[Costa]

Wow what comprehensive advice and fast, thank you!

I have made an appointment to inspect our strata’s records and attempt to ‘discover’ as the strata manager puts it the addresses of owners who I don’t know, who don’t live here (I’m told we’re exactly half lettings at the moment). Strata manager says he can’t email them to me because of ‘privacy’.

I have one more final question, if you please. I would like to see most or all the correspondance to to with these ‘pet projects’ which is a good way to describe them thanks JimmyT. I believe as an owner I am entitled to, but most would be in computers and not printed out. Am I within my rights and is it reasonable to ask for correspondence to be printed out and in the files I am going to look at. There really should be a lot of details and quotes etc. one would think.

[Costa]

The notice for the executive committee was put up more than 72 hours before, thank you Scotlandx, and we got together the required owners to object however the work has gone ahead.

We put the paperwork under the (reclusive) secretary’s door which he did not answer or was out or is away (he has been reclusive and unresponsive for three terms now) and also sent it by email to the strata manager to whom the job of secretary is conferred by our contract. The email was sent over the weekend and strata manager says he didn’t get it in time and the meeting went ahead.

Disregarding that, last part of the chapter, the brazen dishonesty, lack of transparency and probity that all led up to these projects totaling three to five thousand dollars with no agenda, meeting, minutes etc. I find quite astounding. How can this sort of thing happen!

Surely something can be done about that, but what? It seems strata managers and executive committees can manipulate things dishonestly at will with no consequences. 

 

[Costa]

To update those who have posted and thank you, after questions and complaints, the strata manager has put up a notice saying there is to be a paper executive committee meeting, with do not attend this meeting highlighted, where this three and a half thousand dollar dryer venting project is going to be voted on and as a separate resolution acknowledging that it is maintenance to fix a hazardous situation, quoting the part of the NSW Strata Titles Act about maintaining the common property. Without going into it I will say this is completely untrue. Remember the work is supposed to be starting this Monday too.

We think the project is to stop the noise from the drying room affecting the chairman’s residence. The set-up has been this way for years and doubtless other residents get a bit of noise too. It might be a worthwhile project, if only they had gone about it in the right way instead of trying to sneak it through, fast, on the sly Even though an AGM is next month.

[Costa]

It’s complicated and thanks Peter C (and others). I have also been on the Executive Committee but not for the last few years.

I’ll try and be simple. There are greatly needed repairs and refurbishment of common property gardens and a car park area which everyone agrees are long overdue. The project is probably worth 70 to 100 grand.

The current committee are proxy gathers. Their ‘clique’ have had three years now to get this done and at the General Meetings have presented an agenda item for the work but not sent round plans or quotes, and unbelievably not even had more than one copy at the meetings. No one is given the chance to properly peruse and consider the plans and quotes. They just expect us all to trust them and what they say. And they are left looking more than a little shady. I  suspect that each time they believe they have enough votes for a blanket go-ahead but fail when they cannot answer questions such as whether or not council may be required or if they have considered drainage issues. No real vote has actually taken place.

I hesitate before saying this but they are young and obviously have not bothered to find out anything about their duties and responsibilities as Executive  Committee Members and the Strata Manager offers no guidance, even procedural guidance in meetings.

It is impossible to discuss these issues with the committee members. As I said they behave in an intimidating manner. It is bullying in fact. I am interested in whether bullying by executive committee members in strata is institutionalized bullying covered in some government act. It’s that serious I would think.

[Costa]

First, thanks Whale. I have proceeded along the lines you have suggested without eliciting much in the way of action or response except now the Executive Committee members in question are behaving in an intimidating way towards me. I can cope and will carry on but my question, now, is as follows.

if I am victimized or harassed by these members, do I have any recourse against them as they are elected representatives of the Owners Corporation In positions of power? Or any any recourse against the Strata Manager who should be keeping them in order, a layman such as I might think?

 

 

 

[Author]

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