Columns » Owners’ Corporation Law
VCAT rules that pigeon infestation on apartment building not enough to justify special levy
An owners’ corporation (OC) in St Kilda has found itself in a messy situation in VCAT, with the Senior Member refusing to enforce an OC request to certain lot owners to rid the main apartment building from a pigeon infestation.
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What to do next with cladding
More buildings with high-risk combustible cladding have been added to the list, as the government ponders what to do next.
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Did your apartment building suffer any earthquake damage? The committee needs to investigate
As if Melbourne hasn’t endured enough over the past 18 months. Pandemic, lockdown, anti-vax riots, losing the hosting rights to the AFL Grand Final, and now, an earthquake. What’s next? A plague of locusts perhaps …
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Life is short - don’t let time (limitation periods) slip away
The Supreme Court of Victoria recently decided in a case involving a large residential building complex on St Kilda Rd to deny the joinder of individual lot owners to a building claim already commenced by the owners’ corporation (OC), on the basis they were out of time to do so.
Read MoreNoisy neighbours
Living in an apartment building brings with it all forms of minor inconveniences.
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Budget stamp duty concessions get sales rolling again
The Victorian Government announced new measures as part of its budget for the 2021/22 year to incentivise homeowners and investors to speculate on new apartments in the Melbourne area.
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Lower compliance costs for cladding
If you know where to look (and who to look to) there are potential options for much lower compliance costs to rectify combustible cladding.
Read MoreOwners’ corporations are like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get!
In the major newspapers, there seems to be a negative news story almost every week about the oversupply of apartments in Melbourne, or reasons why the capital values and rents for apartments will continue to fall, or the myriad of reasons why the cladding issues are being poorly managed by the state government and so on.
Read MoreNew research provides insight on the effects of flammable cladding on owners’ wellbeing
Researchers at the School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University have published a new study on the links between combustible cladding and the effects on homeowners’ wellbeing.
Read MoreNew OC legislation substantially amends the legal position in water ingress cases
A lot has been written and said about the new amendments to the owners’ corporation (OC) legislation, set to begin at the end of 2021.
Read MoreOwners’ Corporation Amendment Act set for debate in the Victorian Upper House
In the first week of February 2021, the Victorian Legislative Council is set to debate and consider passing the amendments to the Owners’ Corporation Act 2006.
Read MoreWatch out, not all liability insurance policies are created equal
Do you sit on the committee of your owners’ corporation (OC)? If you do, are you sure that you and your personal assets are adequately protected if the committee and the OC have proceedings filed against them?
Read MoreThe future of apartment living - post COVID-19
We’ve all spent far too much time over the winter months holed up in our apartments working at home, educating at home and living at home.
Read MoreVCAT declares that committees have the power to terminate an OC manager
Many high-rise buildings will be aware of terms embedded within an owners’ corporation (OC) manager’s agency agreement.
Read MoreCommunicating to your communities during COVID-19
Right now, there are a lot of question marks as to when and if, it will ever be possible to get back to “normal” following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MorePerformance-based alternative solutions the key to cheaper cladding replacement costs
Owners’ corporations (OC) need not despair when served with an Order or Notice from the Municipal Building Surveyor or from the Victorian Building Authority (VBA).
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Social distancing in apartment blocks is hard to do, but necessary right now
For the good of all persons’ health and wellbeing, we are socially distancing ourselves from each other.
Read MoreVCAT rules termination payment was unlawful
In an order published by VCAT at the end of 2019, Your Body Corporate Pty Ltd (YBC) and its directors, were ordered to repay the sum of $192,465 plus interest for fees it unlawfully deducted from an owners’ corporation’s (OC) account upon termination as OC manager.
Read MoreRed tape and further delays to amendments
In December 2013, Consumer Affairs Victoria completed its review into a more robust licensing and certification system for the training and conduct of owners’ corporation (OC) managers.
Read MoreEmbedded electricity networks are ripping off consumers
A new study by the Victoria Energy Policy Centre has found that customers in apartment buildings in Victoria on embedded networks are paying up to $439 a year more than the best deal they could get if they were able to access the free market.
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