Combustible cladding such as Aluminium Composite Panel (ACP) blasted into our collective awareness in 2017 following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in London where 72 people died. A malfunctioning refrigerator was the fire source and was quickly put out. Unfortunately, by the time the source was extinguished the flames had reached the exterior. A […]
posted on July 16, 2015 by
How Different is Queensland Body Corporate Legislation?
I write about Queensland body corporate legislation, which is not too hard to figure out since that’s where I live. Plus I rather give it away with the great big banner on my website saying “I write about QLD legislation”. That said, people from a lot more places than Queensland read this website. When you […]
posted on July 2, 2015 by
The Problem With Body Corporate Maintenance
One of the most attractive things about living in a body corporate is the ability to have the body corporate maintenance undertaken by someone who isn’t you. Of course there’s always a trade-off and in this case it’s that you pay quite handsomely for the privilege. And that’s the fundamental problem with body corporate maintenance; […]
posted on April 22, 2015 by
Case Study: The Consequences of Apathy in Bodies Corporate
Apathy in a body corporate is cause for alarm. It’s also a problem that is rife. Many people buy a unit with nothing but a rudimentary understanding bodies corporate and how they work and then proceed to ignore and complain about the body corporate as if it’s of no relevance to them at all. Unfortunately for a […]
posted on April 15, 2015 by
Case Study: Can My Body Corporate Force Me To Install A Water Meter On My Lot?
I had an email not long ago from a lot owner who prefers to remain anonymous about the body corporate wanting to install water meters. In fact the scheme had passed a motion at the AGM to install the water meters at the individual lot owner’s costs. The question was, can the body corporate actually […]
posted on March 25, 2015 by
15 Signs of a Healthy Body Corporate
A healthy body corporate is what every purchaser wants when they buy a unit. A pre purchase strata report is all about investigating the scheme to find that out. How exactly do we do that? I did a search where the client specifically requested that I look for evidence on the effectiveness of the Committee. Luckily […]
posted on February 11, 2015 by
3 Common Body Corporate Committee Issues That Will Affect All Lot Owners
It’s a common myth that the body corporate manager is in charge of a body corporate, so much so that it often comes as a surprise for those new to strata schemes that it’s actually a Committee who have the power and responsibility; well the Committee along with all the lot owners. One of the […]
posted on December 9, 2014 by
Case Study: An Ineffective Response To A Body Corporate Dispute
I did a search the other day that contained this item regarding a body corporate dispute: Tabled correspondence from the Caretaker complaining of by-law breaches by unit x (The Secretary)… There have been altercations between The Secretary and the Caretaker including physical and verbal violence. The committee discussed the matter (The Secretary was absent) and […]
posted on August 18, 2014 by
How To Decide If Body Corporate Problems Will Affect You
My role is to find body corporate problems. Find them and report them to the buyer or buyer’s Solicitor. But not all body corporate problems are actually, well, problems. A lot depends on their impact. This article is about weighing the pros and cons of body corporate problems to decide if they’re an issue for you, […]
posted on May 16, 2014 by
The Most Common Body Corporate Problems (in no particular order)
Although every building is uniquely individual there are a number of body corporate problems that come up over and over. This article is about some of those recurring issues. Be aware these are in no particular order and they have different levels of severity. Some of them are annoying, some are just painful and others […]
posted on May 13, 2014 by
15 “Red Flags” In A Strata Search
I spend my days reading reports and trying to decipher what they mean, usually so I can report that information to others in a strata search. As a Strata Searcher you learn pretty early on that it’s best to be thorough in reporting. If you don’t you’ll end up going back to answer questions, or […]
posted on April 28, 2014 by
10 Simple Steps To Avoid Body Corporate Disputes
Body corporate disputes are the worst. It’s bad enough fighting with your neighbours but when they live across the hall it adds and extra little dimension of hell that makes life really uncomfortable. It’s impossible to avoid disputes entirely but there are some simple things each lot owner can do that will go a long way […]
posted on March 4, 2014 by
Case Study: Insufficient Sinking Funds, Why It Happens And What It Means
Someone told me a story the other day about an apartment sale that fell through when the purchaser found out the building needed lift replacements. At an estimated cost of $1,000,000. To be shared by 60 owners. My first reaction was, wow, great example of the benefit of a strata search. My second reaction was, […]
posted on November 12, 2013 by
The Dangers Of A Majority Lot Owner In A Body Corporate
This week in Purchase or Pass a two bedroom, one bathroom, clean and tidy lot in a good location with pleasing aspect was the subject of discussion. The catch: One lot owner has a 75% majority holding within the building. The panel of experts unanimously agreed they would pass on this opportunity, despite each believing the […]
posted on May 15, 2013 by
Substantial Levies In Arrears
Levies in arrears are always an issue for body corporates, but especially so when those arrears become substantial. I have defined substantial levies in arrears as over 20 – 25% of total funds held – calculated by dividing levies in arrears by current total funds held. This is the point where liquidity will start to […]
Unless stated otherwise all the information on this website relates to Queensland legislation.
