For many Body Corporate committees, a Long-Term Maintenance Plan (LTMP) is simply a compliance exercise. Having a plan is mandatory under the Unit Titles Act, and it’s seen as just an inevitable cost of apartment living.
The problem is that while having an LTMP is compulsory, the quality of that plan isn’t regulated in the same way. In practice, that means many LTMPs tick the legislative box but quietly expose owners to much bigger risks down the track.
Mike Woods, Director and Senior Building Surveyor at Prendos, says that in his experience, those who commission LTMPs tend to fall into two camps.
“There are those who just want the cheapest document that ticks the box, and then there are those who genuinely want to understand their building, forecast future costs and avoid surprises.”
Where cheap LTMPs tend to fall over
The biggest risk with a low-cost, template-driven LTMP isn’t that it’s incomplete – it’s that it can be misleading.
Mike says he and his team regularly see LTMPs where key building elements are poorly described, assumptions aren’t clearly explained, or cost estimates are unreliable, often prepared without Quantity Surveyor input or allowance for cost escalation over time. In some cases, the plan is overly conservative, recommending early replacement of elements that could perform perfectly well for many more years with appropriate maintenance.
“You’ll see things like minor surface rust automatically triggering a full roof replacement in ten years,” says Mike. “In reality, that roof might be perfectly serviceable with planned maintenance. But if the person preparing the plan doesn’t understand building pathology, they tend to protect themselves by assuming the worst.”
That caution might feel safe – but it can inflate long-term budgets unnecessarily, push up levies, and still fail to reflect what actually needs to be done.
In other cases, the opposite problem occurs: elements are under-assessed, leading to unrealistic optimism about remaining life and leaving the Body Corporate exposed to sudden, unplanned expenditure.
When an LTMP becomes a liability
An LTMP doesn’t just sit on a shelf. It influences levy planning, maintenance decisions and owner expectations. It also forms part of the information relied on by purchasers and their advisors when carrying out due diligence.
“If the underlying assumptions are wrong, everything that follows is built on shaky ground,” says Guy Dobson, Senior Building Surveyor at Prendos. “A plan that lacks detail or accuracy can expose the Body Corporate to unnecessary financial, operational, health and safety and maintenance risks”.
In that context, a cheap LTMP can end up being one of the most expensive documents a Body Corporate commissions.
What a good LTMP delivers
A robust LTMP doesn’t try to predict the future with absolute certainty. Instead, it provides informed judgement based on observed condition, realistic lifecycles and practical experience of how New Zealand buildings perform over time.
Done properly, it helps committees distinguish between what genuinely needs replacing and what can be maintained, plan funding over time, and reduce the likelihood of sudden special levies or disputes between owners.
“The cost of the plan itself should be minor compared to what it helps you avoid,” says Mike. “It’s far better to build up funds steadily than to face a major, reactive cost because something wasn’t properly planned for.”
Time for an LTMP reality check?
If your current LTMP doesn’t give you confidence that it reflects your building as it exists today – or if it feels more like a compliance document than a strategic decision-making tool – it may be time to revisit it.
Prendos prepares long-term maintenance plans that prioritise clarity, realism and asset protection – designed to support long-term value, not just compliance.
At Prendos, adding value to your assets is our number one priority. If you’d like to speak with our Building Surveyors about how they can help you maximise the value of your investments, call us on 0800 PRENDOS, email [email protected], or fill in the form below and we’ll call you back.