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Small block of 5 units with 8 car spaces – 2 for visitors , 2 for Unit 5 & 1 each for other 4 units. Unit 1 has a lockable storage cage & Unit 5 has storage shelves.
As part of our Capital Works Plan, we are having the garage cleared & cleaned . The SC would like to provide simple storage shelves for the other 3 units to have a tidy & practical storage space instead of the current pile of stuff. There is sufficient space for installation without impact on safe car parking.
The Strata Manager expressed concern at this suggestion at our AGM for fire safety reasons. This seems strange since we do not participate in fire safety certification as we are low risk & the items stored are not flammable.
Could the SC buy the shelves & have them installed correctly so they do not present a risk of falling? Would this need a Bylaw?
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If units 1 and 5 already have storage (and I assume items already stored there) provided, then the SM’s argument would hardly be fair to the other units requiring the same privileges would it??
Is the decision to have shelves installed unanimous? Then the SM’s opinion is outvoted isn’t it?
The issue may be that the OC is buying and installing shelves for some owners but not all (those that already have them). It might be easier to allow owners to intall shelves with a certain design and specifications, and arrange the installation at a discounted price – but they pay for it. That way everyone benefits and it doesn’t go through levies. Fire danger is the go-to excuse for saying know when saying yes would be too complicated.
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Fire safety risk for shelving? Really? Why is it not a risk for the shelves already in place? The issue I can see is who owns the shelves. If someone moves out, can they take their shelves with them – and what about the lot owner who already has shelves?
Maybe the OC needs to buy the shelves and call them a “fixture” and you need a by-law to prevent some future owner from removing the shelves. And maybe the OC needs to pay a nominal amount to “buy” the shelves that are already in place so that everything is consistent.
The SM doesn’t get to decide this unless you’re doing something that contradicts the law. Even if your insurance company decides to up your insurance premium because you now have shelves, the owners can still decide to proceed.
Fire safety risk for shelving? Really? Why is it not a risk for the shelves already in place? The issue I can see is who owns the shelves. If someone moves out, can they take their shelves with them – and what about the lot owner who already has shelves?
Maybe the OC needs to buy the shelves and call them a “fixture” and you need a by-law to prevent some future owner from removing the shelves. And maybe the OC needs to pay a nominal amount to “buy” the shelves that are already in place so that everything is consistent.
The SM doesn’t get to decide this unless you’re doing something that contradicts the law. Even if your insurance company decides to up your insurance premium because you now have shelves, the owners can still decide to proceed.
The shelves may not be a fire risk; the problem could be with what is stored on them. Our block has 21 cages in corner of the car park; some occupants have provide their own shelving. A few years back, a fire started in one of them, and destroyed everything in all of them.
But that could be a problem even if there are no shelves. That issue is more about what people store in their garages (or in their cages in your case). I can see that a by-law might be beneficial in that case, especially with e-bikes now being so popular.
We also had a tenant who liked to use power tools in the garage, and some were of the kind that produced sparks. There was no by-law in place, and his landlord was disinclined to tell him to stop. Eventually the tenant and his power tools moved out – no action was ever taken. But we’ve digressed from the original question which was specifically about shelving.