01The basics
What does strata cleaning in Melbourne actually cover?
Strata cleaning in Melbourne is the routine cleaning of a scheme's common property: the foyers, lifts, stairs, corridors, paths, driveways and shared rooms that no single owner holds. It is paid from owners corporation levies and instructed by the committee or its manager.
Consumer Affairs Victoria describes common property as the parts of the land, buildings and airspace that are not lots on the plan of subdivision, and lists gardens, passages, walls, pathways, driveways, stairs, lifts, foyers and fences as typical examples. Lot owners own it together as tenants in common, which is why the cleaning bill lands on the owners corporation rather than on one resident.
What sits inside a lot, including the floor coverings and fixtures, normally belongs to that owner. We clean the shared parts and leave private apartments, townhouses and storage cages alone unless an owner books us separately. Balconies and some windows fall into a grey area that each plan of subdivision settles differently, so we check yours before we quote. Our guide to what is strata cleaning walks through the edge cases.
Sources: Consumer Affairs Victoria, owners corporation definitions; Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic), which lists repairing and maintaining common property among an owners corporation's functions. General information, not legal advice. Checked September 2026.