Do you have to pay council rates as well as strata fee's/body corp fee's if you buy a townhouse in Australia?

Answer 1

Yes, you have to pay Strata Fees, Water Fees, Council Rates.
But.... your Strata Fees should cover your building insurance, please note this is only for your building not your contents, you should have seperate insurance for this.
When buying a property - ask to see a copy of the Strata Finanacial Statement that is sent to owners each year. This will show you the outgoings for the entire complex. Check how much is in the "Sinking Fund" This is a fund that pays for extra things that arise. For example the main driveway cracks and needs replacing - this money would come from the sinking fund. If the sinking fund is very low on funds - each owner in the complex would need to make a payment towards the repair. So if there is a decent amount in the sinking fund when purchasing a property you know that you may not be asked to contribute extra later on. (Unless there is a lot of things that need replacing such as compound Fences etc.

Also outgoings on the financial statement shows things such as repair to broken doors, broken garages, broken external lights etc - a sure sign that the area has a vandal problem.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Strata Fees

Answer 3

yes