Victorian regulator faces audit after decade of zero prosecutions for strata complaints
A resident alleges $240,000 was misdirected by his building's owners corporation, but Consumer Affairs Victoria has taken no action on any of the 3,500 complaints filed in ten years, prompting the Greens to seek an audit.
In a 10-storey Carlton apartment building, resident Hubert Jones reported that committee members Malcolm Dingle, Paul Harberts and Amanda Pelligrino arranged a $240,000 deed of surrender that routed payments to Champion Pty Ltd, a firm in which they hold interests, without a vote of lot owners. Consumer Affairs Victoria refused to open an investigation, stating it acts only in the public interest, and directed Jones to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, where he has filed a claim to void the deed and recover the fees.
Freedom-of-information data reveal the regulator has not pursued any civil or criminal action against owners corporations in the past decade, issuing merely four infringement notices and twelve official warnings from July 2016 to June 2026. Over 3,500 complaints were logged, yet none led to enforcement, prompting the Victorian Greens to request an audit by the auditor-general. Additional residents describe hidden fees, reduced services, and unresolved water damage that has caused concrete decay in the underground car park. The dispute arises as the state reviews its Owners Corporations Act and considers creating a dedicated strata commissioner.
Why it matters
It exposes a regulatory gap that leaves apartment owners vulnerable to mismanagement and possible fraud in Victoria's strata market.
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