[Les Dansonne]

Jimmy, thanks for clearing-up confusion about local council noise rules vis a vis Strata Titles Act and By-Law noise rules. (Maybe you could write an article on roundabouts.)

[Les Dansonne]

A topic close to my heart.

I jog through a dog-off-the-leash-friendly-park a few times a week, usually around mid-morning. One morning recently there was a record 19 dogs but this was broken last Monday by 23 dogs. In each case, most dogs, I’ll say more than 75%, were split between professional dog walkers.

I won’t even ask how a dog walker can monitor and clean up after four or five dogs at once, but I will ask why anyone would get a dog who is not home so much that they need to PAY someone to walk and entertain their otherwise lonely cooped-up dog?

And I will ask how can anyone living in an apartment even consider imprisoning a puppy as their companion and plaything, at heir beck and call.

I don’t get it. It seems very selfish to me. Why not just get Pet Hotel from the App Store or Nintendogs?

[Les Dansonne]

What's worse? A situation like Austman's…

Or one like ours where the meetings are well attended because there are lots of controversial issues caused by an Executive Committee created by the equivalent of a gerrymander and inappropriate proxy clustering… who do next to nothing while the place is going to rack and ruin? The Strata Manager? Well, he can only do what the Executive Committee lets him do, he'll tell you.

[Les Dansonne]

Fortunately, david18xx, you're right.

But if you live in a unit and want to throw a party, how about you simply let any neighbours who are likely to be, even slightly inconvenienced, know well ahead of time so they are expecting it and make other arrangements if they wish. Or if you want to hang a picture or 16, the same common courtesy would apply.

And if you do live in a unit, like me (a cheaply built one where noise is easily transmitted) there are probably 20 or 30 other households living within earshot. Spare a thought for them.

[Les Dansonne]

There’s a very funny episode of Frasier where:

“After Cam Winston dropped a huge American flag over Frasier’s entire apartment window, Frasier takes his grievance to the condo board meeting. His father has warned him that he has to be careful, because he could be seen as disrespectful towards the flag. So Frasier launches into a carefully worded speech that defends the importance of the flag but also suggests that it be placed in a more suitable position.” Season 9, Episode 12. Maybe on Youtube somewhere.

[THIS was all I could find – jt]

[Les Dansonne]

But… is an EC in NSW duty-bound to take action where the Strata Titles Act is being breached, say by someone fencing off a common property garden area, as opposed to when a building’s By-Law is being breached which it seems is ‘optional’?

[Les Dansonne]

“But By-Law enforcement is optional…”  – Jimmy T

I'm still new to this amazingly helpful forum so please bear with me. Exactly how is by-law enforcement optional? Surely there's something that can be can be done swiftly and decisively to help someone in a strata experiencing the types of problems mentioned which just shouldn't be happening?

[Les Dansonne]

I'm certain Urban means 'less than 20%' of home buyers actually DO GET PROPER INSPECTIONS before they buy; so 80% don't, the silly sausages!

As he says, when buying in a strata, checking the records is very important and probably neglected even more than the usual inspections.

[Les Dansonne]

Mr Michael Teys of Teys Lawyers, with respect, the french saying meaning 'on the contrary' is 'au contraire' not as you said 'Oh contraire'.

And with respect, the firm but persistent, yet Unreasonable chair (who is a bully with squillions of proxies, deviously obtained) helped by a lazy strata manager who reckons he knows which side his bread is buttered on, will also win nearly every day of the week.

The quicker the system is fixed the better.

[Les Dansonne]

This situation can actually be reversed where the committee don't maintain the place because they won't spend the money, most of them are there to make up the numbers or keep an eye on their 'investment' and have been installed by a proxy-enabled coup which shut-out more sensible owners wanting to be on the Executive Committee.

Is it possible… just possible… the 'board room' bully described above could be a long-time resident who genuinely knows how the building works, its history, has altruistic intentions and just wants things done properly?

[Les Dansonne]

Thanks for your answer JimmyT.

I wrote a short, succinct letter to our strata manager saying I believed the hammer drill noise and I quote: “… breached our 'peaceful enjoyment' By-Law which takes precedence over our council's noise restrictions that, somewhat ludicrously, allows power tools between 8am and 8pm on Sundays, not distinguishing between free-standing dwellings and strata buildings.”

While ignoring points made in my letter, our strata manager emailed and I quote: “The council have in their regulations that noise on a Sunday between 8.00am and 8.00pm is permitted. Whilst this is allowed I expressed my concern [to the individual and the EC] that residents are entitled to one day peace a week and if you are going to insist on noise on a Sunday then at least let everyone know that you will be doing this.”

Experience here tells me nothing else will be said or done by the EC or strata manager and your comment about this behaviour spreading “like a virus” has already proven to be true. Last night at 7.45pm, someone else drilled for a half hour and it was LOUD. Seems like anything goes here.

If you or anyone else has the time, any more suggestions, please?

[Author]

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