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I can hardly criticise anyone for having a pop at the CTTT but how about a few simple ideas for fixing it.
Let me get the ball rolling by suggesting that they stop “interpreting” the law and just ask the simple question, “were the by-laws breached?”
And let's create a “move on or move out” ruling – if someone has more than, say, three goes at their Owners Corporation, they can't come back to the CTTT for a year. If life in their building is so bad, they should move out.
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- Make the CTTT Regulation binding
- Overhaul the audio recording department
- Allow audio recording of hearings
- Make Members accountable via public release of recordings
- Allow audio recording of CTTT phone conversations
- Make OFT accountable
- Notices via registered post
- Acknowledgement of email
- Fix email bug
- Financial public accountability
Now (presuming you agree that accountability is a “positive thought”) please allow me to expand…
1. CTTT Regulation 2009 Part 2, Clause 7 (2) states ” The Chairperson may dispense with compliance with any requirement of this Regulation, either before or after the occasion for compliance arises.” ie the regulations only apply if the Chairperson decides they do. This clause should be removed.
2. I bought official sound recordings of 3 of my hearings spanning 2 months and in 2 different rooms. They were of inexcusable quality ranging from loud background hum to distortion that made speech unintelligible. A teenager with an iPod could do better than the CTTT, which brings us to…
3. The audio recordings are supposedly “charged at cost” so no revenue would be lost if default permission were given to allow participants (or audience members) to make their own audio recordings (saving $24-$66 per 80 minutes).
4. There is no explicit copyright on CD's bought from the CTTT but there should be a statement somewhere consenting to public airing of the contents (if not of the voices of the Applicant/Respondent, then at least the Member's)
5. Phone calls to CTTT should be allowed to be recorded (I have always been refused permission) so as to make staff accountable and to use in evidence in hearings (not for public airing though).
6. All phone queries regarding the Residential Tenancies Act are transferred by the CTTT to the Office of Fair Trading but when they give wrong advice they are currently not accountable even though they routinely record the calls. Once they allowed me to reciprocate and make my own recording of the conversation but subsequently refused to formally acknowledge the resulting transcript I made even though my entire case hinged on the bad advice therein.
7. All notices of hearings (especially so-called urgent ones) should be sent by registered post.
8. My emails have never been acknowledged by a courtesy response email even when I have sent that email with an automatic “request receipt” popup that requires a single click from the CTTT.
9. Upon phoning them I found that some of my emails did not even get through and it was the ones from an account of mine with a numeral in the name. I notified them of this via my “good” email address but received no acknowledgement.
10. All of the problems above may well be the result of insufficient funding for resources and training. There is also the possibility of darker reasons. The tax payer funds the CTTT, so they should make their accounts viewable by the taxpayer online.
it is all good to suggest these things, but how do you really make a difference??
I suggest that if people really care they should actually pull their finger out and create the change that they are wanting… Put in your time to the relevant industry body.. Be it OCN or Strata Community Australia (ISTM)… Research how to campaign on how to get legislative change…
We also need educated and experienced people being employed by OFT… Everyone should have a look and see exactly all the different things that they deal with… But ask yourself the question.. Would you work there?? Receiving little thanks and lots of cranky people, blaming them for all of their problems?? Sounds like fun.. How much is it worth??
HOUSING SHORTAGE – I agree with JimmtT, and would add most politicians probably avoid the stress of renting (either as landlords or tenants) but there is a way to get them interested: let them know there are many people who are too scared (by such stories as appear on this web site) to ever so much as rent out a spare room in their home (My doctor says he has a left a whole house empty for almost a year after a nightmare with tenants/CTTT). This could be a large factor behind our housing shortage… anyone got statistics on this? (perhaps we should have a new spin-off thread in this forum)
I am all for marching down Macquarie Street with placards, blocking traffic. Haven't done that since the 80's.
I have been a landlord in the past, and though I like the thought of buying an apartment for investment, I don't want any more strata worries. What I have here is enough. And I really don't paint a great picture of strata living to anyone who asks (workmates and friends regularly ask for updates on the stories of what people get up to in my complex). When my mother needed to downsize, I wouldn't let her go into strata but rather found her a house. She couldn't cope with some of the behaviours that happen here (those that I don't write about in detail as they may identify the complex).
How about a good old fashioned petition? Don't they do petitions online these days? Or perhaps we could print out a common form to sign and pass it on to our neighbours and other people we know who live/own in strata? How many people are registered on the flat chat forum? If everyone on this forum got 10 people to sign a petition that would have to be a good start.
Though I still like the idea of marching down city streets. Any good ideas for slogans to paint onto banners?
- Make the CTTT Regulation binding