Tag: self managed strata

Body Corporate Maintenance

Body Corporate Maintenance: Who is Responsible for What?

Posted on Our Body CorpLeave a commentPosted in News

For those who own a property lot within a Strata Body Corporate in Melbourne, you will inevitably face situations where maintenance and repairs are required. Oftentimes, property repairs can be pricey, and it is worthwhile knowing whether the body corporate should pay or if you would need to cover the costs. Given the variability in size, age, facilities, layout, and condition of a building, maintenance and repair work will differ in complexity, with some maintenance problems turning into major work, especially when multiple lots are affected by one problem. The main purpose of body corporate management is to look after […]Read More

strata management

6 Common Strata Complaints and How to Handle Them

Posted on Our Body CorpLeave a commentPosted in News

Living in self-managed strata blocks is becoming more common in Australia. With population growth and higher density living accommodation, many new apartment buildings are popping up in major cities. Now that Owner’s Corporation structure has five tiers, smaller complexes of 3 – 99 lots can opt to self-manage their OCs. There are plenty of perks to being part of a strata body corporate situation, including shared amenities that one may not have access to living on a single title, including parking spaces, gyms, meeting rooms, elevators and more. On the flip side, some annoyances commonly arise in strata-title complexes. Any strata manager […]Read More

strata management

15 Things Respectful Body Corporate Residents Do

Posted on Our Body CorpLeave a commentPosted in Body Corporate

When you buy a property that forms part of a strata scheme, you are effectively investing in a community. The community is typically split into three groups. Lot Owners: The owners of the individual properties, often called “lots”, within the strata scheme. Lot Owners collectively make decisions about how the common property is managed, administered and maintained, and contribute financially to the operation of the strata scheme. Residents and Occupants: The people who live within the strata scheme. Residents may be lot owners (owner-occupiers) or tenants. They could also be people who work in any commercial lots that may exist […]Read More

strata company sydney

What Do I Own in my Strata Scheme and What is Common Property?

Posted on Strata Online Expert4 CommentsPosted in Body Corporate, Hints for Strata Living, News, Owners Corporation Compliance, Strata Compliance, Strata Management

For any unit owner as part of a strata scheme, Body Corporate Services or owners corporation, the critical question is what is your unit (or lot) and what is common property. This will determined who is responsible for what and who pays. General Rule (subject to exceptions) The general rule applicable to the majority of strata schemes registered after 1 July 1974 is: The structures located on the solid thick line, such as, that shown above at the registration of the strata plan are common property. The ceiling , the structure of the floor including fixed tiles or floorboards, the electrical […]Read More

strata company sydney

15 Fantastically Organised Spaces

Posted on Strata Online Expert1 CommentPosted in Design Tips for Strata, News, Urban communities

With sales in Australian apartments going gangbusters, the secret to living in these apartments is fanastically organised spaces. Australians have much to learn from apartment dwellers accustomed to the confined spaces of New York or Tokyo. Organised thinking and discipline is what’s needed when you don’t have a ‘pool room’ to display your collectables. There are handy little secrets for fantastically organised spaces. There are some great tips from bloggers on sites such as Apartment Therapy. I like this blog with gorgeous photos to admire for their organisation. “Beautifully organised spaces are very inspirational for me. Often, I think, if […]Read More

exclusive strata management

What approvals do I need to renovate my unit?

Posted on Strata Online Expert13 CommentsPosted in News, Strata Compliance

Owners living in a strata community, body corporate or owners’ corporation sometimes want to renovate their apartments. But it’s difficult to know your rights and obligations. Do I need permission from my neighbours to renovate? What if I don’t get permission? It’s not really that scary, more common-sense so dream big with your renovations but follow the rules. This article by Bannermans Lawyers is very helpful for navigating the difference between hammering a nail in a wall to enclosing a balcony. What approvals do I need to renovate my unit? While this article is about renovating units in NSW only […]Read More

bcs strata management

Self managed strata schemes: does your tradie have the right insurance?

Posted on Strata Online Expert2 CommentsPosted in News, Strata Compliance, Strata Management

Self-managing your strata scheme it’s important to check that the tradies you engage have the right insurance cover. It’s not hard. Just follow these steps. Make sure that you check that the company the tradie works for has public liability insurance.  Simply getting a, “Yes I do!” from the tradesperson is not sufficient.  You must ask them to provide you with a Certificate of Currency, which they can obtain from their insurer. Holger Schnabel, from Whitbread Insurance Brokers says, “Best practice is keeping a register of all of the tradespeople used by the Owners Corporation and note that a copy […]Read More

strata management act

Self-managed Strata Unit Owners work together to transform Problem Block

Posted on Strata Online Expert4 CommentsPosted in Hints for Strata Living, News, Strata Management, Urban communities

I have to share with you a wonderful story of a group of self-managed strata unit owners in Ashgrove (Qld). About a year ago they didn’t have a strata manager and their building was in a terrible state. The property was run-down with flooding in the understory of the building every time it rained. The property’s value was declining dramatically. It was one of those depressing stories that keeps owners awake at night. The owners joined Our Body Corp in April last year and began the process of self-managing their strata with some support from us along the way. The […]Read More

strata management sa

DIY Strata goes Online

Posted on Strata Online Expert2 CommentsPosted in Hints for Strata Living, News, Our Body Corp Updates, Strata Management

DIY Strata goes online but some property owners know this already. Nice piece from strata journalist and expert Jimmy Thomson in Domain (Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Canberra Times) There was a time when small strata schemes that weren’t professionally managed got by with casual chats in place of meetings, and levies reminder notes slipped under the door instead of printed invoices. But as strata life has become more complicated, with legal obligations stacking up, the back of a ciggie packet management model just doesn’t cut the mustard any more. As apartment buyers get more savvy, it hurts your property […]Read More