From the entire JS Mueller & Co team we wish you a Safe and Happy Festive Season!
We are taking a short break from the 23rd December 2015 and returning on the 11th January 2016.
For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266 and we’ll get back to you following our break.
Bruce Bentley, Partner JS Mueller & Co presented recently at a Legalwise Seminar ‘Review of Strata Title Reforms’.
To view a copy of Bruce’s paper please click the link below.
For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.
In September 2015 the JS Mueller & Co team presented at a forum to the strata industry the new proposed strata laws.
Since the forum, it has been announced that the new strata laws will come into operation on 1 July 2016.
On 29 Oct 2015, the New South Wales Parliament passed the new Strata Schemes Management Bill 2015 and the Strata Schemes Development Bill 2015.
Papers and presentations are available to view here:
JS Mueller & Co Forum Presentations_Sept15
JS Mueller & Co Forum Papers_Sept15
For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.
The recent media attention concerning smoking in strata buildings reached a fever pitch when NCAT ordered the landlord of a strata unit in Potts Point to pay compensation to his tenant.
The NSW Government said that the new strata laws would make clear that smoking and second-hand smoke exposure could constitute a nuisance that could be outlawed.
So, what can be done about smoking in strata buildings? Can smoking be prohibited? Perhaps a smoking by-law, let’s find out.
For more information read – Smoke Drift By-laws
For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.
On 29 Oct 2015, the New South Wales Parliament passed the new Strata Schemes Management Bill 2015 and the Strata Schemes Development Bill 2015. These new laws will come into operation on 1 July 2016.
The new legislation contains around 90 changes to the existing laws, some of which are said to be controversial, and only time will tell what effect it will have on the strata landscape in NSW.
Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, Victor Dominello, said in his contribution to the debate: “Today more than two million people live and work in strata. The new laws will cater for the needs of 21st century strata living,”
He further stated that: “The new laws will modernise collective decision making processes, increase protections against unresolved building defects and improve outdated regulation impacting on renovations.”
Like any Act of Parliament, there are regulations that work hand in hand with the Act. Public consultation on the draft regulations to accompany the new Acts, including model by-laws, will commence in early 2016. When that consultation begins we will provide more information about the proposed regulations.
Further information: www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.
JS Mueller & Co partner and strata law expert, Adrian Mueller, shares the following case Frankel – v – Patterson [2015] NSWSC 1307 with LookUp Strata Newsletter.
For more information read – Pet By-laws
JS Mueller & Co Senior Lawyer and strata law expert, Adrian Mueller, discusses home warranty insurance in REINSW Strata Management Chapter News.
Adrian strongly expressed that knowledge is essential, especially when it comes to home warranty insurance and understanding what rights you have.
Click here now to view this case study which outlines the importance of Home Warranty Insurance
For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.
About JS Mueller & Co
JS Mueller & Co has been servicing the strata industry across NSW for almost 40 years. We are a specialist firm of strata lawyers with in depth and unmatched experience in, and comprehensive knowledge of strata law and levy collection. We are there to assist you every step of the way.
JS Mueller & Co Headquarters
Level 1, 240 Princes Highway
Arncliffe Sydney Australia 2205
www.muellers.com.au
Media inquiries: Contact Julie Schoneveld on 02 9562 1266 or 0435 939 491
JS Mueller & Co Partner, Bruce Bentley, comments on ‘Sunset Clawbacks’ in the Sydney Morning Herald Domain.
Top strata lawyers have called for NSW property protections to be brought into line with other Australian states after it was discovered that the owners of seven apartments in a single new block sold off the plan had been victims of “sunset clawbacks”.
Click here to read the full article – Top Lawyers Call for Changes to Sunset Clawbacks
About JS Mueller & Co
JS Mueller & Co has been servicing the strata industry across NSW for almost 40 years. We are a specialist firm of strata lawyers with in depth and unmatched experience in, and comprehensive knowledge of strata law and levy collection. We are there to assist you every step of the way.
For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.
JS Mueller & Co Headquarters
Level 1, 240 Princes Highway
Arncliffe Sydney Australia 2205
www.muellers.com.au
Media inquiries: Contact Julie Schoneveld on 02 9562 1266 or 0435 939 491
Did you know that a new register for homeowner warranty insurance policies now exists in NSW?
On 15 January 2015, the new amendments to the Home Building Act 1989 introduced a new register for homeowner warranty insurance (‘HOWI’). The register records homeowner warranty insurance contracts entered into after 1 July 2010.
For further information on ‘HOWI’ see – Home Warranty Insurance Register
For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.
Some good news…
Home warranty insurance generally protects an owners corporation from being out of pocket for the cost to repair building defects where the builder has been made bankrupt.
But what happens when an owners corporation makes a home warranty insurance claim after the builder’s bankruptcy ends. Is it then too late for the owners corporation to make the insurance claim?
The answer is “no” according to a very recent decision of the NSW Supreme Court.
For further information Strata Home Warranty Insurance Rights
For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.