The JS Mueller & Co team takes pride in providing you with an unparalleled service, comprehensive knowledge and in-depth experience in all aspects of levy collection and strata law. Our levy collection service is second to none with our recently integrated  ‘LevyCollect’ app. Simple, free and easy to use – accessible through your device, on the go. Benefits include:

• Reduces your workload – gives you time back
• 24/7/365 access from your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet – anytime, anywhere
• Gives you greater access to your Levy Collection matters
• You choose when to access your matters
• All of your matter communication conveniently located in one place
• Regular reporting – you choose when and how often you receive reports
• Simple, easy to use app and/or log in

If you’d like to trial our new FREE simple to use LevyCollect app contact us at jsmmarketing@muellers.com.au

For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.

Trial our new online ‘Levy Collect’ service today. Simply send an email to jsmmarketing@muellers.com.au and we’ll be in touch week commencing 11 January 2015.

Millions of Dollars

We understand that raising and receiving funds for building maintenance and scheme administration is fundamental to an efficiently-run scheme. That’s why, in 2015, the Muellers team collected millions of dollars in outstanding levies.

Access 24/7/365

Based on feedback from our clients, we also enhanced our levy collection service with a new online system ‘Levy Collect’, making it even easier for you to access your matters 24/7/365, anywhere, anytime from your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone….giving you back time to focus on other things.

FREE Trial

Anyone who would like to trial our new online ‘Levy Collect’ service can do so by contacting us and we’ll be in touch in 2016 with the details.

Trial our new service today by simply sending an email to jsmmarketing@muellers.com.au and we’ll be in touch week commencing 11 January 2015.

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.

• James Moir: By-laws – How will they operate under the proposed laws?
• Adrian Mueller: Meetings – What are the changes under the proposed laws?
• Iain Fairholm: Strata Managers – How will the proposed laws affect you?
• Faiyaaz Shafiq: Levy Collection – Procedural change?
• Bruce Bentley: Building Defects – What impact will the proposed laws have?

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.

Senior Lawyer, Adrian Mueller reminisces…

“In 1980 my parents took me to the Gold Coast for a holiday. It was my first adventure in Queensland. I was 2 years old. We stayed at the (in)famous Iluka hotel.

The Iluka was built in the 1970’s. It was an iconic building – one of the Gold Coast’s first high rises. It had 72 luxury apartments and was a stone’s throw from Cavill Avenue.

It held fond memories for me and, I imagine, many families who enjoyed wonderful times together at the Iluka.

You can imagine my horror when I recently discovered that the Iluka has been demolished. Why? Because of concrete cancer.

You see the owner of the building was faced with a dilemma. Repair the concrete spalling which had been left untreated for decades at exorbitant cost or demolish the building. The owner chose to demolish.

A leading architect Professor Holden, Head of Architecture at the Griffith University in Qld, has said that high rises built in the 1970’s have an average lifespan of 40 years.

That is a sobering thought for apartment owners many of whom cannot afford special levies to repair widespread concrete spalling.

So what is the solution? For some buildings, it may simply be too late. The Iluka is a case in point.

For other buildings, the key is preventative maintenance. As unpalatable as it might be, apartment owners need to realise that spending a little to detect and treat concrete spalling at an early stage saves money in the long run.”

Adrian Mueller also acknowledges that the challenge for strata managers and other stakeholders is to convince owners to invest in proactive maintenance to protect their investment by spending a little in the short term to save big money down the track.

Says  Adrian “Convincing owners to spend now to save later is no mean feat. But it is achievable. And doing so can avoid potential disasters.

I will miss the Iluka.”

Adrian specialises in strata law and those areas of the law that particularly deal with building defects.

“An apartment is someone’s home and most valuable asset. That is something worth protecting and knowing where you stand is vital” says Adrian.

For more information on concrete cancer, visit the following websites – Concrete Cancer or Remedia Structural Repairs

For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.

Fair Trading NSW has confirmed that the 1 December 2014 commencement date for the NSW Home Building Amendment Act 2014 has been delayed to 2015.

The amendments will commence in two stages:

Stage 1:
It is anticipated that the critical change surrounding statutory warranties will commence mid-January 2015. The critical change to the warranties will be a shift from “structural defect” (which is the current position) to a warranty which will only cover a building defect which is a “major defect”.

If the defect is categorised as a “major defect” it will enjoy a 6 year warranty otherwise any defect which is not a major defect and/or a non-major item will only have a warranty for 2 years. The new definition of “major defect” will be more restrictive than the current definition of a “structural defect”. The new amendments will have retrospective effect.

Stage 1 will also have other amendments commencing mid January 2015 and they are as follows:

1. For the first time, statutory warranties will be implied into subcontracts entered into by the principal contractor who undertakes residential building work. These changes will allow an owners corporation to enforce warranties as a successor in title against subcontractors.
2. If a defect arises due to an owners defective design or specification the builder will not be held liable for that defect.
3. Within 6 months the owner must notify the builder and the subcontractor of a defect. If the owner fails to do so such a failure may result in the reduction of any damages.
4. Owners must not unreasonably refuse access to a builder who wishes to rectify the defect.
5. Courts will be required to give priority to rectification orders as opposed to monetary orders.

Stage 2:
This stage will involve the provisions that relate to re-drafting of contracts. The contracts will have to comply with the amending legislation hence these will be dealt with in the second quarter of 2015.

For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.

• 11 Days until 1 December 2014!
• Do not get caught out!
• The time to act is now!
• Have your buildings inspected by a building consultant to check for defects!
• Avoid losing your rights to make a building defect claim!

The Supreme Court of NSW has recently held in two cases involving JS Mueller & Co that a bankrupt lot owner will not be entitled to a stay of an eviction from their strata unit where it is clear that the owner has made no attempt to pay overdue strata levies.

Please click here to view the full article – Stay of Eviction Refused for Levy Debtors

For NSW strata legal or levy collection advice please contact us here or call 02 9562 1266, we’re happy to assist.