There are huge changes in the pipeline for bodies corporate in Queensland, and whilst it’s unclear when exactly they will be introduced, committees and owners should bear these in mind when planning for the next 12 months.
The Qld Government recently announced the following proposed changes to body corporate laws:
- Bodies corporate will be permitted to ban smoking in outdoor and communal areas
- Bodies corporate will be prevented from banning pets, except for in specific circumstances
- The threshold for termination of ageing schemes which are economically unviable will be reduced from 100% to 75% (that is, those schemes will no longer require 100% of agreement from lot owners to successfully carry a termination resolution)
- Body corporate governance and management will be improved, including by making it easier for residents to lodge disputes, and expanding adjudicators’ powers
- Bodies corporate will be permitted to tow vehicles which are preventing access or causing a hazard.
We are eagerly awaiting the detail of this planned reform, as well as reform which has been hinted at being introduced before the end of this year.
Queensland’s Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Shannon Fentiman, released a statement in February 2023 to advise of the changes highlighted above and future reform:
“We are delivering on our commitment to consult on changes to Queensland’s community titles legislation and will continue working with the Community Titles Legislation Working Group to consider further reforms, like management rights, bullying, and harassment.”
“This is the first of two planned packages of reform for body corporate legislation in Queensland. I intend to introduce the second package of reforms before the end of the year.”
We are certain that this reform will have a direct impact upon many of our body corporate clients (committees and lot owners) as they regulate topics that are commonly the subject of dispute and legal advice.
As always, if you have any questions about body corporate law or the contents of this article, please contact our body corporate directors, Rhiannon Saunders and Michael Huelin.