Who this article is for
Lot owners and committee members
Owners who want ongoing visibility over their building, not just a one-off report
What is Cohabit Building Intelligence?
Cohabit Building Intelligence is a subscription service that keeps your building’s information up to date on a quarterly basis.
Every quarter (or similar regular interval), Cohabit aims to:
Review new strata records that have been provided (e.g. minutes, financials, insurance, compliance documents, works reports)
Update your building’s data and sections based on those records
Refresh your Building Health Score
Provide new or updated insights about how the building is tracking
Instead of a single snapshot, you get a regular “check-in” on your building each quarter.
What does Building Intelligence include?
While the exact view can vary by building, each cycle of Building Intelligence is generally about three things:
1. Quarterly updates to building data
Cohabit (and where relevant, experts) review new records that have come in since the last cycle.
Key areas like financials, meetings, works, compliance and issues are updated based on this new information.
Your Building Profile and Building Snapshot start to reflect what has changed over time, not just what was true once.
2. A refreshed Building Health Score (quarterly)
Your Building Health Score is recalculated on a quarterly basis, using the updated records.
This helps you see whether the building’s overall health is:
Holding steady
Improving
Showing signs of increased risk
3. Updated insights and flags
Where Building Intelligence supports it, insight-style updates can highlight key changes or risks that emerge in the new records.
This might include patterns in:
Levies and funds
Special levies or loans
New or ongoing works
Repeated issues or disputes in meetings
Changes in compliance or insurance
The aim is to help you see “what’s changed this quarter?” without trawling through every document yourself.
How does Building Intelligence relate to Expert Reports?
They complement each other:
A Cohabit Expert Report
Is a one-off deep dive prepared by a strata expert.
Interprets the records at a specific point in time.
Cohabit Building Intelligence
Is ongoing and quarterly.
Focuses on keeping the building’s data, Health Score and insights updated as new records arrive.
A common pattern:
As a buyer, you might start with an Expert Report.
As an owner, you turn on Building Intelligence so you keep seeing quarterly updates, insights and record-based changes.
How do I turn on Cohabit Building Intelligence?
You’ll usually see options to start Building Intelligence when:
You’re setting up your Owner Profile, or
From your Building Profile once your lot is connected (for buildings where Building Intelligence is available)
In general:
Connect as an owner
Follow Setting up your Owner Profile so your lot is linked to your building.
Look for a Building Intelligence prompt
On your building view, you may see a panel like:
“Start Building Intelligence trial” or
“Unlock quarterly updates for this building”
Start your trial (if offered)
Click Start trial / Get started.
Confirm any details.
You’ll often get a free trial period (for example, 3 months) before any ongoing subscription charges apply.
Once it’s active, Building Intelligence runs in the background. You “use” it by viewing your building in Cohabit.
How do I actually use Building Intelligence day-to-day?
You don’t need to press a button every quarter – you just need to know where to look.
1. Check your Building Snapshot after each update
Open your Building Profile → go to Building Snapshot.
After each quarterly cycle, look for changes in:
Building Health Score
Financial tiles
Works and maintenance
Compliance, liveability and other key tiles
Over time, you’ll see patterns (e.g. funds building up, more works being done, or repeated issues).
2. Pay attention to renewals & compliance
Use the parts of your building view that show:
Insurance details and expiry
Key compliance document dates (where applicable)
Each quarter, check whether anything has:
Expired
Been renewed
Is coming up soon
This is especially useful for committee members or engaged owners.
3. Combine quarterly updates with meetings
Before AGMs or committee meetings, open Cohabit and review:
The latest Health Score
Recent Building Snapshot changes
Any new records in Files
It becomes much easier to read agendas and minutes when you already have a quarterly summary in your head.
Do I have to use Building Intelligence?
No. Building Intelligence is optional.
You can still:
Use Cohabit as an owner
See your Building Profile, Snapshot, existing Expert Reports and Files
Without Building Intelligence, you’ll just be relying on point-in-time data rather than quarterly updates and refreshed insights.
FAQs
Q: Is Cohabit Building Intelligence free?
Usually you’ll start with a free trial (for example, 3 months). After that, it becomes a paid subscription if you decide to continue. Exact pricing and availability can depend on your building and plan.
Q: How often is my building updated under Building Intelligence?
It’s designed to work on a quarterly basis – roughly every three months, Cohabit reviews new records, refreshes data, updates insights where applicable, and recalculates your Building Health Score.
Q: Does Building Intelligence replace our strata manager?
No. Your strata manager still runs the scheme and its operations. Building Intelligence simply gives owners and committees quarterly visibility and insights based on the records provided.
Q: Can multiple owners in my building see Building Intelligence?
Yes, where supported. Other owners who connect their lots in Cohabit can see the same updated building view, subject to Cohabit’s access rules.
Q: Do I need an Expert Report to get value from Building Intelligence?
No. Building Intelligence can still keep your building’s data and Health Score up to date each quarter. However, an Expert Report is a great way to start with a deep initial understanding before relying on quarterly updates.