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We have balcony decking in our complex. It has always been a concern that something that is not accessible or even visible to the ECOC and is only accessible to the owner but needs to be maintained could be considered the responsibility of others. Some people look after their decks. Some people of course believe it is do someone else to look after.
By having pot plants sitting on decking and not providing adequate air flow beneath can cause wood. Not maintaining a deck can lead to its early demise. But if the deck if not accessible, if you need an owners permission or for an owner to tell you it needs maintainance where does that leave an OC?
On the other hand, a balcony deck is part of the building structure, at least in our complex it is with supporting posts for the deck that also support part of the roof structure. So would it be better for the OC to be responsible to ensure safety in the complex? Then again, we have units that have decking that is not a balcony, but a deck off the back in the courtyard that is not structural but rather an attachment to the structure. Two types of decking. Two types of structure. Do we cover one and not the other? Do we cover both? Either way, we have decking in our complex that only the residents can access, that residents can do whatever they like to and do little or no maintenance to, and no doubt they will expect the OC to pay for the treatment they have subjected this area to. Unlike tiles, decking is not very forgiving.
It is a shame that a constant problem in strata are residents who are inconsiderate and disrespectful of others and believe any rules or regulations are for someone else, not for them. And that if anything should be done in the complex well someone else should do it. We have the people with the talking stick here too. They wave that stick around at meetings and in your face. Then they go home and pack the talking stick away with the do something stick and put them both in the back of a cupboard.
I have found great results by personalizing problems in our complex. Rather than the notes that point out that a resident breaking a by law with their actions, notes which are either ignored or found scrunched up and thrown on the ground. So I left a note for our serial offenders. This time I said “your neighbours would really appreciate it if……..” . No quoting by laws, no mention of notice to comply. Not owners corporation or executive committee. I just pointed out that it was actually their neighbours, the people on the other side of the,wall and across from you. The people you see everyday and who see you who are really annoyed by your actions. And guess what? The serial offendrs pulled their head in and stopped. Not that we dont still have our issues here, namely with visitors parking now and again. But the ones causing the constant problems have finally got it. Perhaps some people have little regard for governing bodies and rules and regulations. But they really don’t want anyone to not like them!
Hi Sunnyday
I too have had neighbours who became a bit too intrusive in my life. I am the kind of person who likes to wave at neighbours, stop for a 5 minute chat in the common areas but don’t knock on my door when you feel like it. Had a couple of neighbours who would see me wave out my window and decide that meant “come knock on my door and interrupt what I am doing”.
One was worse than the other. To stop this behavior, I sent the worst one an email saying “can you believe the neighbour at unit x came knocking at my door just because he could see I was home? Who does that?”. Surprisingly this worked. By telling him i didnt like someone coming unannounced to my door without actually accusing him, he stopped. No more knocks on the door. Only the encounters by the letterbox to deal with. But my peace and quiet in my own home returned without directly telling my neighbour that his behavior was unwelcome.
We might have to live in close proximity in strata, but we don’t have to live in each others pockets.I have been the victim of a noise complaint whilst at a friends place. There we were, four middle aged people sitting around, drinking wine and reliving our youth singing along to INXS on a cheap mini stereo system. The police came to the door and stiffed their laughter at seeing this “noisy crowd”. There we were, reading glasses perched on the end of our noises, gabardine slacks, orthopedic shoes, obviously not the rowdy group they were expecting. We were not sure whether it was the volume of the music or the fact that none of us could sing that attracted the complaint. We turned off the music and stopped our singing. But we were surprised the police were not called back as we sat and laughed loudly for the next two hours at the thought that we had finally been considered “ragers” and “party animals”.
Hi Juan. You say “if we speak to the strata manager” are actually just verbally telling him something? If so, can I suggest you back up any conversation with an email starting with “further to our phone call of this morning” then restate what you had told him. Them, if he passes on the wrong or incomplete information, you can then send the email starting “please refer to my email of xx/xx/xx…..”. This is how I have dealt with our SM. Has everything gone smoothly with this method? No. But I have it all in writing. I ask them to explain themselves. And then have them come grovelling, making excuses etc. But then the work gets done and alls well. Until the next time and the process starts again. But if you only have a “verbal” it’s your word against his.
Get the paper trail happening. It’s the way to go.
Thanks Jimmy! Would feel more worthy of the title if the last 150 posts or so weren’t whines about my complex. Would prefer to be able to offer advice for other rather than my own complex’s issues. But as you have said Jimmy, in strata just when you think you have seen or heard it all, another problem riaises its head.
Maybe with the continuing support of the flat chat community, as I prepare myself to take on my EC/OC big time, I could stay in strata. But whether I stay or go rest assured, I am going to get this place in ship shape one way or another. And hopefully help others in getting their strata in order as well.
Now excuse me while I go and leave a note for someone I have just found in breach of………..again.
