Soon after cave-in of flats at Chintels Paradiso, Ggm admin has asked all 140 families at another condominium – found unfit for living last year just 4 years after completion – to move out by March 1. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: What is Happening With Pets in Strata?
Maybe the Irwins were onto something when they got involved with Crocodiles…. They don’t move around much or leave their home (at Australia Zoo), sleep a fair bit, just lay in a pool, don’t bark, don’t wander around depositing nasty surprises everywhere, don’t attack people on common property, don’t shed hair that may give allergies […]
Singapore: Woman gets jail for misappropriating S$60,000 in condominium management fees
Over the course of one year, a woman misappropriated close to S$60,000 in condominium management fees in order to pay off gambling debts. Lim Meow Leng, 59, was sentenced to 13 months’ jail on Tuesday (Feb 8) after pleading guilty to one charge of criminal breach of trust. Another charge was taken into consideration. Read […]
Australia: Appeal up in flames as court orders Biowood combustible cladding be removed (NSW)
Taylor Construction Group Pty Ltd v Strata Plan 92888 t/as The Owners Strata Plan 92888 [2021] NSWSC 1315 In an Australian first, the NSW Supreme Court has looked at compliance of a combustible cladding product, other than aluminium composite cladding (ACP). Developers and builders must understand the risks of using combustible cladding, even if it is […]
Malaysia: Cops probe case of ‘missing’ condo management staff
Police are investigating the case of a former housing management corporation employee who is alleged to have absconded with more than RM500,000 from the company. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Former body corporate commissioner says balcony pets, vaping, BBQs could also be deemed hazardous
A former Queensland government body corporate commissioner says a recent ban on a unit owner smoking on her balcony could set a precedent for anything that could be deemed a health hazard including pet urine and barbecues to smoking or vaping at office buildings. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Queensland unit dwellers could be barred from smoking on balconies after landmark decision
Queenslanders living in apartments could be prevented from smoking on their balconies after a “game changing” decision to ban one unit owner from doing so after a complaint from an upstairs neighbour. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: The new restriction under section 130(1) of the Community Lands Management Act 2021 (NSW)
On 1 December 2021 the new community title legislation came into effect. Of interest are the restrictions on the by-laws for an association and in particular, section 130(1) of the Community Lands Management Act 2021 (the “Act”) states: Read the entire article……………………………….
Philippines: Lapu subdivision homeowners deny bribing Meco linemen
SUBDIVISION homeowners in Lapu-Lapu City denied allegations that they were bribing linemen of Mactan Electric Cooperative (Meco) to prioritize the restoration of electricity in their area. Read the entire article……………………………….
South Africa: Changes to regulations at Pretoria ‘beach estate’ to be set aside
Balwin Properties has lost its case against unit owners of the Blyde Riverwalk Estate in Pretoria. In a ground-breaking ruling the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) ruled that changes to the regulations at the estate were to be set aside. Read the entire article……………………………….
Bahamas: “Bitter impasse” ends with Old Fort developer’s ownership confirmed after eight-year court battle
A “bitter impasse” over the ownership of the Old Fort Bay Club and Marina has ended with the community’s developer being confirmed as its owner. The ruling on January 5 by Justice Indra Charles has brought to an end an eight-year legal battle. Justice Charles rejected the bid of Old Fort Bay Property Owners Association […]
Australia: Strata sector is too important to be left with yet another minister on training wheels
When Dominic Perrottet announced his new cabinet last week, it wasn’t the changes at the top that drew most attention from apartment owners and strata professionals. It was one near the bottom. Fair Trading – the cumbersome multi-faceted ministry where strata issues reside – has long been known as a “training wheels” appointment. Read the […]
Japan: Tokyo Olympic village condo buyers sue developers for delay
Buyers of condominiums units to be converted from the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics athletes village have sued the developers for the additional cost they would incur due to a one-year delay in the property handover. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: An Illawong Avenue Strata Slap Down
In a semi bizarre twist, a few positive developments in New South Wales strata have converged with unexpected and surprisingly ironic results for a group of strata owners. So, is this the ultimate strata slap down … Read the entire article……………………………….
