News Archives

2020 2019
2020
Water Damage 20th August 2020 Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management Body corporate article for publication Taking into account the number of calls we receive on the issue, water damage is a hot topic for lot owners and bodies corporate. In doing a bit of basic research for this article, I came to understand that in Australia, water damage insurance claims are a big part of the insurance market. .
Buying a Unit? What you should know! 29th July 2020 We have compiled 6 important tips for you when buying a unit in Queensland. This list is by no means exhaustive however they are extremely important to the buying process. Having knowledge is the key to living in peace and harmony and without additional financial stress..
Download our New Mobile App 2nd July 2020 You can now download the Member Jungle mobile app and stay up to date with what's going on our membership group. You can update your membership details and also receive notifications about important event reminders, latest news and more. Visit the Mobile App page (under Membership) to find out more..
Changing Body Corp Managers 30th June 2020 The day-to-day management of a strata complex works best when there is a friendly, harmonious relationship between Committees and their Body Corporate Manager. Occasionally there are personality conflicts or business service issues that cannot be resolved by negotiation with the parties..
By-Laws 28th May 2020 By-Laws are a set of rules for a complex that allow a Body Corporate to control things like common property and assets and regulate a variety of matters, including the keeping of animals, noise and parking. The set of by-laws that are for your complex should have been included in your purchase documents if you are an owner or in your lease if you are a tenant..
Air Conditioning 29th April 2020 The Body Corporate or a lot owner in a community titles scheme can make improvements to the common property, if they are approved. There is increasing interest in installing air conditioning in Queensland complexes. As property prices increase, the impetus to increase value by renovating has increased and improving facilities through air conditioning is very popular..
Insurance 14th January 2020 The Body Corporate and Community Management Act makes it compulsory for Bodies Corporate to obtain professional insurance valuations at least every 5 years to make sure that the common property areas are properly covered. The Valuation Report must be kept on the Body Corporate records..
Disputes and Adjudication 6th January 2020 You can only make an adjudication application if you (as the applicant) have tried self resolution and in most cases attempted conciliation with the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management (the BCCM office). If the dispute is about a matter that is not suitable for conciliation or the conciliation may not have resolved the dispute, the matter can be dealt with by adjudication. An adjudicator has wide powers under the BCCM Act to rule on disputes.. Website: Weblink
Committee Planning Calendar 1st January 2020 For smaller self-managed complexes, this committee planning calendar is very handy. The financial year for a body corporate is not always the same as the tax year (1 July to 30 June). The financial year for your body corporate is determined by either the year the body corporate was set up or by the date of the first annual general meeting..
2019
Conciliation 20th December 2019 Conciliation is a process by which a trained Commissioners Office alternative dispute resolution practitioner encourages the parties to come up with a suitable solution to the matter, a solution that is possible under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act..
Noise and Nuisance 17th December 2019 The Queensland govt has nuisance laws to help make Queensland a more liveable place. The laws aim to strike a balance between protecting our quality of life and the reasonable pursuit of activities that have the potential to annoy others. .
Office of the Commissioner 10th December 2019 The Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management has two important functions, an information service and a dispute resolution service..
When someone is being picked on or excluded 22nd November 2019 No one likes to be picked on, but in meetings sometimes, particularly meetings where there are established, self-interested cliques in control who exclude other lot owners, cruelty to other people happens. You can be part of the solution.
Treasurer and Financial Management 18th November 2019 The role of treasurer is intimately connected with financial management of the complex..
Writing Motions for Meetings 16th November 2019 Any lot owner can submit a motion to be considered at a general meeting. Lot owners are invited to submit their motions when the initial notice of meeting is sent out..
Matters after the end-of-financial-year 1st November 2019 The secretary needs to > Acknowledge the nominations for committee position > Consult with the treasurer for audit arrangements (if an audit was agreed to at the previous AGM) > Call a committee meeting to discuss and approve a proposed budget for the administrative fund and for the sinking fund to submit at the AGM. That meeting should also finalise the agenda for the AGM..
Duties of the secretary 1st October 2019 If a Body Corporate Management firm has been engaged many of the secretary’s duties will be undertaken by the the Body Corporate Manager for your complex, acting with the authorised powers (really on behalf of) the elected secretary. The contract that your complex has with the Body Corporate Manager will detail just which services that will be performed on behalf of the elected secretary..
Maintenance of the Complex 1st October 2019 Committee members and owners who want to work out just who is responsible for what maintenance items in a complex are encouraged to obtain a copy of two handouts from the Commissioners Office “Maintenance of Common property and lots” and “Maintenance Issues” which has a useful question and answer format..
Conflicts of Interest to be Disclosed 20th September 2019 A committee member must disclose to the meeting any direct or indirect interest held in an issue being considered, or to be considered, by the committee, if their interest could conflict with the member acting in the committee’s best interests. If the member is a voting member of the committee, the member is not entitled to vote at committee meetings on the issue..
Eligibility for Committee 1st September 2019 You must be a lot owner or a member of the lot owner’s family to be a committee member.
Health and Safety Inspections 1st August 2019 In this increasingly litigious society, bodies corporate have to take safety very seriously. Under workplace health and safety legislation, owners of premises have specific obligations to maintain their property to minimise the potential for accidents to occur (called officially minimising risks) In practice this means commonly minimising the chances of slips, trips and falls.
Check Your Personal Liability – Unpaid Levies 1st July 2019 If you are a committee member of the body corporate, we recommend that you check that the insurance cover for your building covers adequate office-holder liability insurance (also known as office bearers’ insurance). If A Lot Owner Owes Body Corporate Levies....
Composition of the Committee 1st June 2019 A committee for a body corporate larger than 7 lots should contain 7 voting members including 3 executive members (chairperson, secretary and treasurer) and ordinary members..
Committee Responsibilities 1st May 2019 The legislation restricts the issues that can be determined by the committee. For example, the committee cannot change the contributions to be levied on owners. Any extra levies or changes to contributions have to be decided by voting of lot owners through general meetings..
Settle Legal Problems Early 1st May 2019 The liability of a body corporate is unlimited. A Gold Coast newspaper article some years ago alerted those of us on committees to be very concerned about the possibility of escalating legal costs..
Possibility of Defamation 1st April 2019 Owners are alerted to the danger of defamation at general meetings and committee meetings The law of defamation enables people to protect their reputation by taking legal proceedings, often called defamation proceedings, against others whose actions or words are claimed to have damaged their reputation (Definition Source NSW ICAC).
What is a Body Corporate? 1st April 2019 In Queensland, a body corporate is a legal entity created when land is subdivided and registered under the Land Titles Act 1994 (Qld) to establish a community titles scheme. Owners do not have a choice. Every owner is automatically a member of the body corporate.