Strata News | Tower Body Corporate

September 2021 Newsletter

Welcome to the September edition of Tower News.

Rising costs are a constant source of concern for body corporate owners and the leading item on most budgets is the insurance premium. Market forces have seen premiums rise substantially in recent years and the increase in fees has seen corresponding increases in budgets or belt-tightening in other areas. This month we take a look at one of the keys factors in establish the premium for your scheme: the building insurance valuation and how a greater understanding of how these work may help your site better control its premium.

Elsewhere in this issue:

Say hello to our new body corporate manager, Samantha Morrison.
How long should you have to wait for approval to renovate?
Interested in installing Solar? Check out the efforts of a Body Corporate in Noosa.
and more.....

Meet the Team

Samantha Morrison joined the Tower team this August. Let’s say hi.

Samantha, what’s your professional background?
I’ve worked in real estate as a property manager for the past 14 years – it feels like a long time but it zipped by pretty quickly. I started out in Wagga Wagga, which is my home town, but have been on the Gold Coast for 12 years. I’ve managed all sorts of properties up and down the coast so I like to feel I’m pretty familiar with the owners in the area.

What brought you into the strata industry?
It’s a fast growing and developing industry and I was looking for a new challenge. It’s really interesting how the legislation interacts with the individuals who run the schemes. I’m looking forward to being part of a new wave of higher professionalism within the industry.

What makes a body corporate scheme run well?
Communication. Communication. Communication. That sounds like a joke but it’s completely true. Everyone gets offside when they don’t know what’s going on. As a manager I hope that I can help facilitate a better understanding of how the body corporate process works for owners and help bring people together so they can make schemes that work for everyone who uses them.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
If you ever want to hear me talk too much just ask me about my dog. He’s a Cocker Spaniel and the light of my life.

Sign up for Levies and Notices via Email

We continue to encourage as many owners as possible to sign up to receive levies and notices by email. Unfortunately, the post is slow and inconsistent at the moment while emails are fast and guaranteed. Signing up also helps save your plan money as distribution costs lower. We need to receive notification in writing to make the change 'Please send my notices/levies by email' is sufficient.

Use this button ↓ to advise your body corporate manager or mail our general inbox at info@towerbodycorporate.com.au.

Send Me Notices/Levies by Email

Get a Reward for Sending Referrals Our Way

We ❤️ referrals. Do you know someone who is looking for a body corporate manager? Refer them to us and if their body corporate signs a minimum 12 month contract, we'll very happily give you a $250 gift card as a thank you. Contact us:
info@towerbodycorporate.com.au.

Kind Regards,

The Tower Body Corporate Team

Building Insurance Valuations: a user’s guide

Tower Body Corporate

Understanding and keeping your building insurance valuation up to date can help control the costs of rising premiums.

Read More...

A Motion to Apply for Renovations

Tower Body Corporate

Question: I’ve applied for approval to change flooring. What rights do I have if I have not been responded to within the appropriate time?

Read More...

Duties of a Building Manager

Frank Higginson
Hynes Legal

Question: I’d like a succinct explanation of an On-site manager’s powers in a QLD body corporate complex.

Read More...

Gold Coast's first penthouse goes under the hammer

The Age

Good to see that a well-kept apartment complex can still hold the attention of buyers, even after 60 years.

Read More...

The QLD Strata Magazine
August 2021

Apartment living: Dealing with noise from upstairs neighbour
Setting a precedent to deny solar installs
When should Committee Members declare a Conflict of Interest?
How often should we conduct safety inspections of the common property?
Body Corporate Committee Members are Undervalued
Loneliness and Social Isolation

Read Now

Latest News

The reality of high-rise loneliness during COVID-19

Miriam Williams, Macquarie University
More than one-third of people in high-rise apartments have reported feeling more lonely since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Dog owner scraps planned High Court action to keep pet dogs in luxury Gold Coast high-rise

Tom Forbes and Caitlyn Sheehan, ABC Gold Coast
It’s good to see the by-laws being enforced. Owners may not agree with them and have the right to seek to change them, but it has become too easy for people to breach the laws and leave body corporates with difficult decisions over the extent to which they should enforce them. For owners buying into a building, this decision increases the need to check and understand the property before you buy. Have something to add to this comment? Continue the conversation over on the Tower Facebook page.

Body corporate installs Noosa’s largest solar array

Noosa Today
Fantastic initiative by these owners – if your body corporate has the right capacity there are some real opportunities to lower costs with solar power. If this is of interest to you, get in touch with your Body Corporate Manager to see how Tower can assist.

Responsibility for maintenance of common property

Todd Garsden, Mahoneys
Question: Who is responsible in QLD for cleaning gutters and roofs?