VCAT Offers Validation For Subtle Short-Stay ControlsA recent VCAT decision confirmed that Owners Corporations in Melbourne do not have the authority to implement a blanket ban on short-stay leasing within their buildings.However, it did offer validation for some other methods an Owners Corporation can use to have greater control over short-stay tenancies.The case centred around a building named The Imperial in Doncaster, where the Owners Corporation passed a rule seeking to ban short-stay ...

VCAT Smashes Owners Corporation’s Short Stay LawsMelbourne Owners Corporations were issued another reminder by VCAT that they cannot impose bans on short-stay apartments within the buildings they manage.An Owners Corporation in Doncaster was taken to VCAT by an apartment owner from within the building, alleging that the Owners Corporation had gone as far as cancelling access devices to the common property to try and stop him for using short-stay platforms such as Airbnb.The ...

Building Security For Apartment BuildingsThe recent shocking and violent attack at a St Kilda apartment block serves as a timely reminder that building security is a communal effort in Owners Corporations.Apartments are often highly rated by property purchaser and renters alike because of security benefits.Most modern buildings have intercom systems which allow occupiers to identify owners before allowing them access to the building, while there are often registered key systems and fob access ...

VCAT Decisions Reminds Owners Corporations in Melbourne of Need to Act Reasonably when considering owners with disabilities. Melbourne Owners Corporations were served a stark reminder of their duties to members with disabilities last month following another landmark decision from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Two Owners Corporations responsible for maintaining an apartment complex in Travancore were ordered to pay a 76-year-old woman with physical disabilities $10,000 and install automated doors and ramps ...