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Transcript
What is a body corporate?
Most people hear “body corporate” and think of the towers that dominate our city skylines
But not all high rises are body corporates and body corporates come in all shapes and sizes
To understand what a body corporate is it helps to understand how strata titling evolved
Apartments have been around a long time. The Egyptians and Romans used them to house the poor
Each building was owned by one person, what we would call a slumlord
Eventually land became more scarce and certain areas more exclusive
Apartment buildings for the upper middle class began to appear … but they could still only be rented, not purchased
Unless you bought the whole building
It’s a question of ownership. To be sold a property must have a title
Property titles are created by subdivision; selling off pieces of a large block individually
But you cannot subdivide a building
Instead some buildings became companies. Ownership was transferred via shares
But, with shares as collateral, less can be borrowed
Apartment ownership remained only for the “well-to-do”
To achieve higher density more people needed to be able to buy
In 1961, in Sydney, Australia, strata titling evolved as a way to sell apartments individually
A strata titled building has two parts: the lots and the common property
Each apartment, or lot, has a Title so ownership may be transferred
And the common property is held in trust by a new entity to benefit every lot owner
The body corporate is the entity that owns the common property
And all the lot owners are members of the body corporate
They are jointly responsible for the common property
Acting within strict rules and regulations designed to protect every lot owner’s interests
Now days strata titling is used for all sorts of property structures throughout Australia and the world
Legislative requirements change from place to place but the overall concept remains the same
A body corporate is an entity that holds and maintains the common property in a building or scheme
And the combined lot owners share the responsibilities for the body corporate
When you buy a unit you also take on a portion of the responsibility for the common property
Which is why savvy investors find out what they’re getting into … but that’s another story