@Ancestor said:
Thanks – I understand that. But I don’t see how lodging a claim listing the still-existing defects can entitle a strata to any greater benefits than it was entitled to previously, if for example the building was five, six or more years old. If it was out, or almost out of warranty under the old system it was always open to the owners corporation to institute legal action against the builder or developer for defects not rectified.
As I explained, if the claims had not been made before the new law came into effect, “non-major” defects in buildings 2 to 6 years old would have been ruled out of time. Non-major defects are anything that needs fixing but doesn’t mean the building or part of it is uninhabitable (although water seals and fire safety were switched at the last minute into the “major” column).
If you are looking for a conspiracy, I would check the Government and the developers who are the major beneficiaries of a change in the the law that wipes out 90 percent of the defect claims in buildings 2 to 6 years old, not to mention all the new buildings where owners discover the clock has almost run down on their claims before they even get a chance to get a survey done.