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  • in reply to: Passing the problem on to new owner #83198
    Jimmy-T
    Keymaster

      Pass a motion at your next strata committee meeting that you intend to pursue the appropriate by-law with the new owner if the current owner hasn’t agreed to the by-law. In that case, the new owners will be given the choice of agreeing to the by-law or having the hot water system removed at their expense.

      Write to the current owner informing them that this decision has been made, and that it is in the minutes of the strata committee and reminding them that, by law,  this information must be passed on to the new owner as it might affect their decision on whether or not to purchase the unit.

      That way, neither the current owner or purchaser can say they weren’t informed.

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      in reply to: Facts and faults – how the DBPA works and why #83195
      Jimmy-T
      Keymaster
      Chat-starter

        ‘…bathrooms are exempt unless there is more than one dwelling,’

        Which would mean that unit block bathrooms are not exempt. So how does that apply to townhouse bathrooms? We need a document like the “Who’s responsible?”guide that came out a few years ago.  My insider at the Building Commission said that one problem is that the BCA was written to apply to technologies many of which are long out of date and then the builders try to apply the letter of the law absolutely strictly.

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        Jimmy-T
        Keymaster

          A general meeting is “valid” if there is a quorum present, and it begins and ends. If all the agenda item decisions are unknown, then consider the decision for each one as being deferred, and take this up at the next meeting.

          If the numbers aren’t there at the start of a meeting to achieve a quorum, the chair just has to wait half an hour then declare it quorate.

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          Jimmy-T
          Keymaster

            Perhaps the simplest thing would be to review all the decisions supposedly made at the prvious AGM and ask owners to vote on them again – that way what was actually said and done at the meeting is irrelevant.  And this time record the meeting – or maybe just the chair’s declarations of votes – and run it through a transcription service like Otter to get an instant and accurate transcript.

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            Jimmy-T
            Keymaster

              “the minutes still have not been resolved in favour”

              What exactly do you mean by that? That a draft has not been approved by the committee? Only a general meeting can approve, amend or reject the minutes of a previous general meeting.

               

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              in reply to: Facts and faults – how the DBPA works and why #83132
              Jimmy-T
              Keymaster
              Chat-starter

                Some background:

                Apartment buildings are the only building class where the remedial requirements of the DBPA currently apply.
                The Act introduced requirements for remedial work in apartment buildings covering critical construction elements, such as:
                • Load bearing components, like slabs, beams, columns and structural walls
                • Waterproofing, like balconies, rooves, bathrooms and membranes
                • Fire safety, like fire doors, cladding interfaces and passive fire protection
                • Building enclosure / façade systems, like external walls and windows.
                This rectification work often needs to comply with the BCA, which improves the quality of remedial work by including the latest safety requirements.
                However, some of the internal and external building work generally defined as exempt development under the State Environmental Planning Policy includes:
                • A doorway, wall, ceiling, or floor lining
                • A bathroom or kitchen
                • A built-in fixture such as vanity, cupboard, wardrobe
                • An existing sanitary fixture (e.g. a grease trap or similar)
                • Painting, plastering, cement rendering, cladding, attaching fittings or decorative work,
                • The replacement of an external window, glazing areas or a door (other than those on bush fire prone land),
                • The repair to or replacement of a non-structural wall or roof cladding,
                • The installation of a security screen or grill to a door or window or a security door,
                • The repair to or replacement of a balustrade.
                A general guide on remedial work for apartments and information on exemptions can be found here.  For a guide on ‘exempt development’ requirements, see here.
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                Jimmy-T
                Keymaster

                  The other owners should be informed that if they committee hires lawyers and loses, then only the failed defence owners – i.e. the majority – will have to pay the legal fees.  The bill will have to be covered by a special levy and the winning plaintiffs can’t be included in that.

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                  Jimmy-T
                  Keymaster

                    It’s possible the by-law would be void as the condition of the exclusive use area was changed by the OC.

                    Common property by-laws can only be changed with the written approval of both parties.  I’d apply for mediation with a view to seeking orders at NCAT.

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                    in reply to: By-law breaches by absent owner #83051
                    Jimmy-T
                    Keymaster

                      I wonder if the insurance issue is a case of “loading up” as the police call it when they add multiple offences to the original charge, just to make sure they get the culprit for something. Unless the insurers or fire saftey people have issues a warning, this is a bit of a furphy, albeit an understandable one.  Go back to any by-laws that state what can or can’t be stored in a parking space, and others about the appearance of lots FROM common property and that should be enough.

