Gold Coast

Gold Coast

The vibrant city of the Gold Coast with its gloriously subtropical weather, beachside location and cosmopolitan vibe, is a perfect location to live in a shared community. Renowned for its lifestyle-driven mix of beachside living, tourism, events, business and stunning natural scenery, the Gold Coast’s sunny climate and emphasis on outdoor living make living here a pleasure. The Gold Coast encompasses a huge range of attractions, including world-famous beaches, epic theme parks, first class shopping facilities, national parks and natural features, extensive sports and recreation facilities, heritage sites, entertainment and events.

A sub-tropical modern and energetic city only a 45 minute drive from Brisbane, the Gold Coast is home to over 560,000 culturally diverse people who choose to enjoy the vibrant lifestyle offered by the “fun” capital of Queensland. With a chilled, exciting and sophisticated community vibe, the unit lifestyle chosen by many Gold Coast residents provides them with a place to connect and engage with the coastal community and the people living around them.

Community living on the Gold Coast

From the blue and gold of the coast to the green of the Gold Coast hinterland, more and more people are turning to apartment living as a viable option. The trend towards community living is on the rise, and it’s not hard to understand why. Owning a unit in a

body corporate gives you the benefits of lifestyle and privacy without the responsibility of maintaining the land of a private property. And with the job growth in cities and housing market prices skyrocketing in many areas, increasing numbers of people are turning to community living as a practical and affordable alternative to living in a suburban single-tenant dwelling.

As the landscape of the Gold Coast changes and evolves, and more people flock to this sun-loving city, there is a shift in lifestyle trends occurring. In past decades, the great Australian dream involved a house in the suburbs with a neatly manicured backyard, to be used by a handful of children and pets. However, nowadays, that dream has morphed into something completely different. The further we progress into the 21st century, the more people are choosing to live in the central hubs of Australia’s major cities, such as the Gold Coast. If current trends continue, we should start to see equal numbers of Australians living in apartments as in suburban homes in the next 40 years. Strata title communities are fast becoming the norm on the Gold Coast, with the apartment lifestyle well-established and flourishing.

A strata property is one in which individuals each own a portion (a lot). All owners share ownership of the common property such as driveways, lifts, foyers and gardens, and are responsible for the upkeep of this common property. Common property is managed by the body corporate committee, or a strata company such as Capitol.

Apartment living offers many attractions – with location close to or right inside the CBD of the Gold Coast being number one. It might be your place of work, shopping or services, but living in close proximity to the city hub where you have quick and easy access to almost anything you want or need has numerous benefits. It also helps that many apartment complexes come with their own amenities for residents, such as convenience stores, gyms, swimming pools and even gardens, meaning you can find a great deal of what you might need within the complex.

Maintaining a property can be time-consuming and expensive, and a significant benefit of apartment living is the opportunity to rid yourself of the burden of upkeep. Everything outside of your own unique space is generally taken care of by the committee or the body corporate manager, leading to less time spent on maintenance. Ambitious professionals, travellers or people who lead a busy life find this type of low maintenance home ideal. And if that’s not enough, higher density living allows for greater energy efficiency in buildings, can enable greater social equality and community interaction and can support better and cheaper public transport.

Sense of community is another benefit of apartment living, with many people enjoying the experience of being surrounded by and interacting with a huge variety of people. Being able to save money is also a huge plus, as apartments are generally more affordable than houses, making them an attractive option for the budget-conscious or first home buyers. The cost of transport is also likely to be lower, as living in centrally-located apartments will give you greater access to public transport. Ownership of apartments allows a higher rental yield for investors as well, making it an attractive financial investment choice. Rates are also lower compared to a single dwellng.

For all these reasons and more, strata living is now the fastest growing form of property ownership throughout Australia. The centre of the Gold Coast is reaching saturation point with the construction of many high-end and residential developments in recent years. A huge number of people are entering the apartment market, allowing them to have a conveniently-located home coupled with an easy lifestyle. Living in a Gold Coast strata community allows people to have the accommodation and lifestyle they want, while enjoying the financial benefits of apartment living. With increased infill development taking place in the Gold Coast city centre and house prices on the rise, many people are willing to accept better access to jobs, transport and services as a trade-off for large houses on suburban blocks.

The Gold Coast’s apartment market is very active at the moment, with throngs of new developments springing up in the inner suburbs, as a shift towards a more compact, cosmopolitan lifestyle is happening. The Gold Coast is falling in love with apartment living, which is causing a dramatic shift in the way residents of the Gold Coast live. Dwelling approvals for apartments now far exceed those for houses on the Gold Coast, with well over half of the dwelling approvals over the last 12 months being multi-residential developments. Today, the Gold Coast offers a superb choice in apartment living, with everything from small, two lot schemes right through to large complexes available for any budget. Strata living will be the future choice of many Gold Coast residents, because, with a well-managed scheme, you can experience the best of community living without all the work involved.

In recent times, a new lifestyle paradigm has emerged, and with it comes a new and complex landscape to navigate.

That’s where strata management services can help.

What strata management can offer

Strata management is one of the most dynamic growth industries in Queensland, and will continue to be so well into the future, as unit living continues to boom. Professional body corporate management services have emerged and kept pace with the proliferation of community strata schemes arising on the Gold Coast. Strata management now plays a key role in Australia’s property landscape. Unit owners have come to rely on strata management professionals to protect the value of their investments, with close to 3 million strata-managed properties around the country.

