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NSW: Q&A Fibre optic upgrade to individual units. Who pays?
Leanne Habib, Premium Strata Question: Where will the financial responsibility lie for the fibre optic upgrade to individual units, assuming a majority of the owners corporation want direct fibre to their home?
QLD: Q&A Unpaid Strata Levies and Overdue Fees at Settlement
Todd Garsden, Hynes Legal
Question: Upon the sale of my unit, our Strata Manager claims I owe thousands of dollars in overdue fees many made up of legal charges. I’ve had an independent audit carried out. Where do we go from here?
WA: Q&A Recording votes for a motion – by Name or Number?
Gary Phillips, StrataGP Question: Whether at an AGM, EGM or a Committee Meeting, can a lot owner request to have the votes recorded (i.e. by names or by numbers) for a particular Motion?
SA: Q&A Who is Responsible for Repair and Maintenance of Windows
Tyson D’Sylva, Ace Body Corporate Management
Question: Is it an owner or the body corporate responsibility for the repair and maintenance of windows on a strata building? Who covers the maintenance of the window tracks?
NSW: Termite Protection – Are Termites Eating Away At You?
Bannermans Lawyers Managing termites and the damage they can cause is a tricky issue in strata schemes. This is partly because of the wide range of potential scenarios and partly because there are many different views on how far the owners corporation’s obligations go.
VIC: Helping Remove Dangerous Cladding And Boosting Pool Safety
Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne
The Andrews Labor Government is introducing new reforms to reduce the cost of removing dangerous combustible cladding. Arrangements between owners (or owners corporations), lenders and local councils will provide long-term, low-interest loans to pay for building work to rectify cladding.
NSW: When a lot owner wants to expand into part of the common property
Samantha Saw, Speirs Ryan More lot owners are considering expanding into the roof space or basement of a strata scheme adjacent to their lot. Doing so can have benefits but there are different approaches and conflicting views on whether an owners corporation is obliged to agree.
NSW: Q&A One of our strata executive committee members is out of control
Rod Smith, The Strata Collective Question: We have a vacancy of an office bearer. Two office bearers remaining wish to appoint a nominee for the owners corporation their own preferred appointment without going to a general meeting.
There are several other owners who wish to nominate and are exuded as there were only three members comprising the committee.
Should replacement be decided at a general election? It seems very undemocratic that two people can decide to fill a vacancy when the act says the owners corporation decide the election of the committee and then office bearers are decided at committee meetings.
Leonie Milonas, PSC Property Lync Insurance Brokers Question: I am trying to find an insurer which would insure common property only or allow each strata lot owner to determine their own insurance. Are there any insurers who will do this?
It would seem that there would be a great demand for such an option as with subdivisions, more strata plans are comprised of different types of houses with different values.
QLD: Q&A The First rule of Visitor Parking in Apartments – umm, it’s for visitors!
Frank Higginson, Hynes Legal Question: In a 14 unit strata complex in Queensland, 2 units have double car bays, 12 units have single bays although extra deep some up to 8 mtrs that could almost fit tandem parking if they had small cars, and there are 5 Visitors bays. All units are rentals.
Q 1 Do we need to have all 5 as visitor bays?
Q 2 Can we seek permission from Strata to lease 1 car bay for 1 month?
WA: The Lync to Safer Strata
Established in 2017, PSC Property Lync is the first of its kind in Australia – a broking risk service that truly understands Strata Communities. At PSC Property Lync, we go above and beyond. That’s why we promise to be transparent with our quotes from the outset.
NSW & QLD: Body Corporate Report Specialists A background of over 25 years experience in Quantity Surveying in construction and development. You can be sure to benefit from our experience for your reporting needs. We work in partnership with you as we share a joint interest in the success of each and every report.
News of the Week
VIC: Cladding loans to be offered to thousands of apartment owners
Clay Lucas, The Age Owners of thousands of apartments across Victoria covered in combustible cladding will be able to get their buildings repaired via a loan paid off on their council rates. In a bind over many apartments and townhouses around Victoria clad in dangerous materials, the Andrews government will create the new scheme so that owners can pay for their building to be repaired more quickly.
9News The Twin Towers on Elizabeth Quay will be joined by the Ritz Carlton and the developers are confident both projects will buck the downward trends. The Twin Towers consists of 374 apartments - 1, 2 and 3 bedroom boasting 'forever uninterrupted' water views. 70% of the development has sold. A 2 bedroom apartment will set you back $1.2M. Or how about the three storey penthouse at just $12M?
State Member for Sydney, Alex Greenwich, has launched a petition to have short term letting debated in NSW parliament. He needs 10,000 signatures. They must be original signatures so people need to print, sign, and mail/drop off to his office.
We urge NSW LookUpStrata readers to sign, put up in their lobbies, and share with their committees and other lot owners.
Independent MP Alex Greenwich: There has been a strong supportive response to my petition calling for owners corporations the authority to control short term letting in their building, including to place limits beyond state controls or to ban the practice outright. If you support this approach, please sign and collect signatures. Print petition HERE.
Before making any decisions about possible changes to the BUGT Act, the Queensland Government would like to hear your views about QUT’s recommendations.
You are invited to provide feedback on QUT’s recommendations to harmonise some provisions of the BUGT Act and the BCCM Act to provide bodies corporate operating under the BUGT Act with a more contemporary body corporate legislative framework.
