There are many irritants in strata living and the come in various forms but scramble parking would have to be one of the worst.
Basically you start with a lot fewer car spaces than car owners and then tell everyone that it’s “first in, best dressed”. Which sounds kind of fair. Kind of, but not really.
What about the person who only moves their car when everyone else has gone to work returns before they do? Or the home worker whose car sits there all day every day and, when the do use it and lose their spot, are on hand to quickly nip in when another spot comes clear.
What about the less mobile person who has to park halfway down the street if they can’t get a space? Or the parent with three kids who loses their spot at school pick-up time and has to wrangle the brood across a busy road?
One Flatchatter has contacted us about their scheme where the strata committee has come up with the “brilliant” idea of leasing the spaces to the highest bidders. It would end the scramble and bring income to the strata scheme.
In an age of user-pays, it may seem like an elegant solution but is it? It could be that the person with the greatest need for a parking space is the least able to pay for it.
Maybe they could make it that the person who bids the highest proportion of their weekly income gets a space. Or the greatest percentage of value of their apartment.
We have our own elegant solution and you can be the judge (except I will be) HERE.
Elsewhere in the Forum
Who’s responsible for a leaky shower in a townhouse? That’s HERE.
One owner of two paid half a bill, the other half was paid from strata funds. How much should the refund be? That’s HERE.
How long does the warranty on waterproofing last? That’s HERE.
Everybody wants to be on the strata committee but nobody turns up for meetings so nothing gets done. That’s HERE.
Is a meeting valid if owners aren’t told about it? That’s HERE.
What can you do if you are ignored or even targetted by the strata and building managers? That’s HERE.
One owner wants faster internet. Does every apartment have to be connected? That’s HERE.
Are you trying to post but keep getting an error message? That’s HERE.
How to ask and answer questions
Anyone can read our posts at any time, but you must be registered to ask or answer questions. However, there are so many easy ways you can search, access, ask questions and reply to others’ queries once you have registered using the green “register and sign in …” box on this page.
The best way may be to click on “Forum: Your Qs & A’s” on the top menu bar or on the drop-down menu (three lines) on the screen on phones and tablets, under the Strata Choice ad. Then click on the topic title that interests you, and off you go.
Alternatively, you can click on the new “Latest Qs and As” Forum button on the top right of a computer screen or the link on the “hamburger” menu on a phone.
Or look at the list of “Your latest questions and answers” under the ads on the right of the page on a computer screen. Or at the bottom, after the ads and stories, on a tablet or phone.
finally, you can go “old school” and go to the Forum Home Page and work your way through the topics there.
Whichever route you take to get there, the best way to keep up to speed with what’s happening is to register (if you haven’t already done so), then login and subscribe for free to the topics that interest you most. That way you’ll get an alert whenever the discussion moves forward, and you can also chip in with your own comments and questions. Have a look HERE at our instant guide to getting online.