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We know that prospective purchasers must pay a fee to inspect records. But what rights have owners got to inspect records and accounts at SM as required? Any fee? And what notice needs to be given?
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Prospective purchasers have no rights to inspect the records of the Strata Scheme unless authorised by someone who has, and that’s the Owner (Vendor) or the Mortgagee of a Lot, who can do so or authorise someone else such as a purchaser’s solicitor / conveyancer to do so, for the prescribed fee; currently $30 for the first hour, and $15 for each half-hour thereafter (or part thereof) made to the Owners Corporation.
Owners do have access to summary financial papers at each General Meeting of the Owners Corporation, but if more detail or other records is required then arrangements need to be made in writing, be accompanied by the fee, and be with 10 days notice to whoever it is that holds the records, usually the Scheme’s Strata Manager who by the way can charge additionally for any services that they provide such as photocopying.
This is not specifically an answer to the above but I thought some of you out there might be interested. I am an owner and I wanted to look at the emails of my SM as I knew there were issues. The SM printed 4 x ring binders of emails that were all irrelevant. I was not allowed to see the relevant emails. Wonder who paid for all this photocopying – thousands of pages?
If you asked for the correspondence in relation to a specific matter or matters, and the strata manager gave you copies of correspondence that had nothing to do with those matters, then you should tell him/her that he can’t charge for that.
If your request was open-ended then unfortunately he will be entitled to charge for it.
Thanks for your response. Actually I am the secretary and wanted to see all the email traffic – not just my own emails which I have a copy of on my computer. They just photocopied everything so that I could not see the emails that the SM knew I was after.
newlsie – just to close this off, as Scotty advised, if you make a request to view correspondence in relation to a specific matter or matters, then that’s what you’ll receive – even though that infinitesimal fee will be again payable and the SM may charge a collation fee.
@Whale said:
Prospective purchasers have no rights to inspect the records of the Strata Scheme unless authorised by someone who has, and that’s the Owner (Vendor) or the Mortgagee of a Lot, who can do so or authorise someone else such as a purchaser’s solicitor / conveyancer to do so, for the prescribed fee; currently $30 for the first hour, and $15 for each half-hour thereafter (or part thereof) made to the Owners Corporation.Owners do have access to summary financial papers at each General Meeting of the Owners Corporation, but if more detail or other records is required then arrangements need to be made in writing, be accompanied by the fee, and be with 10 days notice to whoever it is that holds the records, usually the Scheme’s Strata Manager who by the way can charge additionally for any services that they provide such as photocopying.
I’m an owner who wants to get copies of monthly interim financial reports for the past few months rather than wait until end September for summary financial papers at AGM.The Owners Corporation has ignored my request. Could you advise what Strata law I refer to [obligating the Strata manager to provide me with the information] when requesting interim financial reports from our Strata manager.
The interim financial reports are in PDF format and are emailed to the Owners Corporation. What fee should I be charged to emailing me these last 4 months interim reports?
You will find the details HERE, but it would be a whole lot easier if your Executive Committee shared the information that they currently receive!
To make the process easier, your letter requesting an inspection of the O/C’s records should state precisely what it is you want to see. The prescribed fee to personally inspect is currently $30 for the first hour plus $15 / 30 mins thereafter, but the Strata Manager can additionally charge you whatever they (reasonably) want to for printing / photocopying / e-mailing etc.