Urgent: Have your say on the Victorian owners Corporation Act
The Victorian Government is asking you to “share your views to help ensure that owners corporations function fairly and efficiently, in the interests of lot owners and residents of strata developments.”
The review opened for consultation on 5 August and closes on 2 September so time is tight. Find out more, complete the survey or upload a submission asap.
The Review will examine reforms to strengthen the governance and management of OCs that were introduced by the Owners Corporations and Other Acts Amendment Act 2021 (the Amendment Act), in 2021. The government must review the operation of these amendments within five years of their commencement, or by 1 December 2026. A final report covering the review of the 2021 amendments must be tabled in Parliament as soon as is practicable after the Review is complete.
The Review will also examine reforms made to the Act by the Owners Corporations (Short-Stay) Accommodation Act 2018 (the Short-Stay Act). The Short-Stay Act introduced reforms in 2019 to address amenity impacts on lot owners from the use of lots as short stay accommodation, for example, lots listed on Airbnb.
Additionally, the Review provides an opportunity to consider wider stakeholder concerns relating to OCs. This includes hardship arrangements where a lot owner is having trouble paying their fees, a need for stronger measures to enforce breaches of the Act and voting requirements in OCs.
Lastly, the Review will examine collective sale requirements in Victoria. A ‘collective sale’ refers to the sale of all lots and common property in a strata development to a single buyer. Currently, the collective sale of a strata development requires a unanimous resolution of all lot owners. The Review will consider whether this requirement should be maintained.
The Government’s Expert Panel is now seeking feedback on matters in the Consultation Paper to ensure that OCs function fairly and efficiently in the interests of lot owners and residents in strata developments.
