Urban Spaceman said:
These days, Jimmy, you seem to be living in some sort of strata Utopia; probably the same one as Struggler.
I don’t think there can be anybody (even Struggler) who is more aware of the problems living in Strata than I am . I’m the one who gets all the emails and reads all the postings and have been doing so for the past seven years.
Here’s a few points for you to consider …
If you have problems with your neighbours in a house – noise, abuse and all the other elements of antisocial behaviour, you are on your own.
If anyone’s strata is that bad they can always move out. There are plenty of buildings that run smoothly … or they can get a house.
The issues you are concerned about aren’t strata problems, they are people problems and the strata industry is maturing to the point where the bad apples are gradually being rooted out and a level of professionalism is taking over. But this is not going to happen overnight.
I too have seen the gossip mongers flourish and manipulate Executive Committees. I have seen nutters come and go (and been accused of being one myself). I’ve seen by-laws flouted and individuals targetted by mean-spirited and selfish owners.
I have encountered corrupt ECs in my own building and helped to clear them out. I have run campaigns to counter damaging cost-cutting by people who’d bought the best apartments in the building at bargain prices and then tried to reduce services to the bare bone so they didn’t have to pay very reasonable levies.
I’ve even been instrumental in getting the law changed so that developers couldn’t demand proxy votes as a condition of their contracts of sale. So please don’t tell me I have anything but a very clear view of the potential pitfalls of strata living.
I’ve been there, my friend, and done it. And along the way, in this job, I think I’ve heard every horror story there is.
But I’m also very pragmatic. Australia is still getting used to a way of life that has been evolving in Europe since Roman times. Even so, most people try to do the right thing most of the time.
But I’ve just started revising my Apartment Living book and I was shocked at how angry I was, ten years ago when it was written.
Maybe strata living has calmed down in the last decade or maybe I have – probably a bit of both. No system is perfect – you just have to make the best of what you’ve got and I still wouldn’t live any other way.