After a very long wait, the Queensland Government has today published new BCCM Regulation Modules that will commence on 1 March 2021. For the most part, the changes in these 2020 Regulations simply legitimise many modern practices, such as electronic voting.  Importantly, the new Regulations will close a loophole that developed whereby powers of attorney […]

Since the rise of AirBnB, many communities have felt the deleterious effects of short term letting.   Conversely, a lesser publicised but equally important issue has stayed in the industry for longer: buildings developed for short term accommodation having to contend with long term tenants.  Bodies corporate are frequently told that they cannot restrict how long […]

Whilst the world has been concentrating on social distancing, working from home, getting the washing done and the kids back to school Parliament has been busy. On 11 June 2020 the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (DBPAct) came into force.  Big deal you may think….  Well yes, it is a big deal, a really […]

Fairway Island: the only strata community in Queensland that has banned short term letting Six months ago a decision by a Magistrate was released which upheld the validity of a by-law that prohibited lots within its strata community from being let for one month or less.  Our article on that decision is accessible here.  The […]

On 24 March 2020, Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus Bill 2020 received assent. The effect of the bill is to soften the economic and financial effects COVID-19 is having on Australian individuals and corporations. Included in the Bill are changes to the Bankruptcy Act 1966, Bankruptcy Regulations 1996 and the Corporations Act 2001. The changes […]

As we all know things are changing rapidly and Court and Tribunal matters are no different. All of the Courts and Tribunals (NCAT) have set up systems and procedures that keep the wheels of Government moving along. So in reality whilst there will be obvious disruptions to some services and the gathering of information and […]

We have all seen the most recent orders from the Government about using public pools, gyms, etc (Order) effectively closing them down. We have now turned our minds to the pools and gyms in strata and community schemes (Schemes). With things moving at the speed of light the main thrust of everything is to protect […]

The Justice and Other Legislation (COVID-19 Emergency Response) Amendment Bill 2020 was introduced to the Legislative Assembly on 19 May 2020, and it was at this time that the public was first given notice of the proposed legislation, including Strata Community Association (Qld). On 20 May 2020 the Bill was considered for a second time […]

We have been inundated with questions and queries on debt collection in these trying times. What should we do? Is it fair? How long with this last?  How do we pay for other things? As with any legal answer “it depends”. It depends on the schemes finances – if they need money and some aren’t […]

Only days ago, the Australian Government urged non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled. Just this morning, that was extended to a ban on indoors gatherings of 100 people or more. On Monday, President Trump called for Americans to avoid social gatherings of more than 10 people. While some may debate whether […]