House Approves Strata Regulations

The Registration (Strata Titles) (Amendment) Regulations, which provide the administrative tools for Strata Corporations to administer their duties effectively, was approved in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (March 16).
Prime Minister Bruce Golding mentioned that Regulation 11(d) provided for information to be made available to the key players in the strata business, so that nobody would be taken unfair advantage of.
Regulation11 (d) states that, prior to any sale of a strata lot in a strata plan, the developer should aim to advise each prospective purchaser, in writing, of the facilities in the common property of the strata plan; the proposed unit entitlement of each strata lot and proposed by-laws; and the estimated contribution to be made that is applicable to the strata lot, the specific items to be covered by the contribution and any other payments that may be applicable.
Mr. Golding also made reference to regulations 12 (a) which stipulates that, where a proprietor is ordered by the Commissioner to demolish any unauthorised extension to the external wall of a strata lot, the proprietor is allowed 60 days for carrying out the demolition, removal of debris and restoration of the strata unit to its original state.
It also states that, where a proprietor is ordered by the Commissioner to remove any vehicle or any thing, the presence of which is in contravention of the by -laws, the proprietor is allowed seven days to remove it.
“The rest of it deals essentially with forms that will have to be used, and we have also in the second schedule indicated the fees that will have to be paid. In that regard the owner of the strata unit is going to have to pay a one -time cost for registration. It ranges from $434 to a high of $500,” Mr. Golding explained.
The Prime Minister stated that it was hoped that the regulations will come into effect as of April 1.
The Registration (Strata Titles) Amendment Act was passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 27) with 26 amendments. There are some 2,345 registered strata properties in Jamaica.