Levies
Where can I find a copy of my levies?
If you would like another copy of your levy notice, you can very easily find these via My Portal (either register or sign in here.)
Once you are logged in, you will find on the right-hand side of the page, halfway down a section titled “Popular Documents”.
Next to this, you will see a green button called Levy Notices. Click this and it will display all your levy notices.
We have also created a guide for how to find a copy of your levies via My Portal.
How do I pay my levies?
The owners corporation banks with Macquarie Bank and utilises the DEFT payment system for levy payments. This enables payment by BPAY, credit card over the phone, electronic payment via www.deft.com.au or payment at Australia Post.
- Internet:
- Pay over the Internet from your bank account. Register at www.deft.com.au
- Phone:
- Pay over the phone from your bank account, Register at www.deft.com.au
- Credit Card:
- Credit card payments can be made over the Internet. Log onto www.deft.com.au and follow the instructions. A surcharge will be applicable if you use this option.
- Direct Debit:
- Set up a direct debit to ensure smooth payments. Guide on how to set up your direct debit here.
- Mail:
- Pay by mailing the payment slip found at the bottom of your levy with your cheque to: Deft Payment Sydney, GPO Box 4690, Sydney NSW 2001
- AusPost:
- Pay in-store at Australia Post by cheque or EFTPOS
When should I pay my levies?
- The majority of Levies are payable quarterly and in advance on the first day of the quarter. Due dates of levies are determined at a a General Meeting and special levies can be determined at either the AGM or an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).
- The frequency of the levy payments is up to the Owners Corporation, and some schemes have monthly, six-monthly or annual levies. As for special levies, these can be one-off’s, or due and payable over a series of installments.
- A levy Notice will typically be sent by our office one month prior to the due date. If the Levy is not paid within 30 days from the due date, interest will accrue at 10% p.a. from the due date.
- Any interest accrued is payable to the Owners Corporation (not to Jamesons), and our office has no ability under the legislation to waive interest that has accrued.
- For new clients, our office will issue any levy notices / overdue levy statements to lot owners once we complete our internal audit of received financials from your outgoing agent.
- We will issue out a courtesy reminder by SMS for those who have not paid on the due date. If you’d like to update your contact details, please fill out this form.
What are levy contributions?
Levies are a fee or ‘contribution’ paid by all owners in a scheme to cover the projected costs and expenses of the scheme. Each owner contributes in proportion to the unit of entitlement for their Lot. There are 2 types of levy contributions:
Administrative Fund
- Administrative Fund Levy contributions are raised to pay for the day-to-day expenditure of the Owners Corporation, including Repairs and Maintenance to Common Property, shared utilities, building insurances, etc.
Capital Works Fund
- Funds are also raised to a Capital Works Fund, which puts money aside for planned or unplanned major expenses that will be incurred in the future (eg. painting, roof replacement, etc ).
- Special Levies can also be raised, as required, to meet the need for additional funds.
- Special Levies can be raised to either the Administrative or Capital Works Fund depending on what it is being raised to fund. Special Levies can only be raised at a General Meeting of the Owners Corporation.
Who determines how much the levies will be?
Jamesons as your managing agent prepares a proposed budget each year for the owners’ consideration. All owners at the Annual General Meeting will then determine the amount to be raised each year.
Why have I been charged interest?
I would like the interest and late fee waived
An owner has every right to request the removal of a strata levy late fee and interest charges by providing appropriate reasons for why it was late. However, the request needs to be reviewed and approved (or not) by the committee in accordance with the by-laws and legislation governing the strata scheme.
To request a waiver of your interest charges and late fee, simply send an email to your strata managing agent with this request, and include any additional information that you would like to be taken into consideration so that we may forward your request to the Committee to seek their instruction. However, please be advised that waiving of interest charges can only be done at either a Committee or General Meeting, as is set out by the NSW Strata Schemes Management Act. So, please allow time for this to occur.
More on levies
Learn more about strata levies, what they cover and why they’re important by reading this blog post. Special Levies explained in this blog post