Soft market sparks broker pay transparency fears
Consumer groups are warning that the current soft insurance market may open the door to remuneration practices that could disadvantage clients unless regulators step in. The Australian Consumers Insurance Lobby Inc (ACIL) has called on oversight bodies – including the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and the Insurance Brokers Code Compliance Committee – to monitor how brokers adjust their pay structures during [...]
‘You feel like Darryl Kerrigan of The Castle’: How Adam got charged for his own solar power
Angry apartment owners say they’re being charged for electricity generated by solar panels on their own roof thanks to a confidential agreement signed between their developer and the energy provider. When they moved into the new Dwell building in Sutherland, in Sydney’s south, they assumed the solar would help with their common property electricity bills. Instead, they’ve just been presented with a surprise bill for $28,717.06 for the past 12 [...]
‘Clearly inadequate’: strata owners call for broker code overhaul
The Owners Corporation Network of Australia says aspects of the $2 billion strata insurance market raise questions on ethics in the broking industry and the role and performance of the code. Its submission to the industry’s code review notes ABC reporting last year examined issues such as common ownership of underwriting agencies and brokers, and lack of transparency. The network says the code does not articulate what represents a conflict of interest [...]
NSW Urged to Push Through Strata Commission Ban
Strata owner and consumer groups have urged the NSW government to press ahead with the removal of strata manager insurance commissions. The proposed reforms are needed to restore trust and transparency, the Owners Corporation Network and the Australian Consumers Insurance Lobby say. A letter to Better Regulation and Fair Trading Minister Anoulack Chanthivong and NSW Fair Trading commissioner Natasha Mann argues banning the commissions will level the playing field. “Consumers will be [...]
Strata Commission Ban Sparks Clash Between Advocates and Industry
Consumer advocacy groups are calling on the New South Wales government to proceed with its proposed ban on strata insurance commissions, arguing the reform is essential to addressing conflicts of interest and restoring trust in the sector. The Owners Corporation Network (OCN) and the Australian Consumers Insurance Lobby Inc (ACIL) have jointly urged policymakers not to abandon the reform, despite growing resistance from within the strata management industry. The pushback [...]
Strata committee training: necessity or burden?
Owners’ corporation (OC) committees play a vital role in managing our residential buildings. Yet these annually elected volunteers often face wide-spread criticism ranging from accusations of misunderstanding complex strata regulations to internal dysfunction, to explicit conflicts of interest. One proposed solution is committee training, a measure recently introduced in New South Wales (NSW). NSW now requires OC committee members to undertake formal training, aligning their duties more closely with those [...]
Stuart found the ideal home – until he found out it was tainted
A stunning $4 million penthouse caught the eye of business consultant Stuart McLean at the weekend but when he looked into the apartment building further, he had second thoughts. He discovered it was managed by Netstrata, the strata management company found, after an independent investigation, potentially to have charged excessive fees and not disclosed commissions and conflicts of interest. The company is contesting the allegations. Chair Fred Tuckwell of the [...]
Inquiry to put booming but troubled strata sector under microscope
How Canberra’s strata properties are managed will come under the scrutiny of a Legislative Assembly inquiry that could shape the role of a promised Strata Commissioner and new laws to govern the burgeoning sector. The Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Legal Affairs has kicked off the inquiry and is calling for submissions from all interested parties ahead of holding public hearings. The inquiry will focus on the application of the Unit [...]
Body corporate legal battle over red roof ‘ludicrous’ waste of money
OCN Director, Chris Irons says the dispute between an owner and a body corporate over roof colour should never have reached Queensland's Body Corporate and Community Management Commission (BCCM), which involves significant legal fees. Guest: Chris Irons, Director of the Owners Corporation Network Listen to interview with Steve Austin (from 1:05:30):https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/brisbane-mornings/mornings/104855614 Related article: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-29/former-body-corporate-commissioner-condemns-red-roof-dispute/104867928
Watchdog promises report as NetStrata probe continues
On 28 January 2025, Insurance News reported that "Groups including the Owners Corporation Network have called for the urgent release of the report summary. “Consumers expect transparency and to know that due process has been followed. The NSW government needs to quell the concerns that have been raised by the ABC article,” network CEO Shari Driver said. “Everyone needs to have certainty and confidence in the management of the strata [...]
OCN reviews the upside and downside to this $3.2m Sydney apartment
The Sydney Morning Herald recruited a range of independent architects, academics, builders and other experts to review apartments near completion or new to the market with an eye to market trends, policy, reliability, sustainability, quality, layout and amenities. The Herald’s first review was of a large four-bedroom family apartment, a type which is in growing demand yet hard to find. OCN was quoted in the Herald article as follows: "What the strata [...]
Strata owners are increasingly banning electric vehicles from charging in apartment carparks
Strata owners are increasingly banning electric vehicles (EVs) from charging in apartment basement carparks, citing a perceived risk of battery fires writes Technology reporter James Purtill in a recent article on abc.net.au EV fire safety researchers say the risk is no greater than for petrol and diesel cars and such concerns are fed by misinformation, but state fire authorities urge caution These conflicting messages around EV fire safety are generating [...]
