 Strata News & Information
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Hello <<First Name>>
Welcome to this edition of Your Strata News.
You may have noticed, we missed a newsletter last week! I was travelling for work - visiting Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sydney. If I happened to meet up with you during the trip, thank you for your time! I'm looking at heading back over to the East Coast in a few months, adding in Melbourne as well. Please let me know if you would like to book a time to catch up for a coffee.
Last Wednesday afternoon I was honoured to meet The Hon. Victor Dominello, MP at NSW Parliament House with Deib Khoury & Clare from Benjamin & Khoury Solicitors & Attourneys. What did we talk about? NSW Strata Reforms, of course! The Minister mentioned delays in bringing the reforms online. Originally set for 1 July 2016, it now looks as if it will happen closer to October. Jimmy Thomson covers this in detail in his article Rewriting the strata rules taking longer than the government expected.
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Editors picks not be missed this week:
Article: We have been following the story of Joe for a while ago. Read a detailed account of what occurred, an why, by Hynes Legal: The Saga of Joe - the Unwanted Galah.
Quick Q&A: A few weeks back we published an article by Allison Benson about the upcoming reforms. The article attracted an interesting series of questions about the right to legal representation in NCAT. Take a read here - NSW: The Nuts and Bolts of the Latest Strata Reforms.
Comments: You may remember, over the past month or so we have been requesting window lock information for an upcoming post. Thank you for everyone who submited a response. We also placed a post in our LinkedIn Group - and have received a host of replies there. You may wish to browse through the comments here. Thank you to contributors.
Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Lucky you! Did you know that only newsletter subscribers can participate in our frequent polls? Make sure we arrive in your inbox next edition by subscribing here. That way, you will never miss a newsletter and you can join in on our competitions and next poll question too!
Our community grows from word of mouth. If you enjoy our newsletters, please forward this email onto others who may be interested, or simply tell them about LookUpStrata. We thank you for your support!
Take advantage of our growing traffic stats & talk with me about contributing an Editorial Post to our blog, becoming a site sponsor or listing a Strata Job.
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We are keen to talk with people who are interested in joining industry leaders in contributing quality strata articles to our blog.
Present your strata knowledge to the Strata Community.
Contact me for more information - nikkij@lookupstrata.com.au
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THE Strata Directory provides a dedicated database of businesses and services for strata managers and owners. Whether strata lawyers or financial advisors are required - plumbing, electrical or handyman work is needed Australia wide - you'll find what you're looking for.
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Q&As NSW & QLD: Children, Commercial Strata Parking Regulations & Strata Insurance
LookUpStrata + Andrew Jakes, Ace Body Corporate Management + Jan Browne, Ian McNamee & Partners + Whitbread Insurance Brokers
Some great strata questions from our community about children on common property, commercial strata regulations concerning parking and a strata insurance question!
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NSW: Pets, Parking and Smoking
Adrian Mueller, Senior Lawyer, J. S. Mueller & Co Lawyers
New strata by-laws allowing pets in units, managing illegal parking and curbing smoking on apartment balconies are part of the biggest overhaul of strata laws in more than 50 years. Set to come into play later this year, what do they mean?
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**BREAKING NEWS**
Queensland Government introduces changes to overhaul smoke alarm systems
Deborah Sullivan, QIA Group
From 1 January 2017, all smoke alarm systems installed will need to be fully compliant for new buildings or when significant renovations occur.
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NSW: So What's This About Tenants at Strata Meetings?
David Bannerman, Bannermans Lawyers
There have been a lot of media reports about what is happening with strata tenants rights at strata meetings due to the new reforms.
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QLD: The saga of Joe – the unwanted galah
Hynes Legal
Our clients bought a lot in a building that had a no pet policy. They owned a galah called Joe. We had the inevitable argument over pets. Joe had lived in a cage for his entire life. He had previously lived in a community titles scheme without issue. He was quiet and clean and didn’t squawk and annoy people.
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Strata Made Simple
Whitbread Insurance Brokers
The new Australia Post delivery time frames need to be considered when sending out 21 days notice of general meetings.
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NSW: Window Safety Requirements - Reminder Compliance Due 18 March 2018
Allison Benson, Kerin Benson Lawyers
An important reminder for owners corporations to include a provision for Window Safety Requirements in their annual budgets.
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The Unit Owners’ Stairway to Insurers’ Heaven
Wayne Stevens, Unit Owners Association of Queensland (UOAQ)
Many unit owners in QLD are now painfully aware they paid far too much for strata insurance in the years following the 2008/09 GFC. Post-2009, construction costs virtually stagnated: in some years, they actually went backwards. However, insurers continued suggesting annual uplifts of at least 5%; one insurer was even suggesting 8%.
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Strata Sector Fears Dangerous Flammable Cladding Now Widespread in Victoria
Strata Community Australia
Sector Bosses Considering Legal Advice as an Option.
Building Ministers Urged to Act to Avoid the Towering Infernos Seen in Victoria Throughout Australia
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Buildings with a fire panel or lift telephone need to register with the NBN
David Leary, Leary and Partners
In case you have not already heard, it is important that you register your buildings that have a fire panel or a lift telephone with the NBN. This will ensure that they remain operational after the NBN arrives. Read more here.
Strata managers need to register their buildings in order for them to remain fully active and compliant with the relevant regulatory requirements. A web site that will assist strata managers in determining when their buildings are likely to be connected is the Network Rollout Map site. You can enter the address of your building and find out the latest information regarding the connection timetable.
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Tony Raggatt, Townsville Bulletin
SECRET third party commissions of as much as 20 per cent being paid by insurers to body corporate managers are costing unit owners thousands of dollars extra in premiums and should be banned, North Queensland insurance advocate Margaret Shaw says.
Editors note: We realise this is a controversial topic. If you wish to comment, please visit the post in our LinkedIn group, or send comments directly to me to be published anonymously nikkij@lookupstrata.com.au.
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We welcome back Whitbread Insurance Brokers as fortnightly sponsors of our Strata Newsletter.
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