The rental agency of a lot in a Building Format scheme that we manage came to us requesting that we provision a key for the unit that they are managing as the tenant needed an additional key. BCCM adjudications have been clear (http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/qld/QBCCMCmr/2000/71.html) that the body corporate is liable for the maintenance of locks and the […]
We uncovered a tangled web this month. A scheme of townhouses had been developed over an extended period of time. The scheme has a private road and for all intensive purposes all the townhouses seemed similar with no lot fencing but with landscaped grounds surrounding each building on the scheme land. The scheme was not a layered scheme. […]
In April, we helped a scheme of townhouses where the lots were defined by Standard format (pegs in the ground) and not Building Format. Four of the seven townhouses required major structural repairs that were all related due to a structural steel frame that extended across all four lots that formed a garage for each lot. The […]
As one Queensland Body Corporate recently experienced, the term of a contract can be highly significant when considering a motion for a contractor engagement. The Queensland BCCM Commissioner passed down a decision which highlights the necessity for owners to be wary and knowledgeable about their rights. Northcliffe’s Body Corporate manager breached the requirements … in relation to […]
We just got a letter from Urban Utilities suggesting that a Body Corporate that we manage has a water leak. We take such a letter very seriously because we know that water leaks can be very expensive. However, in this case, the Body Corporate was a relatively new development. The automatic letter generated by the Urban Utilities computer […]
The developer (and building contractor) is the first person to contact when a defect is found in a new scheme. If they are unresponsive, then recourse to the Queensland Building and Construction Commission may be possible. The time to lodge a non-structural defect issue with the QBCC is quite short. Full details are on their website – www.qbcc.qld.gov.au. Once […]
Generally, we use an accredited valuer to make sinking fund forecasts for a Body Corporate that we fully manage. Sometimes, we encounter committees and lot owners who disagree with the forecast that has been prepared. It is quite acceptable for a committee, that feels competent to assess the sinking fund outlays that might occur on their property […]
A friend of mine is a Body Corporate Manager for a small commercial Body Corporate in regional Queensland. When the Body Corporate was established, some years ago, the original owner secured a lease with an independent supermarket. The lease covers four of the lots that are now owned by three separate parties. The internal walls for the four […]