It can be quite common for residents to carry out voluntary tasks on behalf of their strata corporation. This could include day-to-day maintenance work such as cleaning or gardening in common areas. But what happens if they are injured while performing these activities?
What does the policy cover?
In a strata insurance policy, the voluntary workers section provides cover for an individual for accidental death or injury while working voluntarily as authorised by the strata corporation without payment, reward, or remuneration. Each insurer has its own table of benefits for this section, detailing the benefit amount payable for each event which can include loss of sight and/or the loss of hands/feet, etc. In addition to the table of benefits, it is also important to read through and understand the insurer’s policy conditions and exclusions.
Who does the policy cover?
As noted above, a voluntary worker carries out these duties as authorised by the strata corporation without any payment, reward, or remuneration. Therefore, any employee, contractor or any other person who receives a payment, reward, or remuneration for the services they have carried out for the strata corporation / unit owner do not fall under this section of cover. When appointing a contractor, it is important for the strata corporation / unit owner to ensure they have appropriate and adequate insurance in place to perform works at the property.
Should the strata corporation wish to engage a voluntary worker, they should first check whether the work needs to be performed by a licensed tradesperson (e.g., plumbing and / or electrical works) and ensure that the person allocated to the task is qualified. The strata corporation should not approve the voluntary worker if they are not capable of performing the works.
Thinking about volunteering?
If you would like to volunteer on behalf of your strata corporation to carry out the duties required, you will need to seek written approval from the strata corporation. It is also important to confirm with your strata corporation that the type of voluntary work is officially recorded with your name and date. If you are injured whilst carrying out this work, this information may be requested by the insurer when lodging a claim.
Generally, the voluntary worker section of cover is included automatically in a strata insurance policy, however, please check your policy documents or confirm with your strata manager, broker, or insurer.
This publication is not intended to be taken as advice regarding any individual situation and should not be relied upon as such. The information contained herein is based on sources we believe reliable, but we make no representation or warranty as to its accuracy. Honan shall have no obligation to update this publication and shall have no liability to you or any other party arising out of this publication or any matter contained herein. Any statements concerning actuarial, tax, accounting, or legal matters are based solely on our experience as insurance brokers and risk consultants and are not to be relied upon as actuarial, accounting, tax, or legal advice, for which you should consult your own professional advisors. Any modelling, analytics, or projections are subject to inherent uncertainty, and any analysis could be materially affected if any underlying assumptions, conditions, information, or factors are inaccurate or incomplete or should change.
