On Monday, 10 April, SCA (NSW) President Chris Duggan and General Manager Rachel Lynn, met with the Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation, Matt Kean, MP. The meeting was to discuss how the first months of operation of the new strata laws had gone from a strata management perspective.
Last week SCA (NSW) put out a call to Principals to provide feedback on the new laws that could be taken to the Minister. A significant response was received from members. The top issues were discussed with the Minister and SCA (NSW) has undertaken to consolidate the feedback and forward to NSW Fair Trading.
Some of the issues discussed with the Minister included:
- Request for an extension on agency agreements expiry from 30 May to at least 30 November. This was because of significant member feedback about the challenges of compliance within this tight timeframe.
- The general time and cost for management companies and owners corporations to meet compliance with the new strata laws.
- The challenges of interpreting the new legislation and an understanding from Government that the laws are still in a transition period.
- Short term letting – long-term sustainable solutions for strata schemes.
The Minister was very welcoming and has expressed an interest in addressing our events such as the Young Strata Network and opening our annual convention.
SCA (NSW) looks forward to introducing the Minister to members at upcoming events this year.