MAINTENANCE SEMINARS: 2ND EXPERT LAWYER PANELLIST INTRODUCED! – Smart Strata | Body Corporate Management
MAINTENANCE SEMINARS: 2ND EXPERT LAWYER PANELLIST INTRODUCED!
Maintenance Seminars — secure your seat today.
The Smart Strata Community Education Seminar Series returns to Queensland this October with a focus on Clarifying Maintenance & Improvement Obligations for common property, lot boundaries and exclusive use areas. We are pleased to introduce our Maintenance Seminars: 2nd Expert Lawyer panelist: Todd Garsden, Partner at Mahoneys Lawyers & Advisors.
Why Todd’s Expertise Matters
Determining who is responsible for repairs, improvements or upgrades in a strata scheme is one of the most frequent sources of confusion and dispute. Practical legal knowledge reduces ambiguity, prevents unnecessary costs, and protects the reputation and finances of your scheme. Having a specialist with real-world experience explain the legal principles and common pitfalls helps committee members, lot owners and managers make defensible, transparent decisions.
Todd’s contribution as our maintenance seminars: 2nd expert lawyer, will focus on converting legal principles into day-to-day practice so attendees can manage requests, document approvals, and allocate costs with confidence. This matters for committees who must balance fairness, compliance and budgetary constraints in an often complex legislative framework.
Meet Todd Garsden — Body Corporate Lawyer
Todd Garsden is a Partner at Mahoneys and is recognised across the strata sector for his practical, litigation guidance on body corporate matters. He specialises in advising bodies corporate, managers and lot owners on a broad range of issues including governance, compliance, assignments and variations, common property leases, and dispute resolution.
Todd brings more than a decade of dedicated body corporate experience. He is active within the strata community and contributes to policy discussion and legislative reform, ensuring his advice is both current and grounded in practical outcomes. Mahoneys itself has an established reputation in the sector, including recognition at the Strata Community Association awards—an indicator of their standing in the industry.
Practical Legal Guidance
This seminar series will translate legal concepts into clear, actionable guidance. Key areas attendees will take away include:
- The legal distinction between maintenance, repair and improvement — and why the difference affects approvals and cost allocation.
- Practical examples to decide whether a work falls to the body corporate or the lot owner, especially at boundaries, balconies and courtyards.
- How to assess and document owners improvement requests: conditions, approvals and risk mitigation.
- Clear approaches to cost allocation, and steps to avoid common financial and procedural pitfalls.
- Best practice for transparent, defensible decision-making, including records, notices and resolutions.
These topics are designed to be immediately useful — whether you own in a small residential scheme or a large mixed-use development.
Seminar Locations and Where to Attend
Todd will present during the Sunshine Coast session, and the series will be held across five Queensland locations to maximise accessibility. Choose the venue most convenient for you and register early to secure a seat:
- Sunshine Coast — Thu 2nd Oct, Maroochy RSL — Register →
- Gold Coast — Wed 8th Oct, People First Stadium [Red Carpark] — Register →
- Mackay — Wed 15th Oct, Rydges Mackay Suites — Register →
- Brisbane — Wed 22nd Oct, Broncos Leagues Club — Register →
- Cairns — Thu 30th Oct, Pullman Reef Hotel Casino — Register →
Each event features expert presentations, a Q&A session and industry exhibitors where you can speak directly with industry suppliers and service providers who work hard to support strata communities.
Meet Our Sunshine Coast Industry Exhibitors
Why Attend — Outcomes You Can Expect
Attending this seminar will help you and your scheme to:
- Reduce disputes and costly mistakes by applying clear legal examples.
- Improve financial outcomes by clarifying who pays and why.
- Strengthen committee processes with better documentation and defensible decisions.
- Build confidence across owners and managers through consistent, lawful practice.
About the series partners
The Smart Strata Community Education Seminar Series is delivered in partnership with Archers the Strata Professionals. Together we bring practical expertise and industry connections so that attendees receive high-value insights that typically cost thousands to access.
Secure your seat
Registrations are now open. Spaces are limited at each venue. Book your preferred session now to ensure you benefit from Todd Garsden’s legal insights and the broader seminar program.
See you in October!
Article contributed by the Smart Strata team.