Lawyers, consumer advocates press for strata action
Consumer groups are pushing for a national inquiry into the strata management sector and a lawyers’ group has called for tougher state-level regulation following last week’s Four Corners program. The Australian Consumers Insurance Lobby, Choice, Financial Rights Legal Centre and the Owners Corporation Network of Australia are among nine groups pressing Treasurer Jim Chalmers to launch a review led by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission or Productivity Commission. Read [...]
Liberals to establish Strata and Building Commissioner
Speaking at a Public Forum last night on Strata Matters organised by the Strata Community Association ACT and the Owners Corporation Network, Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee said that under a Liberal Government a Strata & Building Commissioner will be established. The Commissioner would be a single point of contact for people living in apartment and townhouse complexes and assist people facing challenges and issues in strata living, including defects and [...]
Call for Strata Corporations Inquiry
After Four Corners investigated the hidden fees, secret kickbacks and developer deals strata companies were using, consumer groups are calling for action. CHOICE and the Owners Corporation Network have signed an open letter to Treasurer Jim Chalmers. They're calling for a government-instructed inquiry to look into the conduct of strata corporations. They'd also like the inquiry to investigate if current laws were adequate enough to deal with the issues raised by Four [...]
Consumer groups demand federal inquiry into strata industry
Ten top consumer groups are demanding the federal treasurer call an inquiry into the strata management industry. It follows an ABC Four Corners investigation that found many apartment owners are being ripped off by their strata management firms. The head of the Owners Corporation Network says it's time for the federal government to step in. Read full article:> Top consumer groups say 'it's time' for urgent action on strata industry, demand [...]
Growing calls for a federal inquiry into the strata industry
OCN spoke to the ABC following the explosive Four Corners episode on 9 September 2024. NSW Housing Minister, Rose Jackson, supported an inquiry and said the NSW government was willing to work with its federal colleagues. The CEO of the NSW Real Estate Institute supported the call for an Inquiry to rid the industry of rorts and restore trust in the many good managers 'who would be cringing' after watching [...]
How apartment owners are being ripped off….
Here's today's media UPDATE ABC Four Corners:> VIEW THE FULL EPISODE HERE ABC News: How apartment owners are being ripped off> http://ABC News Daily: How Apartment Owners Are Being Ripped Off ACCC Chair calls for a ban on Strata Insurance Commissions:> ABC News today Brokers and advocates call for public strata inquiry:> Call for a public inquiryAnd in the interest of fairness, Steadfast's response:> https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/breaking-news/steadfast-on-abc-strata-investigation-we-refute-the-allegations-504852.aspx Plus there's more Top consumer groups say [...]
Money Magazine Strata Special
OCN contributed to a 2 part Money Magazine September issue look at strata owning. In 9 Strata Myths Busted by Tom Watson, OCN talked about the pros and cons of being on a strata committee. We 'busted' the myths that by-laws are set in stone, and that you have to attend a general meeting in person to vote. And we debunked the myth that tenants have no say, explaining that [...]
Why the OCN is fed up with the strata “industry”
Karen Stiles, OCN Executive Director, shared her thoughts why she's "fed up" during a recent interview with Amanda Farmer's "Your Strata Property" podcast. Hear what she had to say on: how strata owners are being overlooked in today’s conversations about the strata industry, the astonishing lack of consumer protections for those buying apartments, the owners who ARE willing to pay more for good strata management, and why Fair Trading needs [...]
Sydney strata manager appeals 10-year ban for accessing funds without approval
One of Sydney’s highest profile strata managers is appealing against a ruling that saw him banned for 10 years for a multitude of allegations, including failing to act with honesty, fairness and professionalism and accessing apartment buildings’ funds without approval. That same manager – despite having numerous complaints against him with the state government tribunal – had also, by the same body, been given total control over schemes that were [...]
Sydney strata manager banned for a decade, company stripped of licence by NSW Fair Trading
Sydney strata manager Whitney Wang has been banned from practising for 10 years and his company has been stripped of its licence. Mr Wang was the strata manager at the centre of an explosive meeting at the embattled Vicinity apartment complex in Canterbury in 2021 that became so hostile the police were called. He has also been ousted as strata manager twice in the past two years after owners at [...]
Strata manager banned by NSW Fair Trade for 10 years
Owners Corporation Network Executive Director Karen Stiles spoke with Sarah Macdonald on ABC mornings about Whitney Wang's 10 year ban for professional (or lack there-of) conduct. “I am hoping this the first step of many more,” she said. Ms Stiles said the NSW Strata Commissioner was creating a good first step and encouraged other states to follow suit. Listen here: Strata Manager banned for 10 years - Karen speaks [...]
Strata law reform on the cards as NSW Fair Trading swamped with complaints
NSW Fair Trading received 965 complaints about strata agents in the five years to 2023, most commonly related to rules of conduct and finances. In the past year, there were 273 complaints against strata agents, compared to 16 against strata executive committees and 43 against strata owners corporations.Owners Corporation Network Executive Director Karen Stiles said many owners were in “a world of pain” thanks to limited regulation over the sector.“We [...]
