Management agreements in multi‐unit housing developments

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test existing theoretical models relating to management agreements and “developer abuse” in relation to multi‐unit housing developments through applying them to a new jurisdiction: New Zealand.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a combination of case studies from reported legal cases, and a socio‐legal framework, to apply existing models to New Zealand.Findings – The analysis shows that existing models are accurate, but can be improved and refined through a deeper examination of the issues arising from decided cases. New phenomena were identified that require more attention.Research limitations/implications – This analysis is restricted to decided cases and empirical research may allow further findings. The research was also limited to New Zealand as a test of existing models.Practical implications – The analysis in this paper shows that there are difficulties with recent law reforms, and more attention is needed to legislative solutions to the problems i...