Miguel bought a car – then there was a $2000 cost to charge it
A recent article in the SMH highlighted the high costs that some apartment buildings are imposing on residents who simply want to charge their EVs. And the apartment owners’ peak body, the Owners Corporation Network (OCN), chair Fred Tuckwell agrees, saying both strata owners and tenants should be free to use their EVs. “We are advocating for a right to charge,” he said. “There should be a set of criteria [...]
The brutal world of owners corporations – and how to get them to electrify apartments
Fred Tuckwell, strata management expert and board chair of the Owners Corporation Network (OCN) spoke to the Fifth Estate recently about OCN's clear sustainability vision, aimed at creating “a better future in residential strata and community living and ownership … [with] resilient, empowered communities living in climate ready, defect free buildings.” OCN have assisted the NSW Government in creating guidelines for making strata buildings EV ready. Read Full Article: https://thefifthestate.com.au/energy-lead/the-brutal-world-of-owners-corporations-and-how-to-get-them-to-electrify-apartments/ Related [...]
Units of controversy
Shari Driver, CEO of OCN, recently spoke to Insurance News about insurance commissions. Shari told Insurance News that: “Disclosure is a mere ‘apology after the fact’ approach that seems to put the strata manager’s interests above their client, and if that happens, legally it does not meet the standards required of fiduciaries,” “Insurance is one of the largest expenses borne by owners’ corporations. OCN has been horrified to discover the [...]
NSW strata watchdog seeks power to enter apartment buildings without a warrant, fine owners if common property not maintained
Shari Driver, Chief Executive Officer of OCN, spoke to ABC about the proposed changes to powers of entry for strata. OCN fears that there would be unintended privacy implications. "The government in my bedroom is not what we want" Shari told ABC. OCN's view is that the new powers modelled those given to the NSW building commissioner were designed to target not developers and their associated companies and they will [...]
Apartment Noise Nightmare: Commercial Gym
Karen Stiles spoke on the Real Estate Podcast about people buying into an apartment building with a commercial gym within the building. Karen described a situation where one owner had to call the Police because of a sound that was like a bomb going off. It turns out it was noise coming the gym and the dropping off weights. The vibrations from dropping of dumb bells and re-racking of weights were [...]
If you live in an apartment, where do you dry your laundry?
Where you dry your laundry can all depend on your Strata rules if you're in an apartment, and that can mean even your balcony is off limits. Why do these rules exist and are they fair? Guest: Karen Stiles, Director of the Owners Corporation Network Listen to interview with Andy Park:> https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/radionational-drive/does-your-strata-rule-where-you-put-your-laundry-/104527622
ABC Sydney Breakfast Discusses Drying Laundry on Balconies
Apartment buildings that restrict residents from drying their washing outdoors are facing a push to relax the rules as sustainability and cost-of-living concerns make dryers less desirable. OCN talks to Craig Reucassel about the vexed issue of residents being allowed to dry their laundry on their balcony. Listen to interview (2:18:55 minutes - 2:22:39 minutes):> https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/sydney-breakfast/sydney-breakfast/104500156
Apartment dwellers push for the right to air their clean laundry
Apartment buildings that restrict residents from drying their washing outdoors are facing a push to relax the rules as sustainability and cost-of-living concerns make dryers less desirable. Karen Stiles, executive director of the Owners Corporation Network of Australia, said conflict over laundry was becoming more common in both states because new developments were not designed for people’s needs. While older apartment blocks typically had communal clotheslines, this had “gone out [...]
A place in the sun: How to get solar to 2.5m apartment dwellers
Australia has the highest uptake of rooftop solar in the world, but millions of apartment residents are not reaping the benefits of cheaper power and electrification. Yet in large buildings such as high-rise apartments, the report says, up to 60 per cent of energy consumption comes from common areas and shared services, and about 25 per cent of administrative fund strata levies are spent on energy bills alone. Karen Stiles, [...]
Bukola bought a home. Now she’s trapped in a noise nightmare
When businesswoman Bukola Adede bought an apartment in a luxury high-rise in North Sydney, she was shocked to be disturbed all day long by what she assumed was a neighbour constantly moving furniture around. Then there was a series of thudding noises that were so loud and made her apartment shake so much that Adede and a visiting friend thought bombs had gone off and called police. Finally, she was told [...]
New commish seeks collaboration, not conflict
NSW has a new Building Commissioner, and he’s promising a different approach to his predecessor, David Chandler, the scourge of dodgy developers and bodgy builders. Mr Sherrard’s challenge is to maintain wavering public confidence in apartment construction, so that people still buy off the plan which is necessary to fulfil the state’s need for hundreds of thousands of new apartments. Owners’representatives have welcomed the appointment, albeit with a level of [...]
Shocking pictures reveal ‘horror’ in home
A Melbourne woman living in an apartment, who was terrified that the building would collapse, has been forced to stay as she watches the place crumble around her with repairs to the building estimated to cost a whopping $1.5 million. Chunks of plaster have come crashing down from the wall and wind blows through gaping holes in Serena’s* apartment but she said she is trapped – with no way to [...]
Brokers and advocates call for public strata inquiry
In response to last night’s damning ABC Four Corners’ report on the strata industry, a coalition of consumer advocacy groups, including insurance brokers, has called on the federal government to launch a public inquiry. A media release cited “systemic harmful practices within the industry that compromise consumer rights and community expectations.” Tyrone Shandiman (pictured above), chair of the Australian Consumers Insurance Lobby (ACIL), said his group has already documented 146 [...]
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