By Alex Smale – Owners Corporation Manager There is a concept within design known as “hostile architecture” it describes attempts to use built environment to modify behaviour. As soon as you learn about this you will start to see it everywhere. A common example is skatestoppers which are metal strips often on ledges and railings
By Alex Smale – Owners Corporation Manager “Do we really need to pay to get the anchor points certified every year?” … “Do you want someone to fall off the roof?” This kind of conversation is all too common at the annual general meetings of strata properties. All buildings have machinery and systems which owners
The following content has been prepared and provided by the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) When the construction of a building is complete, the building owner is responsible for its upkeep and maintenance, particularly its safety features or essential safety measures. The maintenance of essential safety measures will ensure that important safety systems within the building
Strata titled properties in Australia have assets (property, services) that no single private lot owner has individual responsibility and/or authority for. Examples include corridors, communal lighting, a shared roof and so on. Within Victoria, Owners Corporations are legal entities created by the registration of Plans of Subdivision. The Plan of Subdivision will show which portions
In Victoria, statutory protections exist in place to protect both private property owners and Owners Corporations from building defects. Download Defects Management Fact Sheet > Building works may constitute a building defect when they do not comply with one of; Building Contract Statutory Warranties as set out in section 8 of the Domestic Building Contracts
Water ingress is an unfortunate feature of property ownership and maintenance. When owning and/or living in an Owners Corporation, the lines can often be blurred and complicated regarding the cause of water ingress, the responsibility for repair and the liability for damage. At first instance, please always contact your Owners Corporation Manager and notify them
One of the aspects of owning and/or living within an Owners Corporation that may be new and challenging to many people is being much more closely situated to immediate neighbours than you may have been previously in a non-strata dwelling, i.e. a standalone house. Whether due to this closer proximity, different lifestyles, or differences in
As an owner or occupier within an Owners Corporation property, different situations may arise that are distinct from owning or living in a residence on private title. Download Incident Management fact sheet > In recent times, the events of Opal Tower and Mascot Towers in Sydney NSW, and national discussion regarding flammable cladding have had
Changes to process for dealing with building defects Since 26 April 2017 there has been a change to the process for Owners Corporations dealing with building defects. If an Owners Corporation wishes to take action against a builder for failing to rectify building defects then rather than making an application to the Victorian Civil &
In November 2016, the Victorian Parliament agreed to refer the Owners Corporations Amendment (Short-stay Accommodation) Bill 2016 to the Environment and Planning Committee for inquiry, consideration and report in relation to: • Undertaking proper consultation with peer sector economy providers, individuals, owners corporations and short-stay letting providers; • The impact on individuals, families, apartment owners
