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An owners’ revolt at a 1000-unit apartment building in Melbourne has highlighted the crippling inadequacies of Victoria’s strata laws and tribunal sys
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Please don’t think this is a situation unique to Victoria. I am currently going through a process in NSW which has similar difficulties, but on a smaller scale. Mediation has been scheduled in my matter and, depending on the outcome of the mediation, may proceed to a Tribunal hearing. It is not a cheap or straightforward process, even though the Fair Trading mediator has been extremely helpful.
Since the writing of this, the minutes of the general meeting were released and it was revealed that there WAS a quorum at the meeting. As a result, some of the terminations that were voted on in the minutes have been reinstated. However, this has created a complex situation where there are now three different owners corporation management companies running the building.
The building consists of 8 different owners corporation, and it is quite unusual for a building in the state to have three OCMs running it. This has caused a great deal of confusion among the owners, who are uncertain about which OCM they should be paying for which owners corporation. This has resulted in funds being transferred and potentially misplaced in the midst of this confusion.
The owners have requested for an administrator to be appointed by the tribunal to resolve this issue, and over 100 signatures have been signed in a petition for this purpose back in February. This was brought up earlier on, but it seems that no action has been taken so far by the tribunal. The tribunal has ordered to wait till an AGM happens (due in end of May 2023) before a directions hearing. This whole situation could have been avoided if an administrator was appointed.
In light of these circumstances, it is clear that the situation with the OCMs running the building is not sustainable, and it is causing unnecessary confusion and financial risk to the owners. I believe that it is in everyone’s best interest to have an administrator appointed to oversee the management of the building and ensure that the funds are being allocated correctly.
Thank you for bringing attention to this issue in your article, and I hope that this additional information will provide further context to the situation.