Building & construction issues facing bodies corporate

LESSER RIGHTS FOR UNIT OWNERS?

With an ever increasing number of people living or working in Strata Developments, it is somewhat daunting that the rights which lot owners have in relation to buildings in community title schemes do not appear to be as protected as those of owners of detached dwellings. Some of the issues facing lot owners in Strata Developments include:

1. The body corporate does not come into existence until after the building is constructed and therefore has no control over the negotiation of the original construction contract or the satisfactory performance of the construction works by the builder;
2. Construction contracts for these types of developments are often very restrictive upon the body corporate's rights, particularly in relation to time periods and rights in relation to defective building works;