Welcome back and Happy New Year to all our readers. While I’m sure we are all still adjusting to writing 2024 and getting into the swing of the New Year the team here at Smart Strata wanted to follow tradition and take the time to highlight our top-read updates from 2023. There is no denying…
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AER Wholesale Market Quarterly Report “Wholesale energy prices and demand fall in July to September period”, that is the theme from the latest AER Wholesale Market Quarterly Report. Some key findings “Rooftop solar in September was 41% higher than last September, reducing demand from the grid.” “lower demand was largely due to warmer than average…
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“Management rights”, “variations” and “assignments” – these are terms commonly used in our Body Corporate and Strata World but what are we really talking about? What does it mean to have an “assignment” that is subject to a “variation”? These appear to be the ‘flavour of the month’ at the moment. In this video, you…
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Strata title doesn’t exist without a building: it’s fundamental. There must be a strata building to create a strata corporation, define the common property, and, give life to boundaries for the strata lots. Strata owners’ property [their cubic space] is defined by the walls, floors, and ceilings of the strata building. Asset values depend on…
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Occasionally in bodies corporate, property can be damaged through no fault of the property’s owner. The property’s owner may be an owner of a lot, an occupier or the body corporate. Under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (Qld) (the Act), a property owner may seek reimbursement or an order for repair, in certain circumstances, through…
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I recently had the pleasure of providing a training session to Strata Community Association QLD members, consisting mostly of active strata managers who are required to undergo continuing professional development to maintain their industry accreditation. We enthusiastically explored the history of the Act and associated regulation modules, we looked at how community management statements work…
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There are many misconceptions about the differences between a proxy and a representative. Although both involve exercising someone else’s voting rights, these terms are not interchangeable. If you are unable to attend a body corporate meeting, someone may be able to represent you as your proxy, or as your representative. There are many misconceptions about…
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We can improve strata if we want to. And, in this series of articles I identify things that should and can be improved, plus my ideas for doing so. Today, I’m focused on the confusing language used in strata title. Let’s start with a big issue that’s never been substantively addressed in Australian strata law…
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One of the most vexing issues in Queensland’s strata industry is the compatibility of short-term holiday accommodation with long-term residential living. A prominent building in South Brisbane that was developed for long-term residential living became the latest battleground for this industry issue. Background The scheme’s management rights operator filed an application in the Planning &…
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The Australian Apartment Advocacy (AAA) is a not-for-profit agency that is the voice for 2.5 million apartment owners and residents in Australia. Every 2 years they do a survey with apartment owners and they would love to hear from you! Click on the link to find out more about the survey and you will have…
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