When I lived in an apartment I too dried some washing on a small drying rack that sat under the balcony rail height. The only way it could have,been seen is by a neighbour leaning over their railing and having a good look. Others in the complex did the same. It wasn’t obvious and wasn’t flapping in the breeze for all too see. You had to make a bit of en effort to see it.
Am in a townhouse now. We all have clothes lines in our courtyards. I could see my neighbours washing if I stood on my toes and had a look over the fence. To me, a balcony is much like a courtyard. It is your own personal space, accessed only by you. If your neighbours have to lean over or crane their necks to get a look i’d be concerned about my privacy. I dont see the problem if its not hanging from the balcony above, over the rail or strung from wall to wall.
I too live in a townhouse complex. We have owners who appear to be happy to have a pile of leaves at their front door and a weed or two. They just step over them going in or out of their unit. I have also witnessed residents stepping over pieces of paper that have blown down the driveway from loose junk mail. It is disappointing when a resident does not want to take enough pride in where they are living to bend over and pick something/sweep something up.
The only way to ensure there were not leaves or pieces of paper would be to have someone standing by! Is once a week enough? Not if you live in an area with a lot of trees when the southerlies blow. Twice a week? Probably would do it. But I personally would not like the loss of privacy of having someone regularly at my front door sweeping up a few leaves. So I do this myself.
Most owners here would not lift a finger around this complex, they just expect someone else to do it. Not necessarily someone paid to do it, just as long as they don’t have to do it. However this does not apply to those residents who rent here. I have seen them pick up papers in the driveway and their front doors are swept and kept.
We have a neighbour in our complex who was in need of help. Made enquiries with agencies and charities, churches etc and was told that they could provide assistance – but the neighbours had to ask for it, we could not just get someone to go over. This was impossible as the neighbour did not think they had a problem.
This neighbour has no relatives close by. We did manage to inform his doctor of our concerns. It was not until someone in the complex found this neighbour in a terrible state and took him to the medical centre and then on to hospital that any real action could be taken in terms of his ongoing care.
There is a core group of neighbours who have looked out for this neighbour. But through the ordeals of the past 12 months or so, the rest of the “community” have not enquired or apparently noticed the obvious physical absence of this neighbour. The unit hasnt been sold, no for lease sign for the property (they would have noticed that!) this neighbour who went to every single AGM and always had something to say, who always stopped to say hello and wave to those who drove by has not been seen or heard from in months. But no one has expressed any concern.
In a place where you do live in close proximity, where when you leave your unit you walk past someone else’s front door and can see into their home, where you share garbage bins and walls, you would think that merely by this forced closeness there would evolve a sense of community and awareness of others. Not in this strata though.
We have always encouraged our owners/residents to go via the SM with any issues that needed attending too. The SM is there 5 days a week, 9-5, to handle any correspondence and to attend to anything of urgency. Members of your EC probably work 5 days a week, 9-5, so are not there to attend to correspondence from the complex every single day!
We had instances here where owners left a note under the door of a committee member. There is no record, its not official, and when it gets stuck under the door mat, its not seen! And sending email to EC members directly, well alot of people do not necessarily check their email each and every day.
By sending correspondence to the SM, there is a more official “paper” trail. The SM should note the correspondence, can attend to matters that need immediate attention themselves (safety usually) and can advise the EC of an issue that needs their attention/decision. The SM can then follow up and ask for a reply.
Is there adequate lighting to define the different levels between the driveway and the garden area? If not, that could be a safety issue, someone may not see the different levels in the dark and could fall and injure themselves. Could a car get “stuck” in the garden area when attempting to drive/back out of the garage? Car stuck in driveway blocking access to all other vehicles – could pose a safety issue for residents with medical issues? Of course a car could block any driveway at anytime for any number of reasons. But when you have a factor that may increase the chances of this happening – then perhaps you have an issue to for your EC to address.
If it was me I would point out all the safety related issues you can find with this rather than ask them to ”redesign”. When anyone hears the word “design” they think chintz cushions and tie back curtains – therefore not worthy of immediate consideration. But when they see the word safety they should really take note and look into the issue.
Rather than going for a “redesign” angle to the EC, I would be inclined to go for the safety issue. A cracked uneven driveway not only causes damages to cars but could be potential trip hazards for anyone walking down the driveway. We had someone fall on an uneven surface in my complex. With the resulting insurance claim, the insurance company made us make improvements throughout the complex that they thought was a safety hazard, not just the uneven surface in question.
And does this garden area pose a safety issue too? To either people or cars?
Has your complex had its 10 year sinking fund export done? Ours included a schedule for having our driveway resurfaced. Driveways are common property that need maintenance just like any other area of the complex. Perhaps because your side has fewer garages the majority of the residents don’t realize just how bad the situation is. We have had issues here where a resident complained about an area needing attendance, an area that only a few residents accessed. Hard to address an issue that you don’t know exists.