Maldives: President Solih ratifies Strata Act
The bill, passed by the People’s Majlis on November 29 at its 44th sitting of the third session of 2021, will come into effect three months from ratification date. The act ratified on Monday enables to subdivide land into strata and the collective sale of property, to provide for proper maintenance and management of buildings […]
Singapore: 9 ways your renovation could get you in trouble with your condo’s MCST
Even a billionaire with a penthouse can’t fully avoid tangles with his management council, which is also known as the Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST). Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Nothing was done for months. Now this family is stuck in a damp, mouldy flat
Unexplained delays by the NSW government’s property tribunal have forced a mother, her five-year-old daughter and her elderly parents to move back into their damp, mouldy apartment. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Deal With Strata Properties? Learn More About the Expiring Speculation and Vacancy Tax Exemption for Strata Owners
If you’re a REALTOR® who has clients involved in strata property transactions, you may get asked questions about owners renting out their units and the implications on the Speculation and Vacancy Tax (SVT). Until now, strata owners who were not permitted to rent out units may have qualified for an SVT exemption. That changes in […]
Australia: They bought a puppy for their son in lockdown. Strata did something ‘absurd’ (NSW)
When health worker Georgia Dawson applied for permission to keep her dog in her apartment, she was stunned to be told her building was considering imposing a bond on all pet owners of $2000. Read the entire article……………………………….
Philippines: HLURB, not RTC, has jurisdiction over homeowners’ disputes – Supreme Court
The Supreme Court (SC) has stressed that disputes between and among members of homeowners’ associations in villages are within the jurisdiction of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) and not the regional trial court (RTC). Read the entire article……………………………….
Philippines: PLDT-Smart laud House nod on bill mandating allocation for cell sites in subdivisions
The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, approved on third and final reading the House Bill No. 10388 or “An Act Mandating the Allocation of an Area for Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure and Facilities in Subdivisions and Housing Development Projects.” Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: This Sydney strata nightmare started as a power struggle — then the police were called
It’s the stuff of Sydney strata nightmares: a cracking building, an expensive repair bill and an owners’ meeting that got so heated the police turned up. The drama started in the basement of the Vicinity apartment towers in Canterbury earlier this month, when owners couldn’t agree over who should be put in charge of managing […]
Portugal: New condominium laws to “make life easier”
Parliament has approved a text that changes the horizontal property regime based on a PSD diploma with the objective to “make life easier” for condominium owners and administrators. Read the entire article……………………………….
Singapore: Are neighbourhood condos affected when an integrated-MRT condo comes to town?
A few months ago, we covered whether it is worth paying a premium for integrated or mixed-use condos, such as The Centris, North Park Residences and The Woodleigh Residences. These are 99-year leasehold condos, built above amenities like a shopping mall, MRT stations and bus interchanges and retail outlets (sometimes including a cinema). Read the […]
Australia: Strata and community schemes wake to a new era of short-term letting (NSW)
After nearly 20 months of closed international and state borders, it is understandable that the tourism industry is eagerly awaiting the return of the “tourist”, whether that be international travellers, domestic travellers or weary Sydneysiders looking to escape to rural NSW. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Wye River locals question Great Ocean Road governance as $150k ramp washed away by erosion
Following a severe storm in January, the river changed direction, sending water gushing along the beach towards the club and rapidly eroding the coastline where the building is perched. Mr McIntosh said he raised concerns with authorities in February, but for months, the only thing that was done was shuffling sand around the beach in […]
Australia: NSW government proposes new annual reporting for strata schemes
The NSW Government is considering introducing a requirement for owners corporations to report and verify information each year on the NSW Government’s Strata Hub. Strata managing agents, lot owners, residents and members of the public will then be able to go to the Hub to access the information. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Managing Poor Behaviour – Sometime’s It’s Not (Just) a Strata Issue…
I received an interesting query this week, and it is not the first time that I have been asked a similar question. The question was how does the Owners Corporation stop a person selling drugs out of a lot? Variations on this question which I have received over the years are: how do I stop […]
Malaysia: Simplified system for better strata management
THE launch of the Selangor Intelligent Strata Property System (SISP) will see the use of an eCOB (Commissioner of Buildings) system by all 12 local councils in Selangor for better strata management and processes. “eCOB is a system designed for the COB of local councils to assist stakeholders such as joint management body (JMB) and […]
India: In Sector 66 condo, sewage water gives rise to dengue fears
Gurgaon: As the number of dengue cases are on the rise in the residents of Palm Drive, an upscale condominium located in Sector 66, are worried about an outbreak of the vector-borne disease with the continuous open dumping of sewage waste in the area. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Strata Gavel: The Trentelman Case Appeal (NSW)
The NSW Court of Appeal decides Trentelmans Case by holding the hotel/motel operator to promises made at a strata meeting and giving the strata owners and corporation permanent rights to the pool despite them voting to give them away as part of a redevelopment proposal. Seems a fair enough decision, but there are also a […]
Australia: Another Sydney Strata Structural Failure
For more than 25 years I’ve pursued strata developers and builders over strata building defects, but whilst they affected building compliance and strata owners’ and residents’ amenity, they could still live in their apartments. That seems to have changed and I wonder what’s going on … Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: By-law compliance in strata management
A breach of by-laws notice may be issued by the Council of the Strata Company to an owner. This is typically sent by the strata management company when an owner, occupier or visitor is engaging in behavior that contravenes the registered by-laws of the complex. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Petty Squabbles in Strata Buildings
Do strata committees and strata owners squabble instead of dealing with important issues or is that just an easy trope? Let’s consider a recent US story arising after the Surfside Condo collapse and why it might be true there, here, and elsewhere. Read the entire article……………………………….