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                      in reply to: Unauthorised AC unit Installation #83049
                      Jimmy-T
                      Keymaster

                        The GM main two objectives are: to vote that the altered AGM minutes reflect the events of the AGM (which is false) and contradict John’s sworn document that those altered minutes were not consistent with the events of the AGM. Renew the manager’s agreement. What can John do now?

                        In the first instance, propose and amendment asking that anyone who was not at the meeting, who can therefore not confirm or deny the accuracy of the proposal, recuse themselves from voting.

                        Regarding the manager’s agreement, ask that it be deferred for three months until the veracity of the SM’s amended minutes can be determined.

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                        Jimmy-T
                        Keymaster

                          As you are responsible for repairs and maintenance, I think you are lucky the OC didn’t hit you up for the cost of re-waterproofing your portion of the space.

                          Responsible for repairs and maintenance of what? If the relevant by-law doesn’t state that the lot owner is responsible for the common property, then the OC should compensate them for the destruction of the tiles required when the common property roof was re-sealed.  I’d be taking that one to Fair Trading and the Tribunal.  I have responsibility for my bathroom tiles but if my OC wanted to dig them up for THEIR purposes, I’d be looking for a reasonable pay-out.

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                          in reply to: By-law breaches by absent owner #82960
                          Jimmy-T
                          Keymaster

                            I changed the heading on this post from “Storage of junk in car space” because I think the real issue here is the inability to contact the owner. Once you have contacted the owner, you can deal with the by-law breaches.

                            And I think the key to the solution is to agree at a strata committee meeting to issue a Notice To Comply and then pursue an action at NCAT for the impposition of fines.  The fines will escalate every time your notice is ignored and eventually that will get the owner or their property manager’s attention.

                            Also you might look at Section 258 which allows for maximum fines of $550 for failure to notify the OC of the commencement of a new tenancy.

                            258   Tenancy notice to be given to owners corporation

                            (1)  If a lot is leased, the relevant person must give notice of the lease to the owners corporation not later than 14 days after the commencement of the lease.

                            Maximum penalty—5 penalty units.

                            (2)  If the relevant person fails to comply with subsection (1), the tenant may give notice of the lease to the owners corporation.

                            (3)  If a lease of a lot is assigned, the assignor must give notice of the assignment to the owners corporation not later than 14 days after the execution of the assignment.

                            Maximum penalty—5 penalty units.

                            (4)  The notice must be in writing and specify—

                            (a)  the name of the tenant and an address for service of the tenant, and

                            (b)  the date of commencement or assignment of the lease, as the case requires, and

                            (c)  the name of the real estate agent managing the lease, if applicable.

                            Any or all of these are intended to get the lot owner’s attention, so with that in mind I would go in hard at the start and then ease off once contact has been established.
                            There’s a very good chance that the property is being managed by a rental agent who is simply not passing on the messages from the OC because they want the owner to think they are on top of their job and they don’t want to bother them.  Sudden appearance of fines on their levy notices will bother them.
                            Anyone else been in this situation? And how did you handle it?
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                            1 user thanked author for this post.
                            in reply to: Strata Managers’ unauthorised payments #82951
                            Jimmy-T
                            Keymaster

                              Given the recent example of a Strata Manager extracting ~$2 million from ~60 stratas over ~400 transactions, I looked at our portal

                              Just to let you know, I merged two similar threads here.  JimmyT

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                              in reply to: Strata Managers’ unauthorised payments #82948
                              Jimmy-T
                              Keymaster

                                Some strata schemes, in an effort to make it easier for inconsequential bills to be paid but keep a tight rein on finances, put a limit on the amount their strata managers can spend without prior approval.

                                And, believe it or not, schemes that set the limit at, say, $300 are often astonished to discover how many services cost $295.

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                                in reply to: Trees removed without permission #82906
                                Jimmy-T
                                Keymaster

                                  Strata committee members have a huge amount of leeway to make mistakes provided they do so in good faith. What “in good faith” means is open to debate and interpretation but if they were ever told they couldn’t or shouldn’t do something, then that might be considered lacking the good faith required.

                                  As an owner, you could pursue the strata scheme and strata manager to reinstate the trees and shrubs, and the current regime might consider pursuing the former committee members to cover the cost. Or you could report your OC to the council and hope the trickle-down effect works on the miscreants.

                                  But there is no direct method that I can think of that would see the plants reinstated and the people responsible forced to pay.

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                                Viewing 15 replies - 151 through 165 (of 7,900 total)