Serving notices on owners and occupiers under the Strata Titles Act 1985 (WA) – practical tips for strata managers
Proper service is something which can be overlooked at the time a notice under the Strata Titles Act 1985 (WA) is issued. It tends to become the issue months later, when an owner disputes a levy, resists a by-law enforcement application, or challenges a resolution passed at a general meeting, and the first question asked […]
Shutting down discussions between lot owners at general meetings – a breach of the Strata Titles Act 1985 (WA)?
In Lenane and The Owners of Harbour Pines Strata Plan 23297 [2025] WASAT 53, SAT considered an interesting application in which various lot owners alleged that at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM), the conduct of the strata manager as the chairperson of the EGM and the council of the strata company was a breach of […]
Major structural defects inspections under sale contracts – what do they cover?
A recent case has highlighted something that (almost) every person buying a home in WA should know: ‘Major structural defects’ in the context of a contract for the sale of a residential home in WA may not extend to defects of structures other than the residential building, i.e. the house Many contracts for the sale […]
Engaging a Contractor in Queensland: What to Check before you sign
Engaging a contractor Engaging a contractor Unfortunately, it is a common occurrence for a client to come to us about a dodgy contractor. Typically, we see problems arise where a client engages an unlicensed, unqualified, or dishonest contractor that fails to carry out the work promised or the completed work turns out to be defective […]
The Legend of Atlantis – Management Rights Agreements can only be topped up once…
Content Just as Plato’s Atlantis sank beneath the waves, so too did an anti-management rights (legal) theory sink, albeit a lot more quietly, on 12 January 2026. Those ‘in the know’ had seen a paper in circulation over the last few years containing a theory that, in essence, the ‘right’ way to read the Body […]
Administrator’s Costs – How to Make the Responsible Party Pay
Content Imagine a four-lot community titles scheme having one owner of three lots, and another owner for the remaining lot. A dispute between the two lot owners develops, the Body Corporate falls into dysfunction and an Adjudicator appoints a general administrator to the body corporate to remedy that dysfunction. The majority (‘problem’) owner, hinders and […]
Culpability and Cost: Making Sense of Section 23A(3)(a)
Section 23A of the Owners Corporations Act 2006 (Vic) (the Act) represents a clear shift in how strata communities manage financial accountability, particularly in situations involving damage, insurance claims, or increased premiums. At the heart of this reform is a simple principle: if a lot owner’s serious conduct causes loss to the Owners Corporation (OC), […]