- This topic has 2 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 6 months ago by .
-
Topic
-
i recall reading somewhere ( before the new Act came in) that owners did not need approval to install security locks on windows and/or doors. However since the New Act has been implemented I can’t seem to find this anywhere so am guessing that it was not included in the 2015 Act.
If we want to install a security lock on the front door of our apartment and it is still the Initial stage of our Strata Scheme ( no Owners Corp meetings as developer states that he alone is the OC) any ideas on what we need to do to enable us to install security locks.
Reason for this is that some owners have provided duplicate keys to their family members and whilst we don’t object to this we recognise that we now have no idea who could “borrow” these keys and that our 14 unit building is no longer a security one.
Any clues?
-
Replies
-
What do your by-laws say about front door locks? Some strata schemes have by-laws which make it an owner’s responsibility to maintain and repair, but this is generally uncommon.
Usually the original lock installed on the front door at the date of registration of the strata plan is common property.
It could be argued by an OC that if an owner or occupier decided to replace a fully functional lock because they wanted a safer lock then the new lock would become the owner’s responsibility and the owner’s personal property and form part of their lot. You could make this quite clear when you apply to have the door hardware changed.
I would be careful not to change the lock to something that is too radically different in appearance from the existing hardware or you may breach the Appearance of a Lot by-law if you have one.
Your front door is common property. You can’t change common property without permission either by application to the OC or contained in a by-law.
The Act doesn’t say anything about locks specifically so you have to assume they come under this section
Part 4 Property management
111 Work by owners of lots affecting common property
An owner of a lot in a strata scheme must not carry out work on the common propertyunless the owner is authorised to do so:
(a) under this Part, or
(b) under a by-law made under this Part or a common property rights by-law, or
(c) by an approval of the owners corporationIf you want to be alerted when anyone replies to your posts or responds to this topic, please register and login, then you will be able to subscribe to the topic. The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers. NB: Longer threads may spill over to additional pages - look for the numbers on the bottom right, under the last post.