Home Building Act Review
OCN Executive Director2024-10-23T10:23:50+11:00OCN made yet another submission on the ongoing building law reforms. Read submission:> OCN Submission - Building Reforms September 2024
Strata manager banned by NSW Fair Trade for 10 years
Jane McIlroy2024-07-30T17:53:23+10:00Owners 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 with [...]
Strata law reform on the cards as NSW Fair Trading swamped with complaints
OCN Executive Director2024-07-09T15:58:30+10:00NSW 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 certainly [...]
Strata Law reform on the cards as NSW fair trading swamped with complaints
Jane McIlroy2024-08-12T15:19:18+10:00The NSW government’s draft laws are in consultation with the Owners Corporation Network and Strata Community Association and will be considered by parliament later this year. Owners Corporation Network Executive Director Karen Stiles said many owners were in “a world of pain” thanks to limited regulation over the sector. “We certainly welcome more stringent regulation of strata managing agents and service providers, including building managers,” she said. Read submission:> OCN [...]
Design & Building Practitioner & Residential Apartments Act Review 2024
OCN Executive Director2024-07-17T17:31:59+10:00The NSW Public Accountability Committee is currently reviewing the efficacy of the DBP and RAB Acts. OCN took the opportunity to make a distinction between its application for new and existing buildings, and point out the time and cost blowouts for remedial works caused by early confusion and conservatism of the industry. OCN called for clear guidance, to remove unnecessary overspecification of remedial works. Read submission:> OCN Submission - DBP & [...]
NSW Budget 2024-25
OCN Executive Director2024-06-19T16:47:16+10:00MEDIA RELEASE 19 June 2024 The Owners Corporation Network of Australia (OCN) welcomes new budget funding specifically to support delivery of much needed strata reform. Strata is one of the main, if not the main, formats for improved housing supply over the short and medium term. So, it’s a good start. But more will be needed as the scope and scale of the task to improve community confidence and trust in [...]
Fire Safety Reforms
OCN Executive Director2024-05-13T18:00:20+10:00OCN made a further submission on proposed fire safety reforms, which include the introduction of licensing for fire safety practitioners. With an accreditation program only established in 2021 for fire safety practitioners, and limited training facilities, OCN is wary of adding another layer of complexity and cost to owners without a compelling cost benefit analysis. Read submission:> OCN Submission - Fire Safety Reforms May 2024 Related content:> OCN Submission - Fire [...]
What the New Strata Laws on Apartments Mean For You
OCN Executive Director2024-02-16T15:03:51+11:0015 FEBRUARY 2024 NSW, Victoria and Queensland are reviewing their unit regulations, but it's still up to owners to take action against dodgy contracts. Truly independent representation of apartment owners is offered only by the Owners Corporation Network in NSW and the Unit Owners Association of Queensland. Read full article:> https://www.afr.com/wealth/personal-finance/what-the-new-strata-laws-on-apartments-mean-for-you-20240214-p5f4qu Related content:> https://ocn.org.au/confidence-is-waning-new-strata-commissioners-urgent-task-to-support-high-rise-city/
Australian Consumer Law & Owners Corporations
OCN Executive Director2024-01-25T15:28:28+11:0022 JANUARY 2024 OCN wrote to Federal, State and Territory Consumer Affairs Ministers, asking them to identify and address gaps in the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) insofar as they apply to owners corporations. Gaps in the ACL leave owners corporations, lot owners and tenants at a significant disadvantage in their dealings with businesses, including developers and strata/owners corporation managers. The ACL provides that unfair terms of a consumer or a small [...]
Big changes in store for apartment laws
OCN Executive Director2023-10-09T17:48:42+11:0025 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 above [...]
