Welcome to the Property Service of the Uniting Church Western Australia. Here you will find all the information to help you make decisions about your property, be it selling, purchasing, extending, refurbishments or even adding a garden.
About Property Services
The Uniting Church Property Services is run by a small flexible team within the Uniting Church Centre in Perth.
Property Services was set up to carry out the following purposes:
- To provide property advice and management services to the Uniting Church congregations in WA
- To assist congregations in managing and using their real property to facilitate the mission of the church
- In conjunction with other sections of the Church to explore and implement means by which the mission of the whole church may be enhanced by making better use of its property resources
- To resource the Presbytery Property Committee (PPC) and implement its decisions
- To resource the Resources Commission
- To resource the Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (WA)
Property Decisions
Property within the Beneficial Interest of the Congregation includes the Church, Hall, Manse, vacant land and any other property which is owned or managed as an investment. For your Property decision to be considered you need to ensure that it is part of your Congregational Strategic Plan.
If your congregation does not have a Congregational Strategic Plan or it is in need of updating, contact Rev Greg Ross on 9791 4157 or Rev Mark Illingworth at 9260 9804.
Process for a Property Project
No matter how big or small the project will need to be considered by your Church Council as well as the Property Committee and fit within your Congregational Strategic Plan.
Here are the steps to obtain approval for your property project:
- Identify your need
- Check with our Property Manager to see if the proposal is feasible
- Obtain Church Council approval
- Submit your application
- Wait for the PPC to make a decision
If approved
Proceed with your application. Contact our Property Services team if you need assistance.
If not approved
Consider the feedback, make changes and re-submit your application.
Who Owns Church Property?
All property is owned by the Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (WA). This includes facilities such as churches, halls, manses, aged care facilities, hospitals, schools and childcare centres.
However just as every trust has a beneficiary, in this case that beneficiary is the Uniting Church who gains the benefit of the property to use for God’s mission. The Church is not a corporate entity. It is a voluntary association of individuals meeting together for worship and a variety of other related purposes.
As trustee, the trust holds the property for the beneficiaries, who are the members of the church. The beneficial owners are responsible for care and upkeep of the property; but when buying or selling properties or entering into contracts, the Synod, agency, congregation or presbytery will need to engage with the Property Trust.
Property Trust
The Property Trust is the legal entity of all Uniting Church properties as per the Uniting Church in Australia Act 1976. It is a Synod nominated body with nominees being elected at Synod.
Property Trust members and the Property Officer are authorised to sign off on documents relating to the properties under the Property Trust.
Documents are signed by the Trust members on a weekly basis and should be received in the Synod Office by the close of business on Mondays.
A cover sheet must be completed and attached to the documents (Execution Forms) and can be downloaded from the links below:
Execution Forms
Form A: For documents requiring execution by Property Officer
Form B: For documents requiring execution under seal by Property Trust
Form C: Grant applications
Form D: Tabitha Fund (for documents requiring execution by a Guardian of the Tabitha Fund)
Property Forms
For your property idea/proposal to be approved, submit the required forms and documentation to us. Our forms are listed below.
Download, print, fill out and return these forms to the Uniting Church Centre Office – Attn: Property Services Unit.
If you need assistance to fill out these forms, please contact our Property team.
Form 1: Lease (If you are not using a real estate manager, you can use a Residential Tenancy Agreement)
Form 2: Build
Form 3: Sell
Form 4: Purchase
Form 5: Asbestos Removal
Form 6: Allocation of PSP (Embargoed Funds)
For additional assistance download these documents:
Contact Us
For more information about the property forms, procedures and other related questions, contact the team:
Phone: (08) 9260 9800
Email: reception@wa.uca.org.au
Street Address: 85-89 Edward Street, Perth WA 6000
Postal Address: GPO Box M952, Perth WA 6843
