Headlines:
| Senate reviews proposed Strata Titles bill |
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| Friday, 27 November 2009 | |
 Senator Mark Golding. Government and Opposition Senators have begun to review amendments in the proposed legislation which if passed into law, will effect wide-ranging reforms to how strata properties are governed. From all indications the strata titles bill which was the subject of weeks of rigorous scrutiny in the House of Representatives, is getting nods of approval in the Senate. A key element of the bill is the establishment of a Commission to oversee the activities of strata corporations which have for a long time griped over pointed issues including delinquency in the payment of maintenance fees. Moments after the bill was piloted and tabled by Leader of Government Business, Dorothy Lightbourne, Senator Noel Sloely noted that the strata titles bill will correct many existing faults. "Here in Jamaica we have thousands of strata units that as a result of under-funding are under valued and under performing resulting in tremendous loss of wealth to the individual owners," Senator Sloely said. Senator Sloely is also suggesting that the membership of the Strata Commission should be comprised to include a representative from the tourism industry which he says accounts for more than 8 thousand apartment type accommodations. Meanwhile his colleague, Senator Mark Golding also came out in support for the bill. However, the attorney at law pointed out deficiencies in the bill which he says must be corrected as a matter of priority. Senator Golding pointed to a provision which empowers a strata corporation to enforce the sale of an apartment property for the non-payment of maintenance fees. "Clause 7 introduces a new section 5(A)2 which requires a corporation to give notice to a proprietor who is delinquent in paying his maintenance contributions for over 30 days. However in the new section 5(c)1 the power of sale cannot be exercised by the corporation until it satisfies the commission that it has given a notice to the proprietor of slightly different things that are listed in 5(c). The interplay between these two sections 5(a) and 5(c) is not seamless and I think this needs to be corrected," Mr. Golding said. Minister Lightbourne says the suggestions being made by Senator Golding will be taken for examination. The debate was later suspended. |