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Topic
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Re: Owners unable to view INVOICES on portal
As an owner I thought I had the right to view invoices and financials on the strata portal at any time and that there would be more transparency when it comes to the records (past and present invoices). I believe that as owners we have the right to see where our money is going (levies are not particularly cheap). I raised my concerns to our strata manager. After so much reluctance from the strata manager to provide a straight answer and ONE MONTH of emails back and forth (17 in total), she finally confessed:
… It’s just the treasurer to see invoices on the portal. Please come to the AGM and get on to the committee so you will be able to then see invoices. By becoming a committee member, you will have the privilege of accessing the invoices. In the meantime, if there is any particular invoice you would like to see let me know and I can send it to you…
Is this legal? It just doesn’t make sense.
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I am involved in several stratas.
All the strata managers I interact with upload some not all records to their portal. Invoices and insurance documents are in my experience always uploaded.
In a slap in the face to the notion of transparency, the full array of data on the portal is viewable only by committee members. And the “full array” of what was uploaded is a fraction of all documentation in the hands of the strata mgr.
Non committee members have access to a (much) smaller part of the “full array” available to the committee members.
A lack of openness by strata managers is done I believe to coax owners (not on the committee) who want to know what’s really going on, to have to visit the strata manager’s office to inspect the records. This requires an email from the owner expressing the intent to inspect the records pursuant to s. 182 of the SSM Act and to agree to a time suitable for the owner and the strata manager.
All you should do is write to the strata manager that “you want to inspect ALL the records of the OC”.
Do not limit yourself in your email to inspect just the invoices. Why restrict your visit? There is no upside for you.
You do not have to be on the committee to apply via s. 182.
The strata manager will most likely ask you to pay the regulated fee of $31 (+GST) for the first hour of inspection and $16 (+GST) for any subsequent half hour. Take a mobile phone or tablet to photograph papers you’re interested in.