Welcome to our Wednesday Edition of Strata Life.

Have You Had Your Say Yet?
Complete this short survey on behalf of Australian Apartment Advocacy so that they can lobby government and developers for better outcomes for those of us who choose to live and own apartments! [+ You Could Win $1000!
LAST DAYS!]

Promote Your Strata Service Business

Join our growing list of Sponsors. Spots are limited. Lock in your spot now!

Latest Articles

NSW: Q&A Strata Title Trees and Hedges – What Can & Can’t the OC do?

Leanne Habib, Premium Strata
Our boundary hedge overlapped common property. With no consultation, 2 committee members arranged for it to be trimmed severely resulting in damage to the fence. How can this be right?

QLD: Q&A Can Signatures on a Secret Ballot be Kept Secret?

Peter Hunt, Mathews Hunt Legal 
Question: If the body corporate passes an ordinary resolution that a particular vote is to be by secret ballot, can the signatures to the request be kept secret and if so, how?

NSW: Q&A When are My Special Levies Due?


Andrew Terrell,
Bright & Duggan

Question: I understand when my levies are due for payment. Does the 30 day required notice period apply to Special Levies?
 

QLD: Building Management Statements – what are they?

Natalie Nordlof,
Archers the Strata Professionals

Does your building have retail or commercial lots below or mixed with the residential lots? Chances are your Body Corporate is part of a Building Management Statement (BMS). So, what is a BMS?

Strata Managers: how do you handle a crisis?

Lia de Sousa,
Whitbread Insurance Brokers

As a Strata Manager, it is up to you to take the lead when a crisis event occurs. From consulting with the Owners Corporation and tenants to dealing with external agencies such as the fire brigade or civil engineers, a Strata Manager must govern the response to a crisis from start to finish, ensuring all key stakeholders have been included and looked after.

NSW: Animals and hard surface floors in strata schemes: an update

Allison Benson,
Kerin Benson Lawyers

A by-law containing an outright prohibition is likely to be held to be harsh, unconscionable and oppressive and may be invalidated by the NCAT. Contemporary community standards need to be considered as does whether the by-law attempts to regulate behaviour regulates in the Act itself.

Last Edition's Star Articles

NSW: Changes to Laws Regulating Short Term Accomodation

Adrian Mueller, JS Mueller & Co

QLD: Q&A Is our Strata Title By-laws About No Pets In The Foyer Lawful?

Todd Garsden, Hynes Legal 

Our Sponsors

Norwest Strata Management

NSW: Efficient & Effective Strata Management Solutions
Providing free no obligation fee proposals for Strata Management Services in Sydney Metro area. We look forward to hearing from you.

Quality Building Management

Aust. Wide: Specialising in everything to keep Strata Complexes safe and legally compliant, QBM provide the full range of building inspections, reporting and training services for Owners Corporations and Bodies Corporate.

National: Have Your Say and WIN

Would you like to win a $1000 prepaid visa? Then complete this short survey on behalf of Australian Apartment Advocacy so that they can lobby government and developers for better outcomes for those of us who choose to live and own apartments as our preference. The link for the survey is HERE and you have until 31 March to complete.

Remember if you have already done the survey then you will not be able to undertake it again. LAST DAYS!

QLD: The first cladding stop is approaching 

An important reminder from Hynes Legal:

We don’t need to rehash what we have written previously about the state government’s cladding laws but you can read the article again if you want to. The date for all buildings that are caught by the cladding regulations to effectively opt out of the regime (if that is the case) is 29 March

If you don’t opt out, your building is going to stage two, with the consequential costs, even if it is not caught. If you haven’t looked at the cladding issue, the time is nigh. LAST DAYS!

Breaking News

Risk for Developers and Apartment Buyers ‘Elevated but Contained’: RBA

NSW: Before and afters: Gosford apartment transformation


QLD: Unit complex break and enters on the rise, West End
 

VIC: Prahran vendors lose out selling apartments covered in combustible cladding

 

Cladding, short-stays and rooming

 

Fresh round of legal challenges over apartments with flammable cladding


WA:  Luxury Elizabeth Quay apartments boast never-before-seen technology


NZ: $40 million leaky building repairs: Auckland's Victopia tower remediation to take two years

Upcoming Events

New South Wales


Your Strata Property: Better Buildings [Webinar] 28 Mar, 12 – 1 pm

SCA (NSW): 2019 Industry Briefing Session | Protection in Business The Rocks: 28 Mar, 8 – 10 am

City of Sydney: Strata Skills 101 Strata Meetings: Why good governance matters Sydney: 2 Apr, 6 – 8 pm

SCA (NSW): Masterclass Sydney: 9 Apr, 8 – 10 am

City of Sydney: Strata Skills 101 Strata Meetings: The Handover: From developer to owners Sydney: 9 Apr, 6 – 8 pm

City of Sydney: Strata Skills 101 Strata Meetings: Strata Committees: Roles and responsibilities Sydney: 30 Apr, 6 – 8 pm

SCA (NSW): Strata Committee Training Chatswood: 8 May, 9 am – 1:30 pm

Queensland


SCA (QLD): Committee Training Spring Hill: 28 Mar, 2 - 5 pm

Strata In Skirts: Speed Networking
Fortitude Valley: 29 Mar, 8 pm

Upcoming Events

National


2019 SCA Conference Auckland, New Zealand: 11 - 13 June

Victoria


Nightingale 1 public tour Brunswick: 4 Apr, 10 - 11 am

Nightingale 1 public tour Brunswick: 11 Apr, 10 - 11 am

Western Australia


SCA WA: SCA A100 Introduction to Strata For Strata Managers, Industry Profs & Lot Owners. Bentley: 1 - 3 Apr, 9 am - 3 pm

SCA WA: PD - The Four Pillars of Property For Strata Managers, Industry Profs & Lot Owners. Burswood: 10 Apr, 8 - 10:30 am

SCA WA: Strata Management Practice Standard (SPS) - Workshop Two Subiaco East: 24 Apr, 8:30 am - 12 pm
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Have you subscribed to this newsletter? Sign up now!