ACT Leads the Way in Strata Sustainability

One of the difficulties already identified in the strata climate change research are structural legal impediments to existing strata and community title corporations adapting their buildings to be more resilient and sustainable.

Since the adaptation work is likely to be an upgrade to common property structure and/or involve new structures it needs approval by special (sometimes unanimous) vote of owners.  That can be difficult to obtain and places extra hurdles in the way of those improvements.

But the Australian Capital Territory has fixed that in its latest version of their strata title laws, the Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011.

They've introduced section 23 called 'Installation of sustainability and utility infrastructure on common property' that lowers the decision threshold for installing (or approving onwers installing) sustainability infrastructure and utlitiy infrastructure to an simple majority vote.  Sustainability infrastructure include things that improve the environmental sustainability or reduces environmental impacts of the strata corporation and the unit owners like solar panels, clothes lines, rainwater tanks, etc.  Utility infrastructure includes equipment necessary for, or related to, the provision of utility services.

It's a great initiative that we're likely to see incorporated into other parts of Australia.


Francesco ...