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With the rise in cost of electricity can a bylaw be created to disallow individual clothes dryers in common property laundries.
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Unless there’s a by-law in place or it’s on the strata management statement that electricity for dryers will be provided then a simple resolution by the EC (assuming it will be supported at a later general meeting) is all you need. You can make it more effective by ‘hard-wiring” the washing machines to the the electricity supply and removing all other power points.
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In the interests of maintaining good relations between neighbours, it's probably worth ensuring there is actually a viable alternative for residents to dry their washing.
Our complex doesn't have common laundries, but it does have a terrible south-facing drying area that is very difficult to access from many units. Especially for people with young children or disabilities. Then there's the issue of theft from clotheslines…
You could also consider installing a coin-operated laundromat-style dryer, which residents could use by paying for electricity as they go.
THAT is a brilliant solution … wish I’d thought of it.
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Gilgal1 said:
You could also consider installing a coin-operated laundromat-style dryer, which residents could use by paying for electricity as they go.
Agreed that this is very reasonable. A pedant could say this runs into a potential problem. Google IT2505 for the tax ruling:
“Non-mutual income derived from what is defined as personal property of a body corporate is also subject to income tax. The term personal property relates to movable property or goods and chattels and includes such items as washing machines, driers, lawnmowers, garden hoses and money. An example of this would be income derived from non-proprietors (eg. Persons renting within a block of home units) using coin operated washing machines.
Another important aspect in relation to the income tax consequences of bodies corporate is that of income received from common property. Under IT 2505, a body corporate is not taxed on income it receives from common property. Rather, this income is taxed in the hands of the individual proprietors based on their unit entitlements.”
What this means is that tenants using the coin operated drier could cause the OC to have a profit. That would not be a problem except that the profit, being non-mutual, has to declared on every proprietors separate tax statement in proportion to unit entitlements, probably a few dollars each-a trivial nuisance. I would try to have the cost of the driers, their depreciation and the electricity etc. to just break even.
Also, in the ACT, the new Unit Titles Act prohibits Rules (Bylaws) that would prevent sustainability measures such as a clothes line for air drying. I would agitate for this if you don't have it already.
Surely, with the cost of electricity, there will never be a profit, unless the building is self sufficient with solar panels?
In past use of common laundries, I have found that each unit had its own power point (with a lockable cover) that is connected to that unit's meter. Thus the unit occupant pays for his/her own electricity, not the OC. Does this still happen??
Somewhere, but not everywhere, I guess
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Boronia said:
In past use of common laundries, I have found that each unit had its own power point (with a lockable cover) that is connected to that unit's meter. Thus the unit occupant pays for his/her own electricity, not the OC. Does this still happen??
Just as an aside, that makes a helpful precedent for the uptake of electric vehicles. I had wondered how buildings were going to cope with wiring back to each private meter from the parking area. In townhouses it is even harder if everything is more dispersed. I arranged to charge my electric car from a neighbour's unit because our shared parking area is next to his unit. I pay him for what I add to his bill (and purchase sufficient greenpower separately).