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 […]

Introduction An adjudicator recently ruled that voting papers sent to a body corporate manager were invalid as they were not given in compliance with section 84(2) of the Accommodation Module.  Section 84(2)(b) provides that a voter casts a written vote by giving the voting paper to the secretary (by hand, by post or by facsimile) […]

The NSW Parliament has recently passed new legislation in relation to combustible cladding, being the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Identification of Buildings with External Combustible Cladding) Regulation 2018. The new legislation requires owners of certain buildings with combustible cladding to report the combustible cladding to the Secretary of the Department of Planning and Environment. Does […]

Recently, I attended the SCA National Conference in Hobart where I spoke about the importance of not only growing resilience in yourself but also teaching resilience in the workplace so that it becomes a fabric of the business and the way that we service our clients.Resilience to me broadly covers 3 elements: Resilience in yourself. Do […]

Are you in need of a replacement car? Yes, and I have demonstrated the need for it. So, do I get a BMW or a Camry? The basic principle is that, once need is established, if the claimant’s vehicle was a non-income producing chattel, irrespective of its value, then the claimant is entitled to a […]

Overview On 12 October 2017, we sent out an industry update on the recent District Court of Queensland’s decision that barred a body corporate from recovering outstanding contributions where those contributions had been outstanding for more than two years and two months. This caused significant confusion and disrupted longstanding practices in the strata industry. For […]

In the aftermath of the recent rains and floods in Queensland and New South Wales insurers are likely to have been inundated (pun intended) with claims for water damage to insured properties said to have resulted from rain and floods. As was seen in the aftermath of the 2011 Queensland floods and other floods at […]

For most body corporate managers (excluding those based in Brisbane*), a fairly ordinary looking blue and white document issued by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines would have recently appeared in mail boxes across Queensland for each of the schemes they manage. But what does the document mean? Annual land valuation notice An Annual land […]

The High Court of Australia has recently ruled that the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) did not have the power to resolve a dispute between residents of different States: Burns v Corbett; Burns v Gaynor [2018] HCA 15.  Australia’s Constitution reserves the power to resolve those disputes with the Courts. This may have significant […]