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This week’s podcast is given over to one topic – but it’s a fascinating one: What are we going to do about Australia’s older apartment blocks? Sure, t
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Interesting discussion.
I run the scheme for a 57 year old block and know full well we’d fail a fire audit. We’re not subject to one unless council suddenly decide to do an audit or someone complains. I know it’d probably just take a apartment block fire in the council area for them to act on all buildings in the area.
Many older buildings have no fire doors, common property fire alarms , extinguisher equipment, and electrical boards out of the dark ages which are a total fire hazard.
You then have the difficulty of raising funds to upgrade the infrastructure. Residents look at their ‘old’ building and think why should I pay higher levies? There’s no pool, elevator, things look satisfactory on the surface.
They don’t quite realise that it’s the behind the surface where the problems are. Where did that $50,000 you spent last financial year go? I cant see it!
The quality of most committees is usually pretty dubious to be kind. I took over from a committee that was represented by an owner who could barely speak or understand English and a chap with Schizophrenia who was more concerned about where he could hoard his next stash of junk to temper his OCD!