Benjamin Sasson

By Neziah,

Ben is a dedicated lawyer with valuable experience across a range of legal areas in the Federal Court of Australia, Supreme Court, District Court, Magistrates Court, arbitrations, and State Administrative Tribunal.

Ben’s practice includes advising and representing lot owners, strata companies and strata managers across a vast range of matters, such as resolving scheme disputes, defective workmanship claims, alterations to lots and common property, enforcement of by-laws, and responding to alleged by-law breaches.

Craig MacDonald

By Neziah,

Craig MacDonald is a Chartered Building Surveyor and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS), with over 20 years' experience diagnosing building defects and advising on property risk across Australia. He is Chair of the RICS Member Engagement Group in Queensland, an accredited RICS Assessor, and author of The Building Detective. Through Beyond Condition — the consultancy and property technology firm he co-founded — Craig works with bodies corporate on defect investigations, sinking fund forecasts, and the procurement of building works.

Caren Chen

By Neziah,

Client success sits at the heart of Caren's practice. She combines broad industry resources with highly specialised knowledge to deliver optimal outcomes for those she works with.

Recognising that every client's needs are different, Caren works closely with clients and their stakeholders to develop tailored, fully compliant solutions. This collaborative, detail-driven approach allows her to address specific goals and challenges directly, building lasting professional relationships grounded in trust and real results.

Deryck Walker

By Neziah,

Two decades of strata industry experience, qualified trainer and assessor, strata industry consultant and mentor. Developing and delivering high quality training for the strata industry.

Can a body corporate committee delegate minor spending decisions to a single member?

By Neziah,

We have been advised by the BCCM team that all committee decisions, including expenditure, must be voted on either at a committee meeting or by a vote outside a committee meeting. Including an item of expenditure in a budget does not give authority to spend the money, and the legislation does not provide a delegation process to permit an individual committee member to make body corporate decisions on their own.

Can a body corporate resolve that lot owners are responsible for the maintenance of the boundary fence?

By Neziah,

We live in a townhouse complex of 52 homes. Each unit has a fenced courtyard between the garage and the house, with a dividing fence between neighbouring homes. The courtyards are common property with no exclusive use, even though they are fully fenced and not accessible to other residents.

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