straita

Owners Rights

What is unit entitlement and why does it matter?

Short answer

Unit entitlement is a number assigned to each lot on the strata plan that reflects its relative value. It sets each owner’s share of the levies and, on a poll vote, their voting weight. The total of all lots’ entitlements is the scheme’s aggregate entitlement, and each lot’s share is worked out against that total.

Where it comes from

Every lot is given a unit entitlement when the strata plan is registered, usually based on a valuer’s assessment of the lot’s relative value at the time. The figures sit on the registered strata plan and the strata roll, so they are a matter of record rather than something the committee sets year to year.

What it decides

Unit entitlement does two concrete jobs:

  • Levy share — your contributions to the administrative fund and the capital works fund are levied in proportion to your unit entitlement. A lot with a larger entitlement pays a larger share.
  • Voting weight on a poll — on an ordinary show-of-hands vote each financial owner has one vote, but where a poll is demanded the count is weighted by unit entitlement. A larger lot then carries proportionally more weight.

Can it be changed?

Unit entitlements can be reallocated, but not casually — it generally requires a formal process, and a lot owner can apply to the Tribunal (NCAT) to have entitlements adjusted where the original allocation was unreasonable. Because the numbers drive money and votes, any change is a significant governance step rather than an internal tweak.

Keeping the numbers working for you

Because entitlements sit under every levy calculation and every poll, a self-managed scheme needs them recorded accurately and applied consistently. Straita holds each lot’s unit entitlement and works levies and voting shares straight from it, so the split is transparent and the same figure is used everywhere it matters.

Primary sources