the manufacturer's product warranty begins.
What Is Usually Excluded From a Painting Warranty?
No responsible painters, like Painters Link, can guarantee every surface against every future problem.
Paint is a protective finish, but it cannot permanently stop building movement, active leaks or concrete deterioration.
Typical exclusions may include:
- Water entering through roofs, windows, balconies or failed membranes
- Rising damp, condensation or unresolved moisture
- Structural movement and new cracking
- Concrete spalling or concrete cancer outside the painting scope
- Rust developing from untreated or inaccessible steel
- Failure of an existing coating beneath the new paint system
- Mould caused by leaks, ventilation problems or persistent humidity
- Damage caused by residents, other trades or building maintenance
- Pressure washing with unsuitable equipment or chemicals
- Failure to complete recommended maintenance
- Normal weathering, chalking or gradual colour change
- Areas specifically excluded from the quotation
- Surfaces that the committee instructed the contractor to paint against technical advice
This does not mean broad exclusions should be accepted without question. They should be specific, reasonable and linked to the building's actual condition.
For example, if balcony soffits show recurring moisture stains, the contractor should record the issue before painting. The committee can then investigate the source rather than expecting a decorative coating to solve a waterproofing defect.
We occasionally inspect buildings where a previous paint job has "failed", only to find that water is still entering around a parapet or window. Repainting the damaged section without stopping the leak simply resets the clock. In our experience, honest advice at the inspection stage prevents a much more frustrating warranty discussion later.
How Long Should a Strata Painting Warranty Last?
There is no single warranty period that suits every strata painting project.
The appropriate period depends on:
- The surface material and its existing condition
- Whether old coatings are sound
- The proposed preparation
- The primer and topcoat system
- UV, rain, salt and wind exposure
- Moisture and drainage conditions
- Building movement
- Cleaning and maintenance
- The level of physical traffic or impact
Committees should be cautious if one warranty term is applied to every surface without qualification. An eight or ten-year warranty may be reasonable for a properly prepared exterior coating system, but that does not automatically mean every door, handrail, floor and previously damaged area receives identical coverage.
The written warranty schedule should settle this before work starts.
NSW Statutory Warranties May Also Apply
Contractual warranties do not necessarily replace legal rights.
Under the NSW Home Building Act, statutory warranties apply to relevant residential building work even if they are not written into the contract. These warranties include requirements that work be completed with due care and skill, use suitable materials and comply with the law and contract.
For applicable work, NSW guidance states that the statutory warranty period is six years for a breach resulting in a major defect and two years for other defects, generally beginning when the work is completed. Painting failures will not ordinarily be structural "major defects", but the classification always depends on the particular circumstances. NSW Government explains the statutory warranties and time limits here.
Consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law may also apply. Services supplied to a consumer must generally be provided with due care and skill, be fit for a disclosed purpose and be completed within a reasonable time when no timeframe was agreed. The ACCC provides an overview of these service guarantees.
This article provides general information, not legal advice. An owners corporation dealing with a substantial defect or disputed claim should obtain advice based on its contract and circumstances.
Is a Painting Licence Required in NSW?
For residential painting work in NSW valued at more than $5,000, including GST, labour and materials, the contractor generally needs an appropriate contractor licence. The entity named on the contract should be properly authorised to contract for the work, not merely an individual working somewhere within the business.
The committee can check:
- The contractor’s legal business name
- ABN and, if applicable, ACN
- NSW contractor licence number
- Licence category
- Any licence conditions
- Current licence status
- The name of the entity issuing the warranty
The NSW Government confirms the licensing threshold and describes the work covered by the painting category on its painting work licensing page.
This check matters when comparing painters in Sydney. A polished proposal or familiar trading name is not proof that the contracting entity holds the correct licence.
What Insurance Should a Strata Painting Contractor Hold?
Public liability insurance
Public liability insurance generally responds to certain claims involving accidental injury to third parties or damage to property arising from the contractor’s business activities.
On a strata site, potential incidents might include damage to a resident’s vehicle, paint overspray affecting neighbouring property, or a member of the public being injured near the work area.
The owners corporation should request a current certificate of currency and check:
- The insured name matches the contracting entity
- The policy remains valid throughout the project
- The liability limit meets the contract requirement
- Painting and the proposed access method are within the insured activities
- Relevant exclusions are understood
- Subcontracting arrangements are appropriately covered
A $20 million public liability limit is common on larger commercial and strata tenders, but it is not a universal legal requirement for every painting job. The appropriate limit should reflect the contract, site and risk profile. Painters Link maintains public and products liability cover for the projects it undertakes, with current evidence provided as required.
Importantly, public liability is not a workmanship guarantee. It will not normally serve as a simple maintenance fund for defective paintwork.
Workers compensation insurance
Most NSW employers must hold workers compensation insurance unless an exemption applies. It supports workers who suffer a work-related injury or illness and protects employers from associated claim costs. SIRA explains workers compensation obligations for construction businesses.
Committees should request current evidence where applicable, particularly on projects involving several painters, supervisors or labourers. The contractor should also explain how subcontractors are engaged and insured.
Home Building Compensation cover
Home Building Compensation, commonly called HBC or HBCF insurance, is different from public liability insurance. It is a last-resort protection for eligible residential building work if the contractor cannot complete the work or rectify defects because of specified events such as insolvency, death, disappearance or certain licence suspensions.
SIRA states that a principal contractor carrying out relevant residential building work over $20,000, including GST, generally needs project-specific HBC cover unless an exemption applies. The insurance must be arranged before work starts or money is requested or accepted. See SIRA’s insurance obligations for residential building work.
Strata buildings need particular care. There is an exemption relating to the construction of new multi-storey buildings with a rise in storeys greater than three and at least two dwellings. That exemption should not be casually applied to every repaint, repair or alteration in an existing high-rise. SIRA lists the current HBC exemptions.
Whether HBC cover is required depends on the building, contract, scope, value and role of the contractor. The safest approach is to check the project with SIRA or a suitably qualified adviser before accepting a deposit.
Other project-specific insurance
Depending on the work, the contract may also require:
- Contract works insurance
- Professional indemnity insurance where professional design or specification advice is provided
- Motor vehicle and mobile plant insurance
- Insurance for scaffolding, elevated work platforms or rope-access activities
The name of a policy matters less than whether it responds to the actual activities proposed on the site.
Documents to Request Before Work Begins
- The signed contract and detailed scope of works
- The contractor’s licence and company details
- Current certificates of currency
- Any required HBC certificate for the specific address
- The written workmanship warranty
- Manufacturer product and system information
- Safety documentation and access plans
- Colour schedule and approved sample areas
- Evidence of agreed exclusions and existing defects
- A process for inspections, variations, handover and warranty claims
How to Protect the Warranty During the Project
The strongest warranty is supported by good records.
Before painting, photograph cracks, moisture marks, corrosion and failing coatings. Record any areas excluded from repair. During the work, keep details of preparation, primers, topcoats, colours and product batches. Moisture readings and weather records may also be useful on sensitive exterior surfaces.
At completion, the strata representative and contractor should conduct a joint inspection. The handover package should record:
- The practical completion date
- Outstanding touch-ups
- Coating systems and colours
- Maintenance recommendations
- Warranty commencement date
- Claim contact details
- Access to project photographs and reports
If a defect appears, notify the contractor promptly in writing. Include the location, photographs and the date it was first noticed. Avoid allowing another trade to alter the area before the original contractor has inspected it, unless urgent action is required to prevent damage or protect safety.
FAQs