Singapore: Building manager of posh Scotts Road condo used access card to steal $100k in cash and items from residents
Using an access card he created for units at the Scotts Square condominium, a building manager entered residents’ homes and stole $28,000 in cash and three Hermes handbags worth nearly $86,000 in total. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Who Owns the Embedded Network Infrastructure when it is Attached to the Common Property?
A “fixture” refers to objects that are attached to the land in such a manner that they become part of the land. Once an object becomes a part of the property, it belongs to the property owner. But how does the concept of fixture and ownership play out in context of strata scheme buildings? As […]
Philippines: Condo dwellers no longer qualified for power subsidies
Filipinos living in condominiums and subdivisions will no longer qualify to avail of the ‘lifeline subsidy’ or electricity rate discounts extended to financially challenged power consumers. Read the entire article……………………………….
Buying a condo in Thailand: 4 things to know
As condos are increasingly becoming buyers’ favourite investments, their potential to yield a profit can be potentially quite high. From low maintenance costs to the ability to use the property for residential or investment purposes, condos can offer great value and accessibility. Here, we have 4 things that potential buyers should know before investing in […]
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 […]
Jamaica: Legislation to Be Drafted to Govern Communities With Shared Facilities
Legislation is to be developed to govern the operations of communities with shared facilities and expenses which are not governed by the Registration (Strata Titles) Act. Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Strata Management Companies and 10-Year Maintenance Plans
The 10-Year Maintenance Plan assists the Council of the strata company in planning for future maintenance expenses across a diverse group of strata management companies so that large, unexpected special levies may not have to be raised in the future. The report itself has to cover almost everything that most strata management companies will require […]
Australia: Changing Strata Entitlements or Liabilities in VIC
It’s very common for some strata owners to believe their lot entitlements or liabilities are incorrect and want them changed. But, the processes are complex, lengthy, expensive and legally intricate as this overview of the VIC rules and cases demonstrate. Read the entire article……………………………….
Singapore: Condominium unit buyers, agents get jail for backdating Option to Purchase to evade higher stamp duties
A couple and two property agents were sentenced to jail on Friday (Sep 24) for backdating an Option to Purchase on a condominium unit in order to evade newly raised stamp duties. Read the entire article……………………………….
South Africa: Lagoons and lawyers: Pretoria ‘beach’ residents unhappy with changes
There is trouble brewing in paradise, as homeowners living at Pretoria’s “beach” are clashing with the property developers over new regulations within The Blyde Riverwalk Estate. Read the entire article……………………………….
Philippines: Magallanes Village vs ‘unauthorized’ Chinese tenants
Not long after the Ayala Alabang Village Association cracked down on abusive tenants from mainland China—many said to be using their rented homes for illegal online gaming activities or as staffhouses—another upscale exclusive residential community has found itself in a similar predicament. Read the entire article……………………………….
Thailand – Condominium Disputes: Rights And Responsibilities Of Joint Owners
“Condominium” combines the Latin roots com (“together”) and dominium (“right of ownership or property”) into a word that literally means “shared property.” This shared ownership of property—which in the condominium’s case has come to mean a large building of residential units—has been enormously popular in Bangkok and other Thai cities, Read the entire article……………………………….
Australia: Oops, I Did it Again!
It looks like this time, I’m the one that did it again ….In my article ‘The [Not So] Social Strata Website’ I made a rookie mistake and forgot my own exhortations that decisions in lower Courts are notoriously unreliable by quoting the NSW District Court decision in Raynor v Murray [2019] NSWDC 189 as good […]
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: NSW: New Strata Laws Regarding Pets: The Trap For Young Players
This article is about the pitfalls of the new strata laws dealing with pets in NSW strata buildings. On 25 August 2021, new strata laws commenced which changed the rules regarding pet ownership in strata buildings. Those rules mark a shift in the NSW Government’s policy concerning pets in strata buildings and encourage pets in […]