Bavin v Parklea Operations Pty Ltd Trading As Gateway Lifestyle Stanhope Gardens
[2018] NSWCATAP 124
At a glance
Source factsCourt
NCAT Appeal Panel
Decision date
2018-03-05
Source
Original judgment source is linked above.
Judgment (9 paragraphs)
REASONS FOR DECISION
- This is an internal appeal under s 80(1) of the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (the NCAT Act) against the dismissal of an application for orders under the Residential (Land Lease) Communities Act 2013 relating to payment of electricity usage charges and access fees.
- The application was made by two residents of the community seeking orders against Parklea Operations Pty Ltd t/as Gateway Lifestyle Stanhope Gardens (the operator) under s 85 and s 157(1)(d) of the Residential (Land Lease) Communities Act 2013 for refund of amounts overpaid, on the basis that the operator has not complied with s 77(3) of that Act.
- The issue in the proceedings at first instance and on appeal is the application of the provisions of the Residential (Land Lease) Communities Act 2013, which commenced on 1 November 2015, to residents whose site agreements were entered into before that date, when the Residential Parks Act 1998 was the applicable legislation. In these reasons the Residential (Land Lease) Communities Act 2013 is referred to as "the new Act", and the Residential Parks Act 1998 is referred to as "the repealed Act".
- It was common ground that both Mr Bavin and Mrs Raczkowski are parties to site agreements with the operator, dated 26 January 2013 and 5 December 2013 respectively. At the appeal hearing the parties agreed that the relevant term of those agreements for payment of electricity charges is in the standard form provided as Schedule 1 to the Residential Parks Regulation, the 2006 version of which is: 6. The resident agrees to pay all electricity charges in connection with the residential site where: 6.1 the residential site is individually metered in compliance with the code published by the Department under the title Customer Service Standards for the Supply of Electricity to Permanent Residents of Residential Parks, as published in August 2006 (the Code), and 6.2 any charges for the supply or resupply of electricity to the resident are calculated in accordance with the Code (whether by reference to a published domestic tariff or otherwise), and 6.3 the resident is provided with a receipt for any amount paid to the park owner for electricity consumption or availability, and that receipt is separate from any rent receipt provided to the resident or is identified separately on the rent receipt, and 6.4 the resident is issued with accounts that comply with section 37 of the Residential Parks Act 1998, and with any relevant provisions of the Code that are not inconsistent with that section.