How are special levies for remedial works split between lots based on unit entitlements in a body corporate

By admin,

Our body corporate is authorising remedial works and maintenance and requires additional funds from owners due to not enough funds in the sinking fund. Is the amount required divided equally between the number of units OR should the amount be divided by the size of the units eg 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom etc?

Can a body corporate fundraise for major expenses and how must funds be legally collected and distributed

By admin,

We have a large common property expense of $1-1.5 million coming up within 12 months.

We are actively looking at ways to save money and generate revenue to offset this cost for owners. If we raise money by holding an event that generates $100K+, what’s the most effective way to use the money e.g. give grants to owners, pay the supplier directly etc and what type of legal entity should we use to accept and hold the revenue?

Can a body corporate raise a special levy for urgent repairs without firm quotes and what evidence is required

By admin,

Can the body corporate committee ask for a special levy for multiple urgent water ingress building repairs without obtaining a firm quote?

Background: Can we ask for $500k at our AGM to repair windows, guttering, roofing, waterproofing membranes etc which we've found have not been built to standard initially? Total works will be more, but we need this asap to get started prior to the wet season and getting quotes and going to EGM will lose valuable time.

Why have body corporate levies doubled and how can owners reduce costs in a small townhouse complex

By admin,

Our block of 8 townhouses on the Sunshine Coast has no lifts, no pool and only a very small common area. When I purchased the townhouse 3 years ago, the body corporate levies were $3,200 per annum. Levies have now risen to $6,400 per year, which I think is outrageous. I feel that the committee didn’t do a very good job of forecasting expenses in the 10 year plan. How do we bringing the levies back to a reasonable amount?

Can owners challenge body corporate overspending on legal fees that leads to higher levies

By admin,

My body corporate committee unapologetically overspent last year's budget for legal matters by $8000. The coming year's budget has allocated funds to cover that overspend and increased our quarterly levy by $300 to about $1200 per quarter. I feel this is a ridiculous levy for a small 8-lot complex without a pool! The committee holds the majority vote regarding any whole-of-body-corporate action. The body corporate manager supports the actions of the committee. Is there any way to challenge this financial mismanagement?

Are large levy increases after off the plan settlement legal and can buyers claim compensation

By admin,

I signed the contract to purchase a unit off the plan in May 2023 and was told the levy prices. On Dec 23, I received a redisclosure document stating the levies had increased. On settlement, the strata fees increased again to 50% more than the levy quoted when I signed the contract. No notice was given. Is a levy increase of this nature legal?

Can a body corporate change levy due dates without explanation and what are the impacts on owners

By admin,

Our body corporate mentioned the following in the budget and AGM minutes: "All levy payment due dates will align with period dates as of October 2024 onwards for all levies struck". The note did not explain that levy payments would be brought forward by 30 days. Should the committee have provided an explanatory note including the consequences of the change? Is a change of levy due date legal?

Can a strata convert visitor parking to resident spaces without breaching development consent requirements

By admin,

I am one of the committee members for a 65 apartment building. To help solve our resident parking problems, we would like to convert a visitor car park into a unit car space. Our strata manager tells us we can do this without having to comply with our development consent. They have provided the following information:

Can an owners corporation enforce different parking rules across common property areas without formal by laws?

By admin,

We own a unit in a complex consisting of 17 units. This complex has 17 garages, 3 dedicated visitor spots, a turning circle and a dedicated wash bay.

We have 22 cars parking in the complex. For overflow parking, resident use visitor parking, the wash bay and the turning circle.

Recently, the OC sent a letter to all residents stating that no parking is allowed on the common property (i.e. visitor parking, the turning space and the wash bay).