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Until 2018 the Strata Committee and Owners Corporation had been highly functional organisations with the building and its maintenance at the forefront of our priorities. In 2019 the owners corporation determined there needed to be a major refurb due to the building being more than 40 years old.
An engineer was engaged to scope the works and prepare tender documents. However, one owner – let’s call the The Challenger – disagreed with this process and then started challenging every decision by the strata manager and committee.
The Strata Manager of more than 20 years resigned and the Strata Roll was moved to a startup agency which was not a good experience. As well as the poorly performing strata manager there was orchestration of who would be on the Committee by a new owner. This owner had their own agenda and after a heated exchange on the morality of numerous decisions I resigned.
The ‘challenger’ continued to challenge the Committee and things deteriorated. The committee members then decided to orchestrate decisions on their own, regardless of the Owners Corporation and the Strata Manager.
Ultimately, the Challenger took the Owners Corporation to NCAT and it was placed in Administration. The NCAT findings were scathing about the behaviour of Strata Committee.
The compulsorily appointed Strata Managing Agent (SMA) stabilised the Owners Corporation and continued with the refurbishment project with scoping documents and preparation of contracts. The contracts for building refurbishment works were finalised and signed in the last week prior to the cessation of Administration
The Strata Committee was reconstituted with the same people as when it was placed in Administration. I was the only new face who was accidentally elected and became Treasurer.
After a Committee meeting in May 2024 where the finances and building risks (detailed below) were laid open for every owner, the other Committee members turned on me. After several months the Committee orchestrated a rollover and three members were elected and I was gone – quite happily
As part of the scoping report from the Engineers there were major works to the building which became part of the insurance policy conditions. These were presented at the Committee meeting by me.
Even though it has been deemed contrary to Section 106 of the Strata Schemes Act by NSW Fair Trading, the Strata Committee are refusing to address the fire hazard issue by trying to include it in the capital works plan, even though the costs of the works should be borne by the Strata Committee member who owns the apartment.
As background I am now in the process of challenging the decisions by the Strata Committee at NCAT, having been unsuccessful in mediation at NSW Fair Trading as I refused to allow the Strata Committee to engage a lawyer to represent them.