50 years of strata title in NSW
Strata and community schemes have come a long way since the first scheme was registered 50 years ago. Des Mooney looks at ideas to help shape the next 50 years.
2011 marks the 50th anniversary of strata legislation in NSW. That makes it a good time to think about what might happen in the next 50 years and whether our current strata and community scheme laws will remain relevant.
LPI administers the state’s land title system and registers strata and community plans. When the first strata Act was introduced it gave unit owners a secure form of ownership for their asset. The original strata subdivisions were relatively simple, involving the division of a vertical apartment block into lots, with the rest of the building being common property.
Since then people’s expectations about how they live and work have changed dramatically. Many buildings now accommodate a variety of uses, mixing residential development with restaurants and shops. Other schemes offer residents a range of communal facilities, from pools and tennis courts to options for environmental living.
Over the last fifty years the legislation has evolved to meet these changing demands to some extent. Strata legislation now enables schemes to be developed in stages. It also allows more than one strata scheme within a building and provides a method of subdividing a building on land held under lease. But is the legislation flexible enough?
How do you want to live and work in the future? Do you think that the current strata laws will enable development of the type of accommodation you want?
Your ideas will help to shape the next fifty years of strata title in NSW.
Strata Laws Online Consultation Questions:
Q2. Can you see any future issues that need to be addressed in the legislation?
Q3. How could the management of strata and community schemes be improved?
Q4. Are there any changes needed to the way disputes in strata and community schemes are resolved?
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Des Mooney has been the General Manager, Land and Property Information (LPI) since February 2001. He has extensive senior management experience in both the public and private sectors, including experience in surveying, mapping and valuation activities. He is a Director of Public Sector Mapping Agencies Australia (PSMA) and a member of the National Steering Committee for Electronic Conveyancing. Mr Mooney is also a registered surveyor and registered valuer, and in October 2011 was appointed as Surveyor General and Register General of NSW.
DISCLAIMER: The comments published below represent a wide range of views and interests of the participating individuals and organisations. Statements made during online discussions are the personal opinions of the commentators and do not necessarily reflect those of the NSW Government or Open Forum. Open Forum, at all times and at its absolute discretion, reserves the right to remove offensive comments from the Strata Laws Online Consultation. For your reference, any comments/messages that are offensive for the online consultation would include any or all of the following: breach of privacy, defamatory content, profane content, risk of contempt of court, racial and religious hatred/vilification, confidentiality concerns.
