Governance, Developers, and Car Parking – What Else Has Changed in 2025?
The 2025 reforms to strata and community scheme laws bring more than just minor tweaks—they reshape how schemes are governed, how costs are shared, and even how parking is managed. If you own in a strata or community title scheme, here’s what you need to know.
1. Developer Voting Rights Clarified
In the past, original owners (often developers) could wield significant influence over the early decisions in a new scheme—sometimes even on matters where they had a vested interest. This created obvious concerns about fairness and transparency for incoming owners.
The 2025 reforms now make it crystal clear: developers cannot vote on certain matters where there’s a conflict of interest. This means important decisions—like defect rectification or by-law changes—can no longer be swayed by a party who may benefit from a particular outcome. It’s a win for fairness, and it ensures that from the very first AGM, all lot owners are on more equal footing.
2. Shared Facility Agreements Are Now Supported
Many community schemes and neighbouring strata complexes have shared infrastructure—think driveways, pools, gym facilities, security gates, or even pump stations. Until now, formalising how those shared facilities are managed could be messy, expensive, or near impossible without mutual goodwill.
Under the 2025 changes, schemes can now enter into formal “shared facility agreements”. These agreements set out exactly how shared areas will be maintained, how costs will be split, and who is responsible for what. That means fewer disputes, more predictable budgeting, and a clear framework if one party isn’t meeting their obligations.
Example: If your community scheme shares an access road with a neighbouring development, you can now lock in an agreement so each pays their fair share of maintenance—no more arguing over pothole repairs or verge upkeep.
3. Parking Pressure? The Law is Clearer Now
We’ve all seen it—garages full of boxes, sports gear, or home gyms, while cars overflow onto visitor spaces or common driveways. The reforms don’t exactly rewrite the parking rulebook, but they reinforce an important point: most schemes are approved with a set number of car spaces per lot, usually including the garage, and these spaces are meant for vehicles.
If you own two spaces, one in the garage and one outside, they’re not “optional” under planning approvals. You can’t just convert the garage into a storage unit and claim visitor bays for everyday parking. The same applies to parking more cars than your approved allocation—it can breach both by-laws and local council approvals.
In short: your garage is still a garage, not a giant cupboard.
📌
Takeaway:
These 2025 reforms are about more than just “rules”—they’re about creating stronger governance, fairer decision-making, and clearer boundaries for shared living. Whether it’s developers stepping back from conflicted votes, communities having formal tools to manage shared spaces, or reinforcing how parking is meant to work, the end goal is the same:
better, more harmonious communities.
