A body corporate commonly creates policies about various practical matters at the scheme. These policies are usually referred to as “House Rules” and are not part of the scheme’s by-laws. Typical topics for these rules include moving in/out, renovation and moving bonds, and use of recreation facilities.
If an owner or occupier does not comply with the rules, either deliberately or accidentally, there can be disagreements about what can be done to enforce the House Rules…
An adjudicator has ordered the body corporate of a 50-year-old building to carry out significant structural repairs, despite their intentions to avoid those repairs pending the redevelopment of the building under the new scheme termination amendments to the BCCM legislation.
Cladding Compliance – 29 May Stage 2 Deadline Looming Building owners required to respond to the Queensland Government’s new combustible cladding regulations have been forced to remain passengers on the cladding ‘compliance bus’, even if their properties have been cleared of potentially hazardous materials. The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) has recently indicated more…
Community Education Seminars – South East Queensland Registrations Open! Strata Mythbusters! – Open Forum Commissioner Chris Irons and strata law experts Frank Higginson of Hynes Legal (Sunshine Coast) and Juliette Nairn (Gold Coast) will test the legalities of common strata Myths we often hear about, leaving plenty of time for you to ask them to…
Strata Law Reform Attorney General announces no change to Lot Entitlements Attorney General Yvette D’Ath opened the Strata Community Association QLD (SCA) annual conference last month and announced that the government will not be making any changes to lot entitlements. The announcement is in response to the Property Law Review recommendations completed by the QLD…
Debt Recovery FAQ’s It’s no surprise, given we’re talking about dollars and cents, that issues about body corporate levies and debt recovery are common place. We’ve attempted to compile some of the more frequently asked questions below, with answers. As always, it is not legal advice and is provided as a guide only. Q1. I…
Tips and Traps of Engaging Contractors We have all experienced a contracted arrangement gone wrong – a painting contractor whose work starts bubbling just months after it is completed or a plumber who charges to repair a leaking pipe but does not fix the leak. Without a crystal ball, there is no way to completely…
Commissioners Corner – Financial Management Part 2 Let’s talk about money. Part 2 In Part One of this series, I talked about body corporate finances and, in particular, the responsibilities of lot owners to pay their levies. Equally, the body corporate and its committee has responsibilities for how they spend body corporate funds and in…
Saving on Strata Insurance Both the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management in Queensland, and the Insurance Council of Australia, provide excellent information about how to manage the costs of strata insurance. The Insurance Council of Australia has released: the strata owner’s fact sheet; and the strata owner’s check list. While they are more…
Cladding Regulation Deadline – 29 March 2019 There are less than 6 weeks to go for Strata property owners to comply with the first stage of the Queensland Government’s new combustible cladding regulations with the deadline being 29 March 2019. Safety concerns about cladding in apartment buildings have reignited following a fast-moving fire this month…
