With that fatal apartment block fire in London recently, a dramatic unit rescue in Newtown last weekend (subs: July 19) and the gas explosion in Bondi Junction back in March, it’s unlikely local councils are going to ease up on fire regulations for strata buildings any time soon. But that doesn’t make it any less stressful when you get the dreaded notice to comply.
QUESTION: City of Sydney Council has placed a fire order on our building which requires the installation of sprinklers in more than 30 units. The cost and aesthetic issues are immense. Has anyone ever managed to wangle a way out of the requirement? – NH, Potts Point.
ANSWER: Let’s not forget that, first and foremost, this is about fire safety. That said, I have heard of people challenging the fire order. One building I know set aside money for legal fees rather than improvements but I suspect the executive committee members were really only delaying the inevitable so they could sell before they had to shell out for a special levy.
I think the best you can hope for is to negotiate a reasonable timetable that means everyone isn’t hit with a huge expense at the same time. And don’t forget that you can get strata loans which for many people are more acceptable than one-off special levies, if only because they spread the load across several years.
Your building must be older than 10 years or it would probably already have sprinklers installed so this may also give everyone a chance to enhance their properties. Dropped ceilings with down lights would cover the work and modernize the look of the apartments, so it’s not just a safety improvement – it will actually enhance the units’ value.
Meanwhile, have a look around the building for any common property that you could sell off to help pay for the work. One apartment block in Kings Cross recently sold a little-used driveway which is now a shiny new shop unit awaiting a tenant.