Body Corporate (Page 5)

Contributed By: Ace Body Corp on

A rise in solar panel fires in several Australian states has prompted a warning for hundreds of apartment owners going green on the cheap. At Ace, we’re concerned the problem could quickly grow with the huge popularity of solar power only increasing, if owners corporations/bodies corporate continue to put price over quality. Apartment blocks are well suited to solar networks because the energy generated can be used to power common areas creating costs-savings for owners corporations, but the presence of inexperienced market operators using cheap products has unfortunately exposed owners to serious fire risks. Fire Departments in Queensland have attended over 50 fires in theRead More →

Contributed By: TheOnsiteManager (Staff Writer) on

The Queensland Government is cracking down on combustible building cladding, following the Grenfell Tower fire in London and the discovery that the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane is clad in a similarly combustible material. The new Audit Taskforce is Queensland’s response to Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull’s call for States to ensure buildings meet Australian standards for fire safety. 44 buildings in Queensland – 23 government owned and 21 privately held – are undergoing compliance checks. While no other cases of non-compliant cladding have been found in the month since the taskforce launched, wider reviews could uncover many more; investigations after the 2014 Lacrosse fire inRead More →

Contributed By: TheOnsiteManager.com.au on

Some strata communities – formerly known as Body Corporates – aren’t liable to pay tax. However, this is not applicable to all stratas, and wrongly assuming you are exempt from paying tax can lead to fines and even court proceedings. It’s important to get in the know about strata communities and tax liabilities so you can gauge whether or not you are liable. If you need more information or one-on-one advice about your own situation, it may be worth speaking to a strata specialist with corporate tax knowledge, such as the team at Abacus Strata. Here’s a quick overview of strata related Tax to helpRead More →

Contributed By: SSKB on

Water has an incredible ability to find its way into all sorts of strange places.  In community schemes, this can quickly fudge the outlines of who is responsible for water damage.  So who should you be talking to if you suffer water damage?  And what are you responsible for? For owners in a property with a Building Manager, this person should always be your first port of call in a case of water damage, as they will identify responsibility for repairs.  It is important to recognise responsibility is divided between the Owners Corporation or Body Corporate and individual lot owners.  Bodies corporate/owners corporations are generallyRead More →

Contributed By: Jeremy Festa of Rochele on

Many people believe the main reason we re-paint body corporate buildings is to protect them from the elements. However this is not necessarily true. Apart from sealing certain aspects, such as metal balustrade where we paint in order to deter rust, or ensure natural timber is kept moist through oiling or staining, the real reason we re-paint any building, is to enhance its visual appeal. The built environment and architecture in general plays a huge role in affecting people’s moods. So when it comes to the health and happiness of a body corporate community, a good looking and clean building plays an integral role. EXTERIORRead More →

Contributed By: Grant Mifsud of Archers the Strata Professionals on

Following on from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) recommendations released in February 2017, a further 64 “final” recommendations have been released in a recent announcement made by Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Training and Skills, The Honourable Yvette D’Ath. The report focuses on procedural issues under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997. Of the 64 recommendations, 21 suggest that no changes! To give you an indication of the actual changes recommended, we have summarised these into procedural areas of General Meetings, Committees, Notices, Disputes and General. Highlights of the General Meeting changes focus on deemed service of notices taking into account postage, practical waysRead More →

Contributed By: Matthew Lycakis from ThyssenKrupp Elevator Australia on

One of the most important things for the owner of a premises with a lift is ensuring the lift has been registered with WorkCover. The responsibility for registration falls upon the owners of the lift. This can cause some confusion with owners as it is mistakenly believed that the lift service provider registers the lift. Unfortunately, lift service providers are unable to do this as we only provide our services to maintain lifts, but, do not own the equipment. To assist owners with the registration process, we are pleased to provide some important information about registering your plant. The below information is for registering liftRead More →

What is bullying? Everyone’s definition of bullying is different.  Wikipedia says as follows: Bullying is the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively dominate others. The behaviour is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception, by the bully or by others, of an imbalance of social or physical power, which distinguishes bullying from conflict. Many of us have children and the bullying that occurs at schools today astounds me.  From verbal threats to physical attacks.  We all are asking “why is it getting worse?”  I don’t remember it being this bad when we were kids. We can blameRead More →

Contributed By: Mike Phipps Finance on

I see there is a financial institution out there that proposes that it’s possible to love a bank.  It’s an interesting premise and given the overuse of the L word in modern dialogue I thought I’d go back to basics and have a look at the definition of love.  Turns out its pretty much all things to all people albeit my search through the Interweb found this rather succinct paragraph. Love can make you do anything and sacrifice for what will be better in the end. Love is intense,and passionate. Everything seems brighter, happier and more wonderful when you’re in love. If you find it,Read More →

Contributed By: Hynes Legal on

The Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (BCCM Act) sets out a number of spending limits. Some of these intersect with others. Some need to go to general meeting and some depend on the number of lots in the scheme. The rules relating to them are scattered across the relevant Regulation Modules. This article sets them out in one place. The major categories of spending include the: committee spending limit (is a committee or general meeting required?) major spending limit (are two quotes needed?) common property improvement limit (what type of resolution is required depending on who is making the improvement?) The committee spending limit The default position for committeeRead More →

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