Inquiry recommendations for strata management in Canberra include licences for workforce

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A strata commissioner should be appointed to help resolve disputes in the multi-unit properties in the ACT. That is one of the key recommendations of a legislative assembly committee that has been examining the territory’s strata management system. It also recommended measures to ensure strata managers and committee members understand the often-expensive consequences of the decisions they make.

Transcript

00:02About one in five Canberrans now live in an apartment or flat.

00:07It hasn't been a matter of keeping the legislation and other things up to date

00:11with the volume of strata properties that have been developed over the last few years.

00:16An inquiry into strata property management has made 33 recommendations,

00:21including mandatory licensing and qualification requirements for strata managers,

00:26mandatory disclosure of commissions in conflict of interest by strata managers,

00:31mandatory training for executive committee members,

00:33as well as a time limit on how long they can hold office,

00:37and a strata commission to enable dispute resolution

00:39before having to go to the civil and administrative tribunal.

00:43Ultimately what the committee found dispute resolution,

00:46it was really expensive to go to ACAT.

00:49There was nothing in between before ACAT to resolve some of the dispute.

00:53People were looking for something less formal.

00:56It is the most important thing in the whole thing,

00:58because all the other Mickey Mouse issues that are contained within the report

01:03will need the support of a strata commissioner to make them happen.

01:07The regulation already exists for strata managers within the Agents Act

01:12and the Unit Title Management Act.

01:14The issue is that Access Canberra itself from time to time

01:19doesn't understand how that operates.

01:22Some owners are happy with how their strata manager performs,

01:25but are concerned about the impact of mandatory requirements on executive committees.

01:30We have, for my two buildings,

01:32we have a budget of about $1.5 million

01:34and we have four volunteers on the executive committee.

01:38That's it.

01:39The minimum you're allowed to have is three,

01:41and so we've run at three before.

01:44We just don't have people prepared to join.

01:47The ACT Government says it's considering the recommendations.

01:51A Canadian issue of minority organizations.

01:52The minimum you're all had to support is by the public group.

01:54It's the maximum you're allowed to be elected.

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended