Our toolkits have been prepared to provide a cache of information for those using the Metropolis Reporting System.  They form the basis of the system itself and provide access to the resources which the system has been designed to provide.

In fact there are 4 toolkits.  One each for owners corporations, community associations, neighbourhood associations and company title complexes.

To give some idea of the depth of the advice provided, below is an extract from the resources in the toolkit for owners corporations.

Most items of information in the toolkits have been designed to be transferred into reports where appropriate factual circumstances exist.  That means for example in relation to reports relating to owners corporations:

• if we sight major building defects, the article explaining the consequences of defects for buyers in section 4 of the toolkit extract below will appear in part 3 of the buyer’s report;
• if the owners corporation is a member of a community association, the article appearing in section 2 of the toolkit extract below explaining what this means and why we recommend buyers should seek an inspection of the association’s records, will appear in part 3 of the buyer’s report;
• if there is a missing annual fire safety statement, the article in section 2 in the toolkit extract below referring to buyer related consequences of this will appear in part 1.4 of the buyer’s report.  There will also be an electronic link in that section of the report to the website of an accredited Metropolis specialist on fire safety for the buyer to contact if they require specialist advice;
• if there is a by-law referring to approvals for work in the subject lot, the article in section 3 of the toolkit extract below referring to issues buyers need to consider about the work including ongoing repair and maintenance obligations which they may ‘inherit’, will be included in part 3 of the report;
• if a lawyer decides that a special condition should be included in the contract for sale where the vendor warrants that works have been undertaken in accordance with a by-law, the lawyer can review the example special condition to that effect in part 7 of the toolkit extract below when drafting the special condition; and
• if our report identifies missing information from the records of the strata manager, a precedent letter from the buyer/lawyer/conveyancer to the strata manager seeking that information in section 6 of the toolkit extract below will be provided in a link to the report.

Strata inspectors preparing reports for buyers, will be expected to follow the style guide in section 11 of the toolkit extract below, which covers the use of language and expressions.  This is particularly important to ensure complex expressions and words and phrases are explained consistently, and in plain English.

To provide buyer clients with preliminary information of a general nature, lawyers and conveyancers can access the articles in section 5 of the toolkit extract below.  They can then brand them using their own letterhead/logos and make them available to their clients.

Extract of resources in the toolkit – owners corporations

1. Explanations of regularly used terms in strata reports

2. Explanations of issues arising from missing documents

3. Explanations of incidental issues often identified in reports

4. Explanations of issues often identified in strata reports

5. Explanatory articles for lawyers and conveyancers to use their own branding and then place on their letterheads and give to clients

6. Precedent correspondence

7. Example buyer related special conditions for Contracts for Sale

8. Commentary on preparing clauses in leases to deal with issues identified in strata reports affecting the subject lot

9. How to access Metropolis accredited service providers

10. Contact details for Metropolis accredited service providers

11. Style guide