If your property has been damaged or something has been stolen in the building, report it straight away and ask the strata team to preserve the CCTV before it’s overwritten.
Act quickly – CCTV doesn’t last long: building cameras usually record on a rolling cycle and footage can be overwritten within a couple of weeks (sometimes days). If something has been damaged or stolen, report it to the building team now and specifically ask them to save the relevant footage, even before police attend. Police attendance can be delayed, so getting the footage preserved early means it’s still there when it’s needed – for their investigation and for any insurance claim.
Email the Building Manager using the message below (or lodge an Incident Report on the portal). Be specific about the location and time window so they know which footage to save.
Call WA Police on 131 444 for non-urgent matters, or 000 if a crime is in progress or there’s a risk to safety. Note the police reference number they give you.
Take photos of any damage, list anything stolen, and pass the police reference number to the strata team and your contents insurer. The footage can be released to police on request.
Dear Building Manager and Strata Manager,
Re: Report of [damage / theft] and request to preserve CCTV – Apt [APT NUMBER]
I’m reporting [damage to / theft of] property that occurred on or around [date and approximate time] at [location – e.g. my car bay on level B2 / the bike store / my storeroom / the lobby / outside my apartment].
What happened: [brief description – e.g. my vehicle was broken into and [items] were taken; my storeroom lock was forced; a parcel was taken from the lobby].
I am lodging a report with WA Police and will provide the police reference number once I have it.
In the meantime, could you please:
• preserve and save the CCTV footage covering [location] for [date and time range, e.g. 6–9pm on [date]] so it is not overwritten on the normal recording cycle; and
• confirm to me that the footage has been secured.
As police attendance can be delayed, it’s important the footage is saved now so it remains available for their investigation and for any insurance claim. I’m happy to provide any further detail, and for the footage to be released to police on request.
Thank you,
[FULL NAME]
Apt [APT NUMBER], [PHONE]