Victorian Strata Laws get Tuned Up

In 2007 Victorians experienced the biggest changes in strata laws they had experienced in more than 30 years … and there were many changes.

But, like everything that’s completely new it sometimes needs some tinkering to get it working right.  And, that’s about to happen in Victoria as the Owners Corporations ct 2006 gets a tune up.

From 1 January 2011 a range of changes to Victorian strata laws come into force under the Consumer Affairs Legislation Amendment Act 2010 and the Consumer Affairs Legislation Amendment (Reform) Act 2010.

There are 2 starting dates for the changes: 1 January 2011 and 1 September 2011


In the first stage changes the new laws -

• simplify witnessing the use of the seal for owners corporation certificates, allowing the registered manager or the chairperson to witness its use 
• empowers VCAT to award a much broader range of costs to owners corporations and lot owners in disputes around arrears of fees
• clarifies that only lot owners can appoint a proxy to represent them on the owners corporation committee
• standardises the infringements framework in consumer acts, by providing a power to authorised officers (an inspector, a member of the police force or a person authorised in writing by the Director of CAV) to serve infringement notices

In second stage changes the new laws - 

• clarify that delegations to committees can be made by instrument or by resolution
• clarify that delegations must be made at general meetings and committee delegations end at the next AGM
• provides that owners corporations without valid delegations before 1 September 2011 can ratify earlier decisions

You can find out more at Consumer Affairs Victoria

And if that’s not enough CAV also plans to launch a complete review of the new laws in 2011 to examine their impacts on owners corporations and what more should be done in consultation with owners, strata schemes. Managers, industry groups and other stakeholders.

Francesco …