Body Corporate (Page 2)

Contributed By: Andrew Persijn & Hannah Hewitt - REIQ on

Property managers will no doubt be aware that the second phase of the Stage 1 rental reforms came into effect on 1 October 2022. In this article, we will be examining how the amendments impact the emergency repairs provisions of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (RTRA Act). WHAT CONSTITUTES EMERGENCY REPAIRS? Section 214 of the RTRA Act states that emergency repairs include: – a burst water service or a serious water service leak; – a blocked or broken lavatory system; – a serious roof leak; – a gas leak; – a dangerous electrical fault; – flooding or serious flood damage;serious storm, fire or impactRead More →

Contributed By: Jane Wilson - Queensland Government on

The role of the caretaker within a body corporate can sometimes cause confusion. As the caretaker is frequently onsite managing the scheme’s day-to-day issues, it can fuel the assumption that the scope of their responsibilities is wider than it is. By-law enforcement is one of the tasks residents commonly attribute to caretakers. However, contrary to popular belief, the caretaker is not the ‘all-powerful’ body corporate sheriff appointed to enforce the scheme’s by-laws. In this article we will clarify the avenues available for enforcing by-laws, while highlighting who holds the reins when it comes to body corporate decision-making. What is a contravention notice? A contravention noticeRead More →

Contributed By: BCSystems on

Most people are aware that a landlord or property manager, by providing a rental entry notice, can gain access to a rental property. But did you know a body corporate also has entry power? Applicable to both owner-occupiers and tenants, certain ‘emergency’ circumstances will allow a committee to enter a lot, without notice. What areas can the body corporate enter using this power? The body corporate can use this power to enter any part of the scheme land, provided entry is correctly authorised and reasonably necessary. This includes the inside of all rooms within the dwelling, as well as exclusive use areas like a balcony,Read More →

Contributed By: Kristine Lehmann of Lehmann Rights on

Kristine Lehmann, the principal of Lehmann Rights has kindly provided us with a series of really great industry discussions between herself and a number of industry leading experts. These are great, easily digestible 5 minute chats that offer some wonderful and current insight for those in and looking to enter this market. We’ll be bringing you a new one of these with each issue for the next couple of months.Read More →

The interim orders in Watermark Residences [2020] QBCCMCmr 306 provides some relief for bodies corporate that held virtual general meetings during the COVID-19 restrictions. In summary: The body corporate called an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to agree on the matters that needed to be decided at a general meeting. To meet COVID-19 social distancing restrictions the committee decided to conduct the EGM without physical attendance. There were some other minor deficiencies with how the EGM was called, and was to be held, that did not strictly comply with the legislative requirements of holding meetings. A group of owners sought to invalidate the EGM based on the failureRead More →

Contributed By: Hynes Legal on

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the strata sector is facing some big issues. Perhaps the biggest challenge (this week at least) is how to manage body corporate levies and other financial issues at a time when people are under all sorts of financial pressure. It can be hard enough to get people to pay strata levies when they have the money, let alone when they do not. We think it is essential to identify the pain points for everyone in the sector when it comes to levies and then identify what can be done about it. There are a few points to make,Read More →

Contributed By: Hynes Legal on

I want to give people some insight as to my reasons for joining Hynes Legal and in particular, why I strongly believe the strata industry needs a mediation offering to help reduce the instance of strata disputes in the Commissioner’s Office and QCAT. I’ll begin with a question I’ve been asked a few times since starting with Hynes in February 2020: why would someone pay you to do something that you previously did for free? It’s because of cases like this one. In summary, it’s a dispute heard in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal about management rights. In total, both sides – the bodyRead More →

Contributed By: TheOnsiteManager on

One of our core services at TheOnsiteManager.com.au is to assist managers selling properties within their complex. This is a vital service for managers as it allows them to grow and retain their letting pool, compete and guard against outside agents, and generate additional (and considerable) revenue through sales commissions. To this end, we provide all the tools, databases, contracts and paperwork needed by the manager. We also allow the manager to market the sale on all the major portals around the country. We don’t charge any commission (at all!) to do this which makes our service hugely popular with over 370 managers engaging our agencyRead More →

Contributed By: John Punch of Short Punch & Greatorix Lawyers on

Lawyers acting for buyers of Management Rights are often faced with the task of trying to explain to their clients problems which they may face as a result of badly worded Caretaking and Letting Agreements.  Much of this could be avoided if developers and their advisers took more care in preparing these agreements. Developers have a golden opportunity to set up Management Rights in a way that will not create difficulties for building managers. The developer is in complete control of the Body Corporate at the time the original Caretaking and Letting Agreements are put in place.  Unfortunately where the developer’s lawyers are not managementRead More →

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