Help Centre

The six questions a strata or community title committee should ask before approving significant repair works: what is actually being fixed, what the alternatives cost, whether the quotes are comparable, who the contractor works for, what the manager knows about buildings, and whether the corporation should be paying at all.

What Australian strata schemes, owners corporations and bodies corporate should check in a management agreement before signing: term caps and rollovers, termination and exit fees, indemnities and legal costs, disparagement clauses, commissions and insurance, state by state.

The corporation's policy is not your policy. What owner-occupiers, investor owners and tenants each need to hold in a South Australian strata or community titled group, and where the gaps sit.

Your rights as a community lot owner in South Australia: how voting works under the Community Titles Act 1996, the co-owner deadlock rule that costs you the vote, nomination formalities that invalidate an informal proxy, who insures the building, and what you can demand from the corporation.

Ordinary, special or unanimous - get it wrong and the decision is open to challenge. A checklist of which decisions need which resolution under the Strata Titles Act 1988 and the Community Titles Act 1996, the votes-against test that catches people out, the small-scheme rules, and the court relief available when the numbers fall short.

A management committee is a small group of owners the corporation authorises to get on with business between AGMs. What it can and cannot decide, what happens to a group that doesn't have one, how to set a spending limit, how big it should be, and how to appoint one at your next meeting.

A practical guide to running strata meetings in South Australia - who can convene one, what the notice and agenda must contain, how quorum works when nobody turns up, the three types of resolution and the thresholds each needs, the duty to disclose a pecuniary interest, and what the minutes have to record.

Who convenes the very first meeting of a strata corporation, how much notice is required, what happens at it, and what the original proprietor must hand over.

Schedule 3 of the Strata Titles Act sets out the standard Articles, the default rules that govern a strata corporation. What they cover, who they bind, and how to change them.

A strata corporation can charge interest on levies in arrears, but only by ordinary resolution, capped at 15% a year, and never on unpaid interest. How it works, and how arrears are recovered.

Strata corporations are treated as public companies for tax, but owner levies aren't taxable income. When a return must be lodged, what counts as assessable income, and why late-levy interest doesn't.

If you rent in a strata or community titled property in South Australia, your relationship is with your landlord — not the corporation or its strata manager. Here's what you're entitled to under the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA), how to ask your landlord for repairs, and the right way to get common-property problems actually fixed.

A strata manager isn't your landlord, your decision-maker, or your boss. They're a service provider engaged by the corporation. Here's what the role actually covers, what stays with the committee, and how to tell whether yours is earning their fee.

The default rule says the corporation maintains common property and owners maintain their units — but the boundary is rarely as clean as that suggests. A practical guide to who pays when the line gets blurred, drawing on legal advice provided to a South Australian strata corporation.

When does the corporation, another owner, or a tradesperson have a legal right to enter a unit or its yard? The implied easement under Section 9, the emergency power of entry under Section 42, and a real Magistrates Court ruling that ordered an obstructing owner to grant access.

A meeting isn't a battleground, but it can be a jungle. Three laws — cope with conflict, focus the group, mobilise the group — that between them cover most of what a chair needs to think about, adapted for the realities of strata and community-title meetings.

Buying together is a major decision. Joint tenants vs tenants in common, when a binding financial agreement makes sense, and the strata-specific factors that don't apply to free-standing houses — levies, voting rights, and joint and several liability for unpaid charges.

Whether the line is shared or individual changes who maintains it. The shared/exclusive split, whether a "right to dry" exists anywhere in Australia, and what to do when an old shared line is at end-of-life.

A shared rooftop antenna saves a forest of individual aerials and is almost always common property. The two distribution systems, why poor reception usually starts at the cable not the antenna, and the by-law that prevents 24 different aerials sprouting on the roof.

Stairs are common property and a serious public-liability item. The materials, the early signs of failure, and the small jobs (handrails, nosings, lighting) that prevent the kind of fall that lands in court.

External lighting is common property - and the single cheapest safety upgrade most groups can make. The shared/exclusive split, the case for LEDs, and the sensor-and-timer setups that cut bills without leaving the carpark dark.

Driveways are common property, used by everyone, paid for by all. The four common surface types, the cracks worth worrying about, and the surface treatments that quietly add a decade to a driveway's life.

Windows sit on the boundary between unit and common property — the frame is usually common, the glass is usually owner. The shared/exclusive split, the four common window types, and the maintenance jobs that quietly extend their life by decades.

Foundations are almost always common property, and reactive clay soils make them one of the most expensive things a corporation will ever fix. The footing types, the early signs of trouble, and why a small crack now is cheaper than underpinning later.

Roofs above units are common property and can't be charged back to a single owner under Section 27(6). The three main cladding types, the problems each one develops with age, and the inspection rhythm that catches a $400 fix before it becomes a $40,000 one.

Air conditioner installations are one of the most common — and most contested — issues in strata. The shared-vs-individual rule, the resolution thresholds for using common property, the four main system types, and a sample policy your corporation can adapt.

When a hot water service is shared between units, it's common property - and the corporation's responsibility to maintain. The shared-vs-individual rule, the four common configurations, the anode replacement that quietly extends a tank's life, and what to know before approving solar.

