Australia: Mascot Towers saga a sorry reminder to keep strata records (NSW)

As if the former residents of Mascot Towers in Sydney weren’t doing it tough enough, last month they received another blow, and it’s one that smacks of local government incompetence, with maybe even a lingering whiff of past potential corruption   Read the entire article……………………………….

Australia: Vertical village “Strata Hub” (NSW)

The NSW Government is introducing “Strata Hub” which aims to consolidate core information about strata schemes – but who will it really benefit?  Information, and its management, is well-recognised as a vital organisational resource, essential for informed decision making. And it is now widely accepted that an organisation’s performance is strongly linked to how well […]

Australia: Out-of-Court Settlement Reached Over Opal Tower

A landmark out-of-court settlement has been reached in the multi-million-dollar class action over Sydney’s defect-riddled Opal Tower, one of Australia’s most significant property lawsuits.  Read the entire article……………………………….

Australia: New Mandatory AGM Digital Reporting for Strata Schemes! (NSW)

Commencing 30 June 2022, the NSW Government will launch phase 2 of the ‘Strata Hub’, revolutionising strata management which means new reporting requirements for all strata schemes.  The ‘Strata Hub’ phase 1 initially went live on 31 July 2021 launching the Strata Building Bond and Inspections Scheme (IBBIS) functions to be dealt with through the […]

Australia: Over a third of new strata buildings require serious repairs (NSW)

Of the strata buildings recently constructed across NSW, 39 per cent have serious defects, according to a new report, and the issues are taking an increasingly long time to be repaired.   Research conducted by the Strata Community Association NSW (SCA NSW) has totalled the cost of these building defects, finding that the average price for […]

Australia: NSW strata: Tribunal considers the validity of pet by-law conditions

Section 137B of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 commenced on 24 August 2021 and provides that a by-law cannot unreasonably prohibit the keeping of an animal on a lot. The following Tribunal decision illustrates that a scheme can still place certain conditions on the keeping of pets.    Read the entire article……………………………….

Australia: Owners of Bayview Apartments in Ryde fix defects after developer goes into liquidation (NSW)

A group of apartment owners in Sydney’s north has had to find millions of dollars to rectify defects in their complex which emerged since it was completed 10 years ago.  The developer behind the project — 82-84 Belmore Street Pty Ltd — was liquidated two years after the apartments were built.      Read the entire article……………………………….

7 Lessons from Florida for Australian Strata

Without exploiting the tragedy at Champlain Towers South in Surfside Florida, there are some very useful lessons for Australian strata stakeholders for dealing with the aftermath of a structurally impaired building that may have some relevance right now. Read the entire article……………………………….

Australia: NSW strata laws set for fresh government review to impact millions

Laws affecting more than one million people living in strata schemes across NSW are getting a fresh government review.  It is evaluating laws just six years old in the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 that affect owners and tenants. Since the laws were enacted serious flaws, challenges and opportunities have arisen in the NSW strata […]

Australia: Have your say on strata laws (NSW)

Peninsula residents are being asked to have their say on how laws can be changed to better support people living or working in strata schemes.  Strata schemes, or the process of owning a portion of a building with some shared common areas, currently maintain that the Owners Corporation is responsible for the upkeep of all […]

Short-term rental bill passes Australian Parliament

Australia: The Owners Corporation and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2020 has passed through the Upper House of Victorian Parliament, ensuring the protection of short stay operations in the state.   Read the article…………………………………..

Australia: Setting the record straight on strata schemes (WA)

More than 2.2 million people live in flats and apartments Australia-wide, with the vast majority being strata titled.   Western Australia has over 325,000 strata properties across more than 73,000 strata schemes, with 86 per cent of these in the metropolitan region.    Read the article……………………………………..

Australia: NATIONALSTRATA OPINION ‘A dog’s breakfast’: NSW strata by-laws need to catch up to the 21st century

If you will excuse the pun, strata law in relation to pets is a dog’s breakfast. An appeal is pending on whether by-laws that impose blanket pet bans are “harsh, unconscionable or oppressive”. Individual NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal members have held they are, while the tribunal’s appeal panel thinks not. Since 2015, strata legislation […]

Australia: The Amended Strata Titles Act is now in effect (WA)

This week has been very exciting for Strata. As of May 1st, the Strata Titles Amendment Act 2018 is now in effect! Some of these changes may affect you, and your Strata Manager will advise you of those changes as they arise in the running of your Strata Company.   Read the article…………………………

New strata laws to make strata better (WA)

The much-anticipated StrataTitles Act 1985, also known as the stratareforms, will come into effect as of Friday 1 May.  REIWA strongly supports the new legislation andworked closely with Landgate and the WA Government to ensure that the real estateindustries concerns were taken into consideration.    Read the article………………………

Australia: Strata lawyers call for government intervention amid health crisis

The Australian College of Strata Lawyers is calling for government intervention in all states to make clear to owners and strata managers that, during this unprecedented period, their communities will not be penalised should they choose to delay the convening of a meeting or fail to hold a meeting strictly in accordance with the legal […]

Australia: Make yourself aware of strata law changes (WA)

The Western Australian Strata Title Amendments Act of 2018 is the most significant change to the state’s strata laws in over 20 years. There are more than 300,000 strata-titled properties in existence in WA, with most in the Perth metropolitan area.   Read the article………………………….

Australia: NSW First Cladding Decision

The recent Tribunal decision in SP92888 v Taylor Construction Group and Frasers Putney [2019] NSWCAT has held that combustible external cladding installed on residential buildings is a major defect for the purposes of statutory warranties under the Home Building Act 1989 (the HBA) and will have significant ramifications on owners of residential buildings wishing to […]

Australia: Strata Community Association NSW president Chris Duggan says it’s time to “get on with” rectifying the flammable cladding on Wollongong buildings

A strata sector advocate has called for action to “get on with” making Wollongong properties safe that have been identified as containing flammable cladding.  In September, the Mercury reported that there were 58 buildings in the Wollongong LGA which have, or may have, the combustible aluminium panels.    Read the article……………………………….

Australia: Should pets be allowed in apartment buildings? The Sydney unit owners locked in a legal battle

Half-blind, half-deaf miniature schnauzer Angus is at the centre of a bitter battle at one of Sydney’s most prestigious apartment buildings between those who want to keep it pet-free, and others who think they’re barking mad.  The award-winning Harry Seidler-designed Horizon in Darlinghurst has voted to spend $70,000 on legal action to try to evict […]

Australia: Strata Titles Amendment Act 2018: Change is coming (WA)

The Strata Titles Amendment Act was passed in parliament last year and the Regulations have been drafted, distributed for public comment and Landgate are now reviewing feedback so that the Proposed Strata Titles Act (General) Regulations 2019 can be delivered to Parliament in the next few months.   Read the article………………………..