Big changes in store for apartment laws
25 AUGUST 2023 Major updates to NSW strata are being proposed, with working groups having recommended some bold regulatory reforms for the sector. Among the changes afoot is a recommendation to make the initial annual general meeting of new buildings a two stage process so that owners, especially first timers, cannot be railroaded into agreements that are not in their best interests, such as embedded networks [https://www.afr.com/wealth/personalfinance/howtostop-dodgymaintenancecontractsinyournewapartmentblock-20230801-p5dt3d]. Allied to the recommendation [...]
Apartment owners face strata fee increases of 20 per cent as costs soar
19 JULY 2023 Strata levies paid by apartment owners are up by 15 to 20 per cent on average over the past year as the costs of insurance, utilities and repairs and maintenance outstrip even the rapid rise in general inflation. Apartment owners are facing an increase in strata fees on top of rises in mortgage repayments. Without any official source of strata levies, the evidence for rising levies is [...]
Is Strata Mediation A Good Idea?
OCN Executive Director talks with Fran Kelly on ABC Radio 702 Mornings about the good, the bad and the ugly sides of mandatory mediation.
The ‘extra obstacle’ for owners clashing with body corporates over building defects
16 JULY 2023 The number of people applying for strata scheme mediation has surged by 45 per cent in five years as owners clash with owners corporations over building defects and repairs. The average wait time for parties to meet with a mediator was three months, NSW Fair Trading confirmed, while it takes another four months on average for a resolution for those who escalated the issue to the NSW [...]
NSW’s building industry is reforming after years of apartment defects, but comes too late for many owners
15 JULY 2023 Brian Tucker is forking out thousands of dollars on quarterly strata fees and paying down his mortgage on an apartment that's been uninhabitable for more than four years. So far this year NSW Fair Trading has issued more than 30 work rectification orders across building sites, including The Laneways Rosebery, which remains empty and has serious structural defects, and Toplace's Vicinity complex in Canterbury over "potential serious [...]
Apartment owners fear multi-million-dollar repair bill after developer Toplace goes into administration
13 JULY 2023 Patrick Quintal was newly married and eager to begin a fresh chapter when he bought a Sydney apartment two years ago. Now the IT manager feels financially trapped, fearing a $180,000 repair bill after the developer of his apartment, Toplace, went into administration. Karen Stiles, head of peak residential strata body Owners Corporation Network, said the situation surrounding Toplace was "not a one-off occurrence". She said apartment [...]
NSW Government is Under Pressure to Better Protect Home Owners
12 JULY 2023 OCN talks to Ruby Cornish, ABC News, after apartment developer Toplace goes into voluntary administration, leaving apartment owners in financial ruin. Watch ABC News:> HERE
Premier urges fugitive developer to turn himself in
12 JULY 2023 Controversial Sydney developer Jean Nassif is being urged to submit to authorities as his company collapses, a month after a warrant was issued for his arrest. NSW Fair Trading this week said it was working with Strata Communities Australia and the Owners Corporation Network to help strata managers and owners in Toplace buildings. The agency advised buyers with deposits on off-the-plan Toplace sales to contact their conveyancer or [...]
Patrick’s apartment block has defects. He has nightmares of being buried beneath rubble
11 JULY 2023 Every time IT manager Patrick Quintal leaves work to travel home, he feels sick with dread that his apartment building may no longer be standing. Each night when he goes to sleep, he dreams about waking up buried beneath rubble. The former chair of apartment peak body, the Owners Corporation Network, Stephen Goddard, says Vicinity has all the hallmarks of the Mascot Towers disaster. “At this stage [...]
How strata schemes are letting down Sydney’s apartment owners
9 JULY 2023 When Eloise O’Connell joined the strata committee for her apartment in Liverpool, their first task was to raise the fees to prevent insolvency. “Whether your building can be well run is just by the sheer luck of the combination of people who put their hands forward,” O’Connell said. Head of the peak body for residential strata owners the Owners Corporation Network Karen Stiles said the strata management [...]
‘Dob in a developer’ scheme extended as builders forced to fix defects
11 JUNE 2023 Builders and developers have been told to fix shonky work across 33 properties by NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler, as the government announces an extension to the building dispute resolution scheme. Project Intervene allows owners’ corporations to dob in serious defects in common areas of buildings, provided the buildings are four or more stories high and built less than six years ago, and have the commissioner negotiate [...]
Demand for more EV charging stations across Sydney suburbs
12 APRIL 2023 Sydney’s North Shore and eastern suburbs apartment dwellers are stuck in a catch-22 where they can afford an electric vehicle but have nowhere at home to charge it. They say more education is needed for strata committees and while the Labor federal government is moving in the right direction, there is still much more that can be done to stop Australia being a “massive graveyard” for high-emission [...]
Now is the Perfect Time to Fix Broken Strata System
6 MARCH 2023 The "opportunities" the new Minister has range from an out of control residential market to a stuttering strata complaints system, via an unprecedented housing crisis. One significant step forward the new government could take would be to support the Owners Corporation Network, which represents strata owners, with substantial guaranteed finance for the next four years, as it does with the Tenants' Union. Apartment owners are not the [...]