Victorian HighLife Expo: listening to the voices of residential strata
The recent HighLife Victoria Expo featured a range of activities, including webinars, stalls, and forums – along with a Listening Post. Operated by the Owners’ Corporation Network (OCN) and Strata Community Association (SCA) Victoria, this initiative gathered insights from expo attendees – owners, tenants and committee members – regarding their most pressing issues and desires for change within the residential strata sector. Read article:> https://www.docklandsnews.com.au/highlife-expo-listening-to-the-voices-of-residential-strata/
New rules treat EV chargers like firework factories
The Owners Corporation Network (OCN) is among many questioning the current electric vehicle (EV) regulations. OCN chairman Fred Tuckwell says more apartment residents are petitioning to have EV chargers installed in their car parks and are frustrated by a lack of clear regulations. Most EV drivers recharge their cars at home, he says, and it is not unreasonable for people in apartments to want to do the same. The agency [...]
Regulations make it almost impossible to install EV chargers in apartment buildings
Owners Corporation Network chairman Fred Tuckwell says more apartment residents are petitioning to have electric vehicle chargers installed in their car parks and are frustrated by a lack of clear regulations. Most electric vehicle drivers recharge their cars at home, he says, and it is not unreasonable for people in apartments to want to do the same. The agency that collects data on electric vehicle fires in Australia, EV FireSafe, [...]
Apartment owners being ‘penalised’ for other buildings’ defects
Sky News host James Macpherson says the poor quality of strata apartment buildings is “killing owners”. His comments come as a new report from the New South Wales government, which looked at 600 new or near new strata buildings, and found 53 per cent of them had serious or major defects within six years of being built. “Even if they don’t have defects in their building,” he said. “The Owners [...]
Dire warning for Aussies in apartments
Australians who’ve tried to escape colossal house prices by living in an apartment face another looming disaster. Amid challenging circumstances for prospective home buyers, purchasing an apartment or a unit has been a viable means of escaping the rental crisis for many, but it has also proven to be a strategy that comes with potential downsides of its own, such as: Building defects Rising cost of repairs Rising cost of [...]
Electric vehicle dilemma faced by millions of Aussie residents: ‘It’s a nightmare’
Aussie man Robert Till has been desperate to ditch his 2011 Holden Calais for an EV for the past three years, but he faces a common dilemma felt by millions of apartment dwellers across the country. With no charging infrastructure currently available at his block in Brisbane, he would have nowhere to charge his vehicle. And the "simple" solution he's proposed requires body corporate approval, but he's been told no. Fred Tuckwell, chair at [...]
Call for rebates to help apartment dwellers go green
18 APRIL 2024 Independent Federal MP Allegra Spender spoke at last week's OCN webinar "Shared Solar for Apartments" noting that even though many households had solar panels there was a significant divide between those in freestanding homes and apartment complexes. "Australia has one of the highest penetrations of solar power in the world, but about half of Australia's households are locked out," she said. Fred Tuckwell, OCN Chair noted apartment [...]
Strata reforms send bills soaring from just $5,000 to $60,000
9 APRIL 2024 In response to emergency evacuations the NSW government response was the NSW Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020, which imposes complex obligations on practitioners and builders to ensure safeguards. An overarching law, the same regulations apply to new buildings as existing ones. NSW is the only state to enforce such rigour. Patch repairs to mixed-use buildings and strata apartments – the fastest-growing form of Australian property ownership [...]
ABC is asking apartment owners to share their stories
In light of the recent 730 Report expose on allegations that a major NSW strata management firm has been charging excessive fees for insurance services and receiving payments from suppliers without full disclosure of the arrangements, the ABC is now asking owners to share their stories abc.net.au/strata OCN celebrates and supports those strata managing agents acting ethically. However this is not an isolated case and we see this as an [...]
Strata practices report unleashes torrent of criticism
25 MARCH 2024 Allegations that a major NSW strata management firm has been charging excessive fees for insurance services without full disclosure of the arrangements have touched a nerve and triggered a torrent of criticism directed at practices within the sector. The Australian Consumers Insurance Lobby (ACIL), a strong advocate on strata insurance issues, last week joined with the Owners Corporation Network of Australia (OCN) and the Unit Owners Association [...]
ACIL, apartment owners call for ‘thorough investigation’
22 MARCH 2024 The Australian Consumers Insurance Lobby (ACIL), the Owners Corporation Network of Australia (OCN) and the Unit Owners Association of Queensland (UOAQ) have issued a joint call for national and NSW regulators to start a “thorough investigation” into the practices of strata management firm Netstrata and its associated entities following issues identified by the ABC this week. “The integrity of the strata management and insurance sectors is paramount [...]
Two Blokes Talking Techpodcast: this time talking Tech: E-mobiltiy devices
Two blokes podcast talk Strata with Chair Fred Tuckwell and how EVs are being considered in Apartments, the rules, issues, myths and support you can get if you live in an apartment Listen here > https://www.theleader.com.au/story/8522957/cheap-damaged-e-scooters-may-be-banned-in-apartments/ Related content:> https://ocn.org.au/e-bike-fire-risk-expert-webinar/
The apartment building with sustainability at its core
14 MARCH 2024 The Antias building, with 43 apartments and part of the Jackson’s Landing precinct in Pyrmont, has undertaken significant efforts to enhance its environmental sustainability since its completion in June 2012. The lessons learned include a combination of financial prudence, community engagement, strategic grant utilisation and a commitment to embracing emerging technologies and standards for long-term environmental benefits. “We would not have pursued these important ratings had it [...]
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