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Big success, thanks for asking. Advice worked. They’re gonski : )
Fantastic! Please elaborate as I am in a similar predicament and would love to hear more. Which advice did you take that worked? Is the entire committee gonski? Or am I being hoodwinked here?
We have been plagued by one or two obsessive users posting variations of the same complaints under a variety of names (which is a strict violation of our policy and can result in that user being banned from the website).
Very sadly, the same goes for residential blocks. One I know is plagued with with an obsessive resident making the same complaints over and over again. Retired, able to expend every ounce of their living energy complaining and has a massive sense of injustice.
Anyhoo, thank you on behalf of us flat chatters that don’t fall under the nutter category that you have assisted with your valuable time and advice.
In relation to my first post elsewhere about our rusted on, faceless Sydney Strata Committee and Strata Manager ushering in a huge Special Levy for $340,000 at an electronic meeting under cover of COVID, I’ve been searching for a way to hold them accountable.
Maybe it isn’t deja vu! Knew I’d seen this problem elsewhere
Our AGM in a Sydney block of 42 is coming up. Myriad problems exist here, in my view, ranging from lack of transparency, lack of probity, pet-projects, apathy of owners, faceless and rusted on Strata Committee, Strata Manager who acts like a gate-keeper and does sweet F A…
I may be crazy but this seems like deja vu. I have read this quote so many times, in a variety of posts on this site around this exact time of year, and not just from this user. It seems to be a recurring problem.
My advice would be to join the committee yourself. I am always baffled why so many people complain about strata committees and throw the word transparency around, but do not bother to throw their name into the ring and join the committee and seek to actively change it themselves. Especially those that have been around a long time and know how things work.
However I’m no expert and believe the best advice you left until last, Jimmy. “If you don’t have the support of other owners, don’t waste your time and energy pursuing this”.
I would love to hear how this went Mountains?
Sorry to hear of your NCAT experience and thank you for your advice on strata terminology. Obviously upon reading your response your hearing didn’t end well. As I warned it can be a frustrating experience.
Like you have stated, NCAT can appear to be a “law unto themselves”, however, in my experience so can some members of the owners corporation. Unless an order was issued you can always follow other avenues? Thankfully in the case I made you aware of … an order was issued.
Seinfeld to tee Jimmy. Perplexing yet trivial. Every apartment has its Kramer/Newman
We just had a similar situation at our small Sydney block of fewer than 40 units. A tenant refused to remove a camera at the request of the EC. Mind you it was installed on common property without the permission of the owners Corp.
The tenant was asked several times to remove it and seek permission but they refused. The owners Corp had no option but to go to NCAT and have it removed.
During this time, the tenant played silly buggers with the committee and removed it, but then sent messages to committee members saying they would just put it up again later anyway. The EC had no option but to engage lawyers to represent them as this particular tenant seemed to enjoy wasting the EC time with the frivolous nature of the claim.
Even then the lawyers requested mediation and the tenant refused. I hear the lawyers also eventually won costs against the tenant for the above. I hope your case is a good one, NCAT can be quite tough on some tenants.
The process is also quite frustrating. Some would say as frustrating as lint in a clothes dryer left on a window sill. Good luck I look forward to hearing how you get on.
Is a by law even necessary though? After we spoke to NCAT, they were more than happy to have the request for reimbursement of costs added to the application due to the frivolous nature of the claim and say that they are happy to award it in the case of time wasters with claims you correctly stated were “weak, misconceived or bound to fail”. In our case, an owner claimed the EC was acting inappropriately without any evidence and also challenged the validity of an AGM. Hopefully Larry has the evidence to support his claim or he may end up in the same unfortunate position
I think they can. We had an owner at our block that continuously attempted to send the committee to NCAT as a payback for sour grapes for being out voted on certain issues. Certainly deterred them from wasting EC and managing agents time.