A strata management team can help protect the value as well as the physical structure of your home, rather than letting it degrade over time. Ensuring compliance with legislation while preserving the value of your property can be a constant headache for owners, as the legislation applicable to bodies corporate is comprehensive and complex and requires an in-depth understanding that the general population is unlikely to have. However, allowing a professional to manage your body corporate will provide surety and continuity of the management process and will help you to navigate the ever-increasing legislative requirements. A professional and effective strata management company situated right

here on the Gold Coast can assist with all the administrative functions associated with running a body corporate by providing a range of body corporate consultancy and management services, leaving you free to embrace the utopian lifestyle of the Gold Coast.

Sound good? That’s where Capitol comes in.

Capitol can streamline your body corporate management

Capitol can help manage your Gold Coast body corporate, and look after all aspects of your body corporate management, maintenance and compliance obligations. You can depend upon our experience to guide you through the often-confusing maze of body corporate legislation, and give quality attention to each area of your Gold Coast body corporate management.

Leading the way into this brave new world is Capitol.

The Capitol difference

Capitol are proud of maintaining the highest standards for strata expertise and body corporate management on the Gold Coast, and are recognised as notable management leaders. Our efficient and outstanding Gold Coast body corporate managers use their local and in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Gold Coast strata landscape to provide you with a personalised and cost-effective service that you can rely on. Capitol’s experienced professionals can offer helpful and practical advice based on their many years of experience, and take the headaches out of body corporate management, leaving you free to concentrate on other areas of your investment.

With our extensive local expertise, our team is passionate about being the leader in body corporate management on the Gold Coast. You can rely on us to be innovative, professional and thorough in our approach to community relationship management, through expert advice, regular contact, and proactive management.

Capitol has a long history of delivering on our promise of service excellence, going above and beyond to ease the experience of property ownership. Your Community Relationship Manager is an expert in their field and will be matched to your unique situation. We pride ourselves on our personal service, providing all owners with the direct contact phone number and email for your Community Relationship Manager, and answering your phone calls and responding to your emails personally, rather than using a call centre. You can count on us to be easily accessible and responsive, with convenience a cornerstone of our service.

When you choose Capitol, you benefit from:

Our expert team

The Capitol team has over 300 years of collective relevant experience, which we cheerfully apply to your unique and specific situation. We use a custom-made approach when working with committees and owners to make sure we achieve the best outcome for your Gold Coast body corporate – every time.

All of our Community Relationship Managers are highly qualified and hold membership with Strata Community Australia (Queensland). We believe 100% in our team, and invest in ongoing training and development to make sure we maintain relevant knowledge and stay at the top of our game.

Owner login and resource centre

We understand you want to make the most of your precious time, so we give you instant and convenient access to your body corporate records through your owner login. As well, our handy resource centre gives you access to body corporate information, useful forms, seminar materials and much more. We like to invest in our clients as well, so we regularly host the popular free Capitol seminar series of events, where our owners can listen to expert speakers who present on a range of relevant topics. Our management team is also available at these events to answer any questions you may have.

What we stand for

Capitol’s vision is to work with owners to create happy, healthy and harmonious body corporate communities here on the Gold Coast. With a culture of encouragement, team work and constant learning, you always get the best from all of us. We use our well-honed problem solving and negotiation skills in all our interactions with our owners and committees to build strong relationships and achieve positive outcomes.

As the leaders in strata management on the Gold Coast, we are characterised by our values which underpin all our dealings with you. We are expert professionals who are forerunners in the field of body corporate management, but also recognise the need to keep learning. We are focused and reliable and have superior attention to detail. With our genuine empathy for others, we are strong and understanding communicators. We maintain integrity, honesty and transparency in all our operations. And we are innovators, with a “can do” attitude – nothing is too hard for us.

Our specialties:

• Responsiveness
• Availability
• Expert advice
• Direct access to your manager

Follow the leader as we create opportunities to build and maintain effective communities within your Gold Coast body corporate.

What we can offer you

Owner login

The Capitol owner login provides 24/7 access to your statements and levy information, community management statement, building reports, meeting minutes and financial information.

Online forms

All the forms you need can be accessed 24/7 in one spot, so you’ll never need to go searching for paperwork.

Owner training

We give you access to notes from keynote presentations on critical topics, ensuring you are kept up to date with the latest information.

Events

We offer you free training seminars to help you get the most out of your property.

Education

Our resource centre is filled with a wealth of helpful and essential information that will answer your queries and help you solve any problems.

Latest news

We keep you up to date with news and opinion pieces on topics of interest to body corporates.

What we can do for you

• We can convene and attend you committee and annual general meetings and record and distribute the minutes.
• We take care of your banking, by issuing and collecting levies, paying invoices and reconciling the body corporate’s financial statements.
• We make record keeping painless, by maintaining and updating accurate body corporate records and registers.
• We prepare annual financial statements and budgets.
• We look after your correspondence, and monitor and inform the committee of incoming and outgoing correspondence.
• We assist with the insurance cover for the building, including common contents and office bearers.
• We can liaise with lot owners, residents, caretakers, contractors and other stakeholders.
• We can assist the committee to arrange maintenance and repairs for the common property.
• We can assist the committee to understand and meet all statutory reporting and compliance requirements.
• We can assist the body corporate with the application and enforcement of its by-laws.
• We can provide advice to the committee on non-routine matters.
• We can work with you and your team to ensure the set-up of new community titles schemes, and ensure your new body corporate in Brisbane maximises the success of your development and provides value for future owners and investors.

Stress-free strata management on the Gold Coast

Looking after your strata community is not as simple as it may initially seem, so Gold Coast property owners have been trusting Capitol to effectively manage their units for over 20 years now. Our purpose is to help make your Gold Coast strata management hassle-free, easy and efficient. Our comprehensive knowledge of the day-to-day operations of a body corporate and the body corporate industry as a whole, ensures that you can rely on us to provide the right advice and the best body corporate management services on the Gold Coast.