Bold move to future-proof your nest egg and buy you freedom
6 MARCH 2023 As more Australians chase a new home ownership dream, these tips show why a smaller abode could better protect your interests. Experts suggest anyone planning to buy off the plan should do all the relevant research. Check the developer and builder, visit past projects and even knock on doors to ask residents about their experience. “It’s better to pay a premium for an apartment from a reputable [...]
‘This is evolving quickly’: City of Sydney accelerates switch to electric vehicles
13 FEBRUARY 2023 The City of Sydney will require all new apartment buildings to accommodate electric vehicle chargers in car spaces and look to retrofit existing residential blocks with charging stations under a plan to spur the uptake of the technology as the council pushes to reach net zero emissions by 2035. Owners Corporation Network chairman Fred Tuckwell said apartment owners racing to future-proof their blocks by installing EV chargers [...]
David Chandler to Investigate Solutions for Mascot Towers
13 FEBRUARY 2023 Owners Corporation Network Executive Officer Karen Stiles welcomed the announcement of the new panel, but said Mascot Tower owners had been let down by all levels of government for many years. “As the peak body representing apartment owners, the Owners Corporation Network welcomes Minister Dominello’s announcement that an expert panel led by David Chandler OAM will assess the best way forward with Mascot Towers,” Stiles said. “It’s [...]
What Aussies will pay to have EV charging points in multi-unit developments
14 JANUARY 2023 Surging demand for electric cars is prompting significant — and expensive — infrastructure change in apartment blocks across the country. Fred Tuckwell chairs the Owners Corporation Network, an organisation that helps people navigate challenges in multi-residence environments. “It really is up to the owners corporation,” he said. Read full article:> HERE
Apartment buyers warned over defect cover
23 DECEMBER 2022 People in the market for a new apartment are being urged to steer clear of developers lacking a star rating or defect insurance, four years after the mass evacuation of a cracked apartment tower in Sydney. Read article, which appeared in several publications:> HERE
‘Lipstick on a pig’: Building boss slams unit block fix
26 NOVEMBER 2022 A five-year battle to get structural problems in a Sydney unit block repaired has resulted in cosmetic fixes described by the NSW building boss as ‘lipstick on a pig’. The project will now become part of the Project Intervene scheme where Mr Chandler and his team can bypass the courts to engage directly with the developer to fix flaws. It's a move welcomed by Owners Corporation Network [...]
Commissioner’s plan to purge lawyers from costly fights over dodgy buildings
15 NOVEMBER 2022 Owners corporations can now dob in defective buildings up to six years old and receive help from the government to resolve the dispute outside the courts under an initiative set up by the state’s inaugural Building Commissioner. Karen Stiles, the head of Owners Corporation Network – an advocacy group for strata owners – welcomed the initiative and said owners were “crying out for help” to avoid lengthy [...]
Why this apartment with cladding is safe but not sellable
13 November 2022 The curse of the crisis that rendered apartments unsellable has moved into a new phase as the regulator grapples with the technical and reputational risks of giving buildings a green tick to go back into the pool of tradeable properties. Strata advocates say regulators need to be quicker to act. “If they can taint the title they have a duty to remove the stain if there is [...]
Owners issue 10-point election manifesto
8 NOVEMBER 2022 The Owners Corporation Network (OCN) announced this week that they plan to be actively involved in the NSW state election, potentially tapping into the voting power of NSW’s one million-plus strata residents. With that in mind, they have now issued their 10-point manifesto and are calling for strata owners’ support in promoting policies that can become part of the debate heading for the state elections next year. [...]
Key Priorities for a Better Strata Future
8 NOVEMBER 2022 The Owners Corporation Network (OCN) announced this week that they plan to be actively involved in the NSW state election, potentially tapping into the voting power of NSW’s one million-plus strata residents. With that in mind, they have now issued their 10-point manifesto and are calling for strata owners’ support in promoting policies that can become part of the debate heading for the state elections next year. [...]
Chandler talks about older blocks – Flat Chat Wrap Podcast
25 OCTOBER 2022 Jimmy Thomson: 'Co-podder Sue Williams and I took ourselves off to the Owners Corporation Network’s 20th anniversary event last week and it turned out to be a very revealing evening indeed. OK, the plaudits and praise were flowing faster than the free wine – and that’s saying something. I hosted and Sue delivered a fascinating speech about how the OCN was formed in the darkest days of [...]
Developer pledges to fix defects under new NSW rules
5 OCTOBER 2022 Developer Australia YMCI is counting on a vote by owners of defective apartments it has rectified in western Sydney to draw a line under legal action and allow it to get on with marketing the next stage of its $5 billion Ovation Quarter development. Strata owners advocacy group Owners Corporation Network said the streamlining of rectification processes would remove a lot stress. “Enforceable undertakings by the developer [...]
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