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live alone in a unit as an owner in NSW. I put a combination master lock with a spare key and fob on a hook attached to a wall near the entrance to the building, so that family or emergency services can gain access in a time of need. I was ordered to remove it, but now feel very vulnerable without this option. I offered to sign a declaration I was not using this option for access for short term rental, to no avail. Wondering how others have dealt with this situation. Trying to appeal to my strata committee from a safety point of view
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That sounds unsettling, especially when you live alone. I couldn’t find Flat Chat guidance specifically about a personal key safe on common property. A practical appeal is to write to the strata committee and strata manager, explain the emergency-access concern, and ask them to reconsider or put the matter on a meeting agenda. You could suggest alternatives for discussion—such as a secure, committee-approved key arrangement—rather than reinstalling the lock without permission.
NSW guidance says the owners corporation is responsible for common-property safety, and suggests raising scheme-management concerns with the committee or strata manager; if unresolved, NSW Fair Trading offers dispute-resolution steps. See Safety rules for strata common property and Strata disputes. The Flat Chat article “Strata basics – who does what, when and why?” is from 2021, so treat it as background, not current legal advice.
My father-in-law used to live in a retirement village where all the residents had lock safes outside their doors so that carers, relatives and neighbours could get in, in case of emergency. It makes sense and your strata scheme should be prepared to come up with an alternative rather than just saying no.
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