For some reason, the topic of Unit Entitlements is running hot in the Flat Chat Forum. Sometimes developers will give larger, more valuable properties lower UEs – meaning lower levies – in order to attract buyers.

Why wouldn’t the developer fiddle the numbers this way? It costs them nothing. In one thread on our Forum, an owner wants to know how hard it is to change UEs that are clearly skewed and unfair.

The answer is that, unless you have unanimous acceptance of the changes (in NSW and other major states) it’s not only hard but makes little economic sense. By the way, you are unlikely to get unanimous approval, since changing the UEs means someone is guaranteed to lose out.

It’s hard because you have to get a valuation of all the properties involved (see previous comment about unanimity), and those valuations have to have been calculated recently, so there is a ticking clock.

Meanwhile, the cost of the process, even though shared between the owners in a strata scheme, may outweigh the financial benefits that might be realised.

You can follow our Flatchatters’ thoughts and advice on the whole shemozzle HERE.

Meanwhile, another Flatchatter owns in a scheme that has successfully had its UEs changed, which will benefit him by reducing his levies by 25 per cent.

However the by-law effecting the change hasn’t been registered so he’s been billed on the basis of the old UEs. What can he do?  That’s HERE.

And finally, there is a very interesting take on conflicts of interest – suggesting that they aren’t always a bad thing – HERE.

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