Things tend to be a little quiet around holiday weekends but one discussion caught the eye this week and it concerns a solicitor telling committee members that they will only deal with the scheme’s strata manager.
That sparked responses from other readers who’d had the “don’t call us …” from professionals employed by the strata scheme.
Is this a little high-handed and exclusionary? It feels that way. “We pay your wages so you will take my calls,” could be one attitude… until you think about it.
Committee members come and go. Also, individually they have zero authority. Chairs, secretaries and treasurers aren’t much higher up the totem pole – only working with the powers granted them by the committee or the strata owners at a general meeting.
So what does a professional consultant do if, say, the chair tells them to do one thing and the secretary or treasurer says another. They could be passing on the wishes of the committee or they could just as easily be pursuing their own agenda.
The strata manager, however, should be aware of meetings that have been held and decisions that have been made so their instructions come with a bit more reliability.
They have professional indemnity insurance, training and continuity while strata office-bearers come and go as they move house or lose interest.
The key would be to have a good relationship with the strata manager. Of course, that all depends on their calibre, knowledge and experience and that’s a whole other story.
You can read the discussion and add your 10 cents worth HERE.
Elsewhere on the Forum:
Who’s responsible for the water pipe leading to my meter? That’s HERE.
One Flatchatter says we can’t equate inadequate fire safety measure with structural defects affecting the integrity of a building. We disagree HERE.
Updated discussions about committees refusing to do anything about barking dogs and illegal parking.
More chat about a committee that’s ignoring instructions from a general meeting. That’s HERE.
And another ignoring queries about a constantly failing lift, that’s HERE.
Secretary won’t reveal who voted for what in electronic pre-votes. That’s HERE.
All that and more in this week’s Flat Chat forum.
How to ask and answer questions
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The best way these days may be to click on “Forum: Your Qs & A’s” on the top menu bar on a computer screen or on the drop-down menu (three lines) on the right of the screen on phones and tablets, under the Strata Choice ad.
Then click on the topic title that interests you, and off you go.
Alternatively, you can look at the list of “Your latest questions and answers” under the ads on the right of the page on a computer screen. Or at the bottom, after the ads and stories, on a tablet or phone.
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