This was the introductory text on my newsletter last week:
There’s been an interesting development in my ongoing arm wrestle over access to the strata roll and email addresses of other owners in my new block in the country.
The strata managers – one of the biggest in NSW – were throwing up all sorts of obstacles to handing over the aforesaid documents.
However, the law says that all owners – especially the strata secretary – should have access to the strata roll and that the strata roll should have owners’ email addresses if they have such a thing (and who hasn’t, these days).
It was all starting to get a bit ugly with the strata managers claiming owners’ rights to privacy (although strata schemes are pretty much exempt from privacy laws) while yours truly was ready to man the barricades for the strata secretary’s right and occasional need to contact owners without having messages pass through the strata managers’ hands.
However, one argument against making email addresses available is the question of cyber security. What if the secretary clicks on a dodgy email and all their email addresses are broadcast far and wide or, even worse, infected with a crippling virus?
And then there are the keyboard warriors who have the time and twisted inclination to bombard neighbours with conspiracy theories and defamatory emails.
Then I had a brainwave. What if the strata secretary undertook to store the strata roll and email addresses in a secure location only accessible via firewalls using two stage security? Amid sighs of relief, the compromise was agreed and we move forward.
That could be a good model for all strata schemes where responsible committees are being denied access to the owners contact details. The keyboard warriors can fight their own battles.
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