Australia: Your Strata Scheme is Being Sued for $850 Million

Generally we use these bulletins for educational purposes, but it’s getting toward that time of the year when everything goes a little crazy in the world of strata title, and so today the emphasis is on providing you with sheer relief that your strata scheme is not tied up with the sort of case in […]

Thailand – Condominiums Cannot Be Used For Hotel Operations

On November 6, 2023, Thailand’s Department of Lands issued a circular letter clarifying that the use of units in condominium buildings for hotel business operations is not allowed. Circular Letter No. Mor Tor 0517.3/Wor 23302, which was sent to all provincial governors in Thailand, explains this by emphasizing that although the Condominium Act (No. 4) […]

Philippines: Residents around condominium in Davao City told to leave after quake

A total of 174 individuals residing around the construction site of the high-rise condominium tower The Paragon Davao of Cebu Landmasters were advised to vacate after a crane collapsed in the magnitude-6.8 earthquake that rocked this city and a southern Mindanao on Friday, November 17.   Read the article……………………………….

Australia: Our most frequently asked strata management questions

This month we asked our Strata Managers what their most frequently asked questions of the year were – and the answers were surprising! Over the last 5 years, ESM Strata has prioritised educating our stakeholders and customers to ensure they are empowered with as much knowledge about their strata property as possible.    Read the article………………………………..

Uganda: Seven years of disappointing condominium ownership

The condominium contract states that all problems found on the property must be reported in the first year so that the developer rectifies them at his own cost. Any problems that arise after the Defects Liability Period (DLP), the condo owners must rectify them at their own cost.     Read the article…………………………………..

Malaysia: You Can Be Sued For Forwarding A ‘Defamatory’ Text Message

Earlier this month, the Kuala Lumpur High Court held two condominium unit owners in Puchong, Selangor, liable for defaming a housing developer.  Justice Nazlan Ghazali found that libellous statements about the developer posted by the duo in a chat group set up among the owners of condominium units in a housing development were sufficient to […]

India: Condo lift death: 4 AOA members among 8 named in chargesheet

Police in Noida have submitted a 45-page chargesheet regarding the death of a 73-year-old woman who died after the lift she was in fell from the eighth floor to the basement.    Eight people have been named in the chargesheet, including the directors of the private firm responsible for lift maintenance, the facility manager, and members of the apartment […]

Malta: MDA welcomes reform of condominium act, says it should have stronger presence

The Malta Development Association on Thursday welcomed the reform the government is planning for the Condominium Act, but requested to have a stronger presence in the process.  In a statement, the MDA said it welcomed the government’s commitment to amend the current legislation given that a legislative intervention to address the current realities and the […]

Australia: Court Clears Up Cladding Construction Confusion

……..they explain the results and impacts on strata title stakeholders of a recent NSW Court of Appeal decision on our old favourites: strata building defects, combustible cladding, and Toplace. It’s a timely reminder that hard legal cases sometimes need to be pursued properly and completely to get the right results, as this strata building successfully […]

Australia: Backroom deals in strata insurance and how they’re costing you

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to strata insurance, and a lot of the movement is hidden from the people who pay for it.  It all comes down to the complex dealings between strata managers and the insurance industry – dealings that often involve undisclosed commissions and payments.  Read the article………………………………..

India: Builder told to expedite refunds to flat owners of unsafe Chintels towers

The district administration on Friday held a review of the ongoing settlement process of Chintels Paradiso condominium in Sector 109 and directed the developer to speed up refunds to flat owners of towers D, E,F, G, and H, which have been deemed unsafe for habitation by an expert committee of IIT-Delhi.   Read the article…………………………………

Netherlands: Sustainability plans for Amsterdam flats faltering over homeowner association fights

Plans to make thousands of Amsterdam apartments and flats more sustainable are faltering because the homeowners’ associations can’t agree on what to do, interest group VvE Bond warned in a new report. Because apartment owners can’t agree on sustainable heating alternatives, for example, many just keep buying new gas boilers, Parool reports.    Read the article………………………………

Philippines: Problems continue to hound residential communities

Remember that posh and gated subdivision in Pasig hounded by problems such as the alleged lack of transparency from its homeowners’ association? I wrote about it last June 27 in a column titled “Problems hound posh residential subdivision.”  That story seemingly opened a can of worms. It turns out, so say readers, many residential villages, […]

Australia: Strata reforms in Queensland: Introducing the Body Corporate and Community Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill

Originally announced earlier this year by the Queensland Government as a key measure arising from the 2022 Housing Summit, on 24 August 2023 the Queensland Government introduced the Body Corporate and Community Management and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 (the Bill) into the Queensland Parliament.   Read the article………………………..

