How Cohabit Collects Building Data
Who this article is for
Buyers and buyer’s agents
Lot owners and committee members
Anyone wondering how Cohabit gets the information shown in a building profile
What we mean by “building data”
When we talk about building data in Cohabit, we’re referring to information that helps describe how a building is operating, maintained, and managed over time.
The vast majority of this data comes from official strata records.
In some cases, Cohabit may also supplement this with other reliable, independent building data to provide additional context.
Building records: the primary source
Most of the information you see in a Cohabit building profile is based on strata records.
These typically include:
Financials – budgets, levy notices, statements
Minutes – owners corporation / body corporate meetings
Insurance – policies and certificates
Maintenance and capital works – reports, plans, defects
Compliance – fire, pool, lift, and other required certificates
Past inspection or expert material (where available)
These records are used to:
Generate Building Health Scores
Create Expert Insights
Power Building Intelligence, renewals, and compliance tracking
Strata records are the most complete and reliable source of information about how a building is actually run.
Other building data (supplementary)
In addition to strata records, Cohabit may use other reliable, independent building data sources where available.
These sources are used to:
Improve baseline building information
Fill gaps where strata records are limited or slow to arrive
Provide additional building-level context
They supplement strata records — they do not replace them.
All building data shown in Cohabit is reviewed and structured before it appears in a building profile.
Authority still matters
Cohabit does not automatically access building records or data without permission.
Strata records can only be collected and reviewed once Cohabit has the appropriate authority, which usually comes from:
An owner connecting their lot in Cohabit, or
A buyer researching a building, which allows Cohabit to work with their conveyancer or solicitor to obtain access
Without authority, Cohabit cannot inspect or use private strata records, even if a building appears in search.
How building data is used in Cohabit
Once authorised building data is available, it can be used to support:
Building Health Scores – high-level signals based on available data
Expert Insights – expert interpretation of records and patterns
Building Intelligence – ongoing updates as new records become available
All of these reflect the information available at the time it was reviewed.
A snapshot, not a live feed
Cohabit is not live-linked to a strata manager’s system.
Building data reflects:
The most recent records reviewed, and
The date of the most recent inspection or update
This means information is accurate as at that point in time, and may not immediately reflect changes that happen later.
Why buildings can look different from one another
Some buildings have richer data than others because:
Owners have connected their lots
Buyers have researched the building
Records have been provided or reviewed recently
Building Intelligence is active
The building has a longer operating history
Others may appear sparse simply because records haven’t been authorised or supplied yet.
A simple way to think about it
Cohabit doesn’t invent building data.
It:
Relies primarily on authorised strata records
Supplements with other reliable building data where helpful
Structures everything clearly
Updates information as new records become available