Issue Date:  -  Wednesday, 21 January 1998

Launch of videos to help people understand strata title laws

Two new videos aimed at helping people come to grips with strata title laws and procedures were launched by Lands and Fair Trading Minister Doug Shave today.

The videos, produced by the Central Metropolitan College of TAFE, provide an easy to follow guide to strata title obligations as they affect existing and prospective property owners and the real estate industry.

Mr Shave said the State Government had introduced reforms to strata title legislation last year and the videos would be a valuable tool for increasing awareness of current requirements.

"It is estimated that there are some 270,000 strata title lot owners in Western Australia," he said.

"Strata title is a very popular form of development, with strata lots making up one third of all new lots being created.

"The trend towards inner city living and better use of residential space means this trend is likely to continue for some time to come."

Mr Shave said that in the process of drawing up the new legislation, it had become apparent there was some confusion about the rights and obligations of owners of strata-titled properties in relation to what they actually owned and the appropriate insurance cover.

"In a number of cases, people assumed they individually owned their entire unit structure, when in fact all they really owned was the cubic space inside the unit - the rest being owned collectively," he said.

"The Government set up a special task force which consulted with a range of parties involved in strata title and then acted on concerns raised.

"The end result has been that people's awareness of strata title conditions and requirements has been heightened and the picture is now much clearer.

"The Government's most recent changes to strata title law, which came into effect yesterday, provide options to strata title owners to change ownership and insurance arrangements to suit their own needs.

"These new videos will further the public education process and also keep real estate practitioners abreast of developments.

"People with an interest in strata title would do well to access these videos and, if necessary, follow up with further written information available from the Department of Land Administration (DOLA).

"DOLA is also conducting a series of seminars in metropolitan and regional centres for people who want to find out more about strata title matters."

Central Metropolitan TAFE program manager (finance and property) John Seddon said that one of the videos provided a 20-minute general overview of strata title issues while the other was more specialised and aimed at people training in the real estate industry.

"Anyone contemplating buying a strata-title property would certainly benefit from seeing the general video first, so they are aware of how various strata title arrangements work," Mr Seddon said.

Funding for the video project was provided by the Real Estate and Business Agents' Supervisory Board. DOLA assisted with the project.

Central Metropolitan College of TAFE produces a range of videos in its Real Estate Training Series.

The new videos are available from the college's bookshop at 25 Aberdeen Street, Northbridge, at a cost of $16 (general) and $25 (specialist).

Anyone with questions about strata title requirements can also contact the DOLA Helpline on (08) 9273 7644.