Europe: Mastering the Art of Strata Management Transformation

Strata management, often regarded as the backbone of well-run residential complexes, is a multifaceted discipline with a profound impact on daily life. For residents in condominiums or apartment complexes, the seamless operation and maintenance of these properties are attributed to the art of strata management. Far from a simple task, strata management involves a meticulous […]

Maldives: Government implements new strata regulation

The government has implemented a regulation on the long-term lease of tourist properties through strata. This regulation, identified as Regulation No. 2023/R-154, was implemented under the Maldives Tourism Act.   Read the article………………………..

Australia: Get Proactive With Strata Maintenance

It may be time to review your strata maintenance.  Maintenance is so important for buildings, for resale and rentability. It’s also vital to ensure resident and visitor safety and security and help avoid legal issues or future, more costly repairs.   Read the article………………………..

South Africa: Enforcement of BEE in community schemes must be rejected (Op/Ed)

A month ago, Minister of Human Settlements, Mmamoloko Kubayi, delivered an address at the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) Indaba in which she said that community schemes (which include sectional title complexes, homeowners’ associations, retirement housing schemes, share block companies and housing cooperatives) should be subject to mandatory ‘economic transformation’.   Read the article………………………..

Bahamas: Lucayan Towers South board submit proposal to transform deteriorating condominium – GBPA grants brief extension

THE Lucayan Towers South board has submitted a proposal to the Grand Bahama Port Authority to transform the deteriorating condominium.  Last month, the GBPA issued a “final notice” to the condominium association board, demanding it disclose a plan in 30 days to address purported code violations and safety hazards or have its certificate of occupancy […]

Singapore: ‘Deserted ghost town’: Johor Country Garden condo residents concerned over unfinished projects amid China developer’s debt crisis

A bustling, futuristic metropolis with spacecraft-shaped towers draped in greenery is what the area around the Forest City residential project in Johor Bahru should look like today.  But it remains a mirage for Singaporean Chee Pei Lin, four years after moving into her two-bedroom apartment there that she paid RM700,000 (S$204,779) for in 2019.   Read […]

Australia: Dealing with Adjoining Owners

Strata disputes and common property come in all shapes and sizes, especially when dealing with neighbouring property owners.  As owners of real property, owners corporations find themselves dealing with the owners of neighbouring land in a multitude of circumstances.    Read the article………………………..

Malaysia: Princess Cove condo strata titles were delayed, rules court

A High Court here has found a China-owned developer of luxury condominiums in breach of contract for failing to deliver strata titles to unit owners within the timeline prescribed in the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) they entered into.   Read the article………………………..

Australia: Don’t You Dare Sue Me – Overstepping the Mark

Is it legitimate for a lot owner to pressure an owners corporation not to sue her or defend legal action she takes against the owners corporation? And what happens when the lot owner oversteps the mark? Can the owner be held in contempt of court? A recent NCAT case considered that very issue.   Read the […]

Why Insurers Are Reducing Coverage In Florida, California

The insurance industry is becoming increasingly sensitive to the effects of climate change on their businesses. Some insurers are reducing coverage or new policies in California and Florida. This raises difficult questions about the future of doing business in certain regions of the United States, too.    Read the article………………………..

Singapore: Fault lines: A look at defect resolution in condos

CRACKS and leaks, rotting timber, foul smells, flooding in public areas – these are a few of the reported defects that have surfaced at private condos over the decades. With the allegations come accusations, which inevitably put developers, main contractors and homeowners at loggerheads.   Read the article………………………..

Thailand: Condo Ruling Could Affect Financing

The Ashton Asoke case, in which the condo was ordered to have its construction permit revoked, will have an impact on property developers who depend on issuing debt instruments and securing loans for funding,…    Read the article………………………..

Philippines: Beverly Hills homeowners have right to regulate entry to their subdivision

WHAT JUST HAPPENED regarding the controversy between the Beverly Homeowners Association on one hand and the Cebu City Government and commuters using or wanting to use subdivision roads on the other: Mayor Michael Rama reportedly gave a “marching order” to start “recovering all public roads” that have been used “exclusively” by some subdivisions in the […]

Australia: The one thing you need to know before you buy in Queensland

Laura Bos, general manager of the Queensland wing of Strata Community Association (SCAQ), the strata managers’ and service providers’ professional body, says the Queensland government needs to live up to a promise made to fix the state’s seriously out-of-date body corporate laws.   Read the article………………………..

Thailand: Residents promised aid in Asoke condo drama

Twenty residents led by Pornchai Lertsathittayapong sought legal assistance from the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) on Wednesday, after the 6-billion-baht luxury condo’s permit was retroactively…   Read the article………………………..