struggler said:
It is totally out of line to harrass someone about volunteering around the complex. You cannot make someone volunteer.
Though you should consider whether your levies will cover a third party. In our complex, when it was built and all moved in, we were all like minded people. At least 50% of us would do a bit of work here and there. Then most of these volunteers move out and left just a few. In their place were owners who expected absolutely everything done for them out of their levies. Problem was, the levies were not calculated to cover everything. So it was put to the owners that we would have to increase the levies, quite substantially if they wanted everything covered. We were met with a resounding “No increase”.
The few in the complex who continued to do a bit of work gave up. We have personally witnessed owners who will step over pieces of paper in the driveway, or at their front doors because that is for someone else to do. So we did get in third parties to do the most of the work. And we did have to increase the levies. I would estimate that our costs in maintaining this complex have risen about $7,000pa because of paying for third parties. And thats with owners/residents expected to keep the immediate area of their units clear, clean and tidy (which many don't) and with a few of us still doing extra work when necessary between visits from the teams we now pay.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I should clarify that I was more than happy to help with the gardening and in fact did so until one Committee member argued about cutting back an overgrown mile a minute fine and then slapped me which ended in court and her making an undertaking to the court never to do that again. She then claimed her legal fees under our Owners Corporation Insurance saying she was acting as a committee member when in fact we had been told by the committee and Owners Corporation it was a personal matter to be dealt with through the courts. I was then told we cannot cut back anything in the garden without EC approval. So I was more than willing to assist but that demonstration of abuse made me stop immediately and decide it was better to pay the levies and have outside people do the garden. The harrassment is because I email when there is unfairness in the complex not because I want to be a nuisance. Latest example is CP storage room. Two other apartments have requested enclosed storage should it become available (the 3 other rooms allocated the EC advise are 'full'). An owner moved into an apartment just 6 months ago (I have been there 2 years next month) and got enclosed storage space in a room that had been previously used to store paint, tiles and other building paraphenalia. This is a corrupt EC and this particular EC member is nothing but a bully, coward and unintelligent buffoon who thinks he can intimidate and harras and get away with it but I will not let that happen. I am one woman prepared to put my head above the paraput to show unfairness and injustice. 