Unit Titles Act: A new Bill that was introduced in May 2008 after a gestation period of many years! If and when passed it will reform the current rules relating to unit titles by replacing legislation that was originally enacted in 1972. The time frame the passing of the Bill is likely to exceed a year, but in the meantime, interested parties will be able to make submissions to a select committee. The changes will be significant for all current Unit Title owners as well as future ones. A number of factors have driven the reform, such as the changing patterns of multi-unit developments, and in particular the scale and number of these.

We have made extensive submission on the Bill to date, and will continue to do so. For more information on how these changes may affect you, feel free to contact us!

Useful Links for further infomation:

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/bill/government/2008/0212-1/latest/versions.aspx

http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Legislation/Bills/7/1/7/00DBHOH_BILL8600_1-Unit-Titles-Bill.htm

`Leaky Buildings´:One major catalyst for the reform of the old Act has been the leaky building issue, which has highlighted administrative deficiencies in the current Act. Under the new bill, maintenance and repair issues (such as those arising in leaky building situations) will be easier to handle, as the body corporate will be able to act in the interests of all owners and the overall development.

Complexes suffering from moisture ingress remain a major portion of the Boutique portfolio. The director of BBCL, Craig Leishman has personally dealt with over sixty leaky complexes (over 2000 units) over the past six years. Watch this space for an update on current mediation and litigation cases and results.