Columns » Owners’ Corporation Law
Sign up today for solar panel grants for apartment buildings
If you live in an owners’ corporation (OC) with between three to 50 residential units, your building can sign up for a grant of up to $140,000 to fund the installation of solar panels on the building’s rooftop.
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What to expect from the new Victorian Building & Plumbing Commission
An independent review that exposed serious failures in how the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) handled complaints from homeowners facing years of financial distress over defective or homes was the final straw for the State Government.
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Amendments to short-stay legislation a welcome relief to owners’ corporations
The government’s stunning decision to empower owners’ corporations (OCs) to choose for themselves about whether to permit short-term letting in their buildings is a game-changer for owner occupiers and tenants alike across Melbourne.
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Do you have remedial works coming up? Who’s the super?
During COVID, a number of owners’ corporations (OCs) deferred major remedial works projects that were due to be undertaken.
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VCAT determines that monies paid by an insurer to an OC for a lot owner’s claim are held “on trust”
A VCAT decision released last month confirmed the position that any lot owner in a building may file a claim against the owners’ corporation’s (OC’s) policy of insurance.
Read MoreVictoria’s new “Airbnb tax” only benefits Airbnb
The Victorian Labor Government has announced a new 7.5 per cent tax on short-stay accommodation, being the first and only Australian state to do so.
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When an owners’ corporation needs to access someone’s apartment
Lot owners and tenants need to be aware that an owners’ corporation (OC) has a lawful right to serve a notice to gain entry to private apartments, in order to carry out repairs, maintenance and other remedial works.
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Joining the electric vehicle bandwagon
In 2022, the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia accounted for only 3.8 per cent of total sales. However, that number is tipped to soar over the coming years.
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Strict time limitation periods for bringing a building defect claim means OCs cannot sit on their hands
An owners’ corporation (OC) owes a strict duty to repair and maintain its common property, and this duty can be enforced by any member of the relevant OC.
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Think twice and sleep on it before firing off that email complaint to the owners’ corporation chairperson
A Court in Sydney has awarded damages of $120,000 to the elderly chairperson of an apartment block, after a tenant sent an email to him and the other owners in which she asked him to stop emailing her about locking her mailbox.
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Lot owners should choose wisely and seek advice before filing VCAT proceedings
There has been a sharp rise in the volume of cases filed in VCAT by lot owners against owners’ corporations (OCs) and managers.
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New building laws to clean up the industry
Last month, the Victorian Parliament introduced the Building Legislation Amendment Bill into the lower house, seeking to substantially amend the Building Act 1993 and the Architects Act 1991 by improving consumer protections for owners.
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Water damage claims expose risk to owners’ corporations
Studies of recent VCAT cases in water damage claims highlight the need for owners’ corporations (OCs) to work faster and work smarter.
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Wet ‘n’ wild comes to high-rise Melbourne
Unfortunately, we are well into storm season in Australia, and the east coast is being battered with its usual fair share of heavy rains and high winds.
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It’s raining election promises, but nothing in sight for owners’ corporations
What has been most surprising during this most recent election campaign is that there has been no post-election commitment to fund Cladding Safety Victoria (CSV) from either of the major parties.
Read MoreBoom, bust and out of here
More builders and developers will choose to “go bust” instead of being held accountable to owners’ corporations (OCs) for dodgy building defects.
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Sydney’s Mascot Tower and Opal Towers should serve as a warning to Melbourne’s building industry
A downturn in consumer confidence about building standards is the last thing that developers and builders of residential apartment buildings need right now.
Read MoreGovernment’s new legislation to ban embedded networks a welcome move
Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has announced a ban on developers entering into embedded network agreements in new residential apartment buildings, in a move that has been welcomed by owners’ corporations (OCs) all over Melbourne.
Read MoreTaking the plunge on owners’ corporation plumbing defect claims
Victorian consumers of plumbing services might be surprised to learn that they are protected by the most comprehensive statutory protections in Australia.
Read MoreWater ingress claims against OCs set to skyrocket after marathon VCAT case
After a hearing spanning 11 days, more than 2000 documents, and extensive legal arguments on both sides, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has ordered an owners’ corporation (OC) on St Kilda Rd to carry out $58,000 worth of rectification works to an apartment.
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Lot owners should choose wisely and seek advice before filing VCAT proceedings
Performance-based alternative solutions the key to cheaper cladding replacement costs
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