Living In A Strata Scheme - Strata Community Australia

By Author: Christopher Whelan
Total Articles: 74
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Strata Community Australia represents “The Strata and Community Titles” service sector mostly in South Australia. They give online course on Executive Committee Governance for free so that the participants have the basic understanding about the strata scheme. Strata Community Australia, as a representative of the strata sector has a larger platform after becoming a part of the national body. Body Corporate management firms, support staff, managers, students, industry partners and some key stakeholders are members of Strata Community. They benefit from seminars, industry briefings, conferences and other

professional development.

Some of their main objectives are –
•Informing and educating all participants.
•Establishing consistent standards in professional practices.
•Promoting social interaction and business among all participants.
•Promoting professionalism with each sector.

A strata scheme is generally a building where an individual owns a small portion called a ‘lot’ and shares the “common property” with other owners. Strata schemes are actually small communities ...
... where the attitudes and activities of residents can have a direct impact on the enjoyment and satisfaction of others. Living in a strata scheme may sometimes be beneficial but it also has its disadvantages. It is after all not like living in a freestanding house. In some schemes the activities you do may be more restricted like parking your car, renovating your home and hanging you washed clothes. One should always make a good research and understand the depth of the strata schemes before buying or moving into a strata scheme to avoid any

kind of disputes.

Some features of living in a strata scheme –
•You have to share the ownership and responsibility of the “common property” along with your own apartment.
•You are automatically an “owner’s corporation” member when you have your own unit.
•You have to pay quarterly levies as a contribution to the cost of running the building.
•Sometimes a payment for long term expenses like re-painting the building has to be made.

There are many differences between owning a house of your own and owning a lot in some strata scheme. In case of a lot, you do not own the external walls, the roof or even the floor all by yourself but rather have shared ownership with your neighbors. These areas are called the common property and the maintenance and repair of them is the responsibility of all owners. It is not possible to do any kind of renovations without the consent or permission of the owner’s corporation. For example, you cannot just simply put an additional window in a wall which belongs to more than one individual or install services such as cable television.

Always know the boundaries, rules and limitations of common properties of a strata scheme before buying one. The buyer should always be clear of all rules and regulations so that there will be no discrepancies later on. All this information is available in the strata plan where the layout is shown. Expert advice is recommended if there is any uncertainty over any common boundaries.

Christopher Whelan is a Licensed Strata manager at Whelan Property Group Pvt. Ltd. has years of experience in the marketing and trading Strata management.His online and offline knowledge regarding Strata schemes makes him a great resource of Strata Community australia