[Jimmy-T]

UberOwner wrote:

The one exception was when two lots owned by the same person raised the possibility of installing aircon. We decided to prepare an aircon bylaw that would cover all six lots.

This makes perfect sense when there is a more or less standard upgrade that most if not all owners will want to undertake at some point.

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[Jimmy-T]

Shortcrust wrote:

do you mean the committee should pay for the work or the owners corporation?

The committee is essentially the Owners Corporation and can make some decisions on the OC’s behalf.  You should probably accept that you aren’t going to get this resolved at no cost.  When you buy into a strata scheme you inherit a lot of the responsibilities and commitments left by the previous owners.  It’s up to purchasers to do their best to make sure everything is clear and unencumbered.

There are theoretically ways you can make the people responsible for a fault pay for remediation, but they often aren’t worth the time, energy or financial cost of pursuing them. For instance, you might be able to make the vendor pay for the unauthorised renovations, but it would cost you more in legal fees and hassles to do so.

Nothing is simple or clear cut in strata disputes.

I strongly recommend that you go to the Fair Trading Living In Strata web pages and have a thorough read of what your rights and responsibilities are, as well as how complaints are handled.

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[Jimmy-T]

Go for mediation.  Tell the committee that they allowed the previous owner to remove the insulation in the floor and therefore restoring it is their problem. Then negotiate a solution that means they are sharing the cost of carpeting (by far the best sound blocker) or proper insulation.

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[Jimmy-T]

Shortcrust wrote:

These are excellent questions which were not raised let alone addressed in the program. I feel the issue of strata mismanagement by agents, committees and (from what I discovered on my short time involved in owning a strata unit), lethargic politicians needs a far deeper and wider investigation.

You have seven states and territories each with their own very distinctive strata laws. Within that spread, you have corruption, conflict of interests, owner apathy and ignorance, defects, discrimination, self-interest and uncertainty.  “The Strata Trap” was a pretty good start at tackling a problem of Herculean proportions.

For what it’s worth, I think our politicians across Australia believe people who choose to live in apartments deserve what they get.  Just look at how they made Airbnb our problem, not theirs.

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[Jimmy-T]

StopfordKid wrote:

(a) What was motivating Mr Lee to carry on like this – surely it wasn’t just some crazy power trip,

We shouldn’t assume anything, but we know from other examples that the nexus whereby a strata manager keeps the committee in power, and the committee keeps the strata manager in a job, is prevalent throughout strata. Mr Lee was strata manager and chair, secretary and treasurer of that building.

The allegations of the owners agreeing not to pursue legal action against the developer for defects probably bear closer scrutiny but plenty of schemes have decided to do exactly that because litigation is always expensive bu not always effective.

 

(b) What was his role at that building apart from being the committee chair (+ other committee roles). Is he also a property owner in the building? what are his other associated interests etc?,

Yes, he is also an owner, or at least he said he was at that fractious meeting.

(c) Where else do his tentacles spread to – either directly or indirectly?

He and his wife have strata management companies and he is still operating in several buildings, as is William Wang, for that matter, while his appeal against being “struck off” is heard by the Tribunal.

 

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[Jimmy-T]

The fact that some owners have a balcony is reflected in their increased Unit Entitlements (or should be). Therefore, in very simple terms, owners with balconies pay more in their levies. However, there are also collective benefits in maintaining balconies properly, including but not limited to the appearance and structural integrity of the whole building, both of which can affect the value of all the properties in the block.

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[Jimmy-T]

Quirky wrote:

Actually, there are a variety of approaches when it comes to renovations, and renovation by-laws.

True, but the original question was, who pays for an EGM to approve a by-law that only benefits one owner? The circumstances you describe in your block clearly don’t apply in this one.

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[Jimmy-T]

I think you may be barking up the wrong tree.  The Tribunal can rule who is responsible for the repairs  but I don’t think they can award compensation. I may be wrong – and someone please correct me if I am –  but for that you would have to go to your local court to pursue a debt. It may in fact be a two-stage process. As for your ceasing to be an owner, a quick call to a strata lawyer would be worth your 10 cents.

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[Jimmy-T]

You have answered your own question in your final comment.

Unless the owner has gathered the signatures of 25 per cent of owners or if the OC can put up an argument that the by-law would benefit the majority of owners, then the renovator should pay all the costs.

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[Jimmy-T]

Shortcrust wrote:

According to the SM, there is no document mentioning wooden floors or any insulation installed.

Is there a by-law?  If not, the previous owner has done nothing wrong.

Shortcrust wrote:

apparently my kids’ piano and saxophone playing can be clearly and loudly heard by neighbours.

Hmmm. You are joking, aren’t you? If you want your kids to be able to practise at home, you should be looking at soundproofing the apartment, not just the floor.  Or at least one room. Carpets on the floor and special sound-baffling wall and ceiling panels would be the go.

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[Jimmy-T]

Try taking your shoes off when you are at home.  It makes a huge difference – lots of people do it.

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[Jimmy-T]

tina wrote:

If the owners corporation does not have the money, they would have to raise a special levy.

Or get a strata loan…

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[Jimmy-T]

Quirky wrote:

if it turns out that a previous owner did unauthorised work that contributed to the current problem, then you, as the ongoing owner, could be liable for some of the cost of its remediation, as well as contributing to the levy costs.

Generally speaking, if changes to common property have been made without a by-law assignng responsibility for the upkeep to the owners making the changes, the responsibilty reverts to the OC.  This is a default position that is intended to make sure that OCs require owners to get by-laws for changes.  Sadly, too many changes are made on a nod and a wink. Subsequent owners can be faced with the dilemma of accepting a new by-law or having to allow the OC to return the property to its original state, albeit at the OC’s expense.

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[Jimmy-T]

Quirky wrote:

As stated above, this type of dispute cannot delay the sale.

In theory.  But strata records where someone is disputing changes to common property will put a lot of potential buyers off.  It may not prevent the sale but it could certainly put a dent in the potential sale price.

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[Jimmy-T]

Quirky wrote:

That guide gives you a good introduction for how to live in a strata building, and how to be part of a strata committee.

But does it tell you how to behave at a strata meeting and how to conduct a meeting and moderate bad behaviour?

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