How the Fences Act 1975 applies to strata and community titled groups in South Australia — who owns which fences, the Form 1/2/3 process for replacements and repairs, and how to handle objections from neighbouring owners.

Both the Strata Titles Act and the Community Titles Act give corporations the power to enforce owner maintenance obligations including entering a unit to carry out work and recovering the cost as a debt. Here's the four-step escalation framework from informal request through to formal Section 28 / Section 101 notice and self-help.

By-laws are the rules every community corporation in South Australia is built on. What they can cover, how they're enforced and the Section 39 process for amending them through a special resolution lodged with the Registrar-General.

Strata management committees in South Australia operate under both the Strata Titles Act 1988 and the Corporations Act 2001. Here's the full statutory framework including committee appointment, meeting procedure, record keeping, insurance duties, conflict of interest and the Section 47 vicarious liability rule that makes personal exposure real for every committee member.

External doors are common property in most strata and community titled groups — but the inside paint, the locks, the screen door, and the internal doors are all the owner's. Here's the breakdown, plus what to do about pre-1990 fire doors that may contain asbestos and how to choose a deadbolt that won't trap you in a fire.

Plain-English definitions of the key terms used in the Strata Titles Act 1988 (SA) - from "allotment" and "easement" through "special resolution" and "unit holder". Bookmark this page when you're working through corporation paperwork.

Older strata and community titled buildings in South Australia often contain asbestos whether that's in carport roofs, fire doors, eaves, vinyl tiles or pipe lagging. Here's what your corporation needs to know about Asbestos Registers, Management Plans and the strict rules around disturbing or removing it.

Engaging unlicensed or uninsured contractors puts your corporation and its owners at serious legal and financial risk. How to vet contractors properly, including the licence and ABN checks every committee should run against its own state regulator, and why a written work order is non-negotiable.

Community title management committees in South Australia operate under both the Community Titles Act 1996 and the Corporations Act 2001. Here's the full statutory framework - committee establishment, vacancies, meeting procedure, conflict of interest, duties of honesty and the immunity provisions every committee member should understand.

When your strata or community titled property suffers damage, the way the corporation handles the insurance claim makes the difference between a clean recovery and a long, expensive mess. Here's a six-step process from reporting through to payment, plus a sample resolution on who pays the excess.

Balconies are common property in most strata and community titled groups — and they're exposed to weather, rot, and (for older buildings) structural fatigue. Here's what to look for when inspecting timber and concrete balconies, and when to call a structural engineer.

Carports are common property in most strata and community titled groups, but they're often the most neglected part of the building — rust, asbestos roofs, oil spills, and stored junk all need active management. Here's how to handle the maintenance, the safety risks, and the enforcement powers under Section 28 (strata) and Section 101 (community).

How strata and community corporations should approach termite prevention, inspection and treatment, and what owners and tenants need to know about their responsibilities.

A step-by-step guide to changing your body corporate manager in South Australia - from checking your contract through to appointing a new manager at an AGM or extraordinary general meeting.

What South Australian strata and community titled owners need to know about installing cameras and recording devices and how to stay on the right side of the Surveillance Devices Act 2017.

The key differences between strata title and community title in South Australia, how to tell which type you have, what that means for ownership, building maintenance and shared services. Also covers unit boundaries, unit subsidiaries, unit entitlement, meetings, voting, the Maintenance Fund and the Section 29 rules on alterations and additions.

Why regular gutter cleaning matters for strata and community titled properties; who's responsible, what goes wrong when gutters are neglected and a contractor checklist.

How to manage a body corporate repaint, from paint specifications and quotes to contractor management, levy funding, and example meeting resolutions.

Who pays for plumbing in a strata or community titled property? A guide to water supply, drainage responsibilities, water meters and the shared-versus-single-lot test that decides who is liable.

How pet applications work in South Australian strata and community titled properties — legal requirements, the approval process, and a downloadable pet application form.

A practical property maintenance checklist for strata and community titled groups, covering the corporation's legal duty to maintain common property in every Australian jurisdiction, common property inspections and priority planning.

A step-by-step guide to resolving disputes in strata and community titled properties, from direct conversation through to mediation and the tribunal or court in your state or territory.

A guide to body corporate insurance: the legal requirement to insure, common property boundaries, replacement valuations, and why fidelity cover is a calculation rather than a flat minimum.

Understand the difference between administration funds and sinking funds in South Australian strata and community titled groups; what they cover, why they matter, and the mandatory budget requirements under SA law.

Is your self-managed Strata Corporation protecting your assets and lifestyle? Use this checklist to see how your Corporation rates and identify potential risks.

Our mission is to support Strata titled property owners. These five objectives ensure your best interests remain at the heart of everything we do.

Understanding your rights as a strata unit owner in South Australia — how voting works, how to call a meeting, your right to inspect insurance and corporation records, and the dispute resolution path when the corporation or committee is being unreasonable.

What to check before buying into a strata or community titled property: corporation searches, governance, finances, and a practical buyer's checklist.

Practical tips for attending or chairing a strata management meeting — from introductions and note-taking to voting and keeping discussions on track.

A comprehensive guide to owning a strata titled unit in South Australia — covering the law, the Strata Plan, common property, unit boundaries, meetings, voting, the maintenance fund, and your obligations under the Articles.