Here’s a juicy little conundrum that’s very much of our times. Last year the government changed strata laws so that we could all hold meetings by Zoom or Skype, or whatever platform you prefer, without having to pass permission to do so at a general meeting.
Having to hold a meeting in real time with real people when we were all in lockdown – all so that you could agree that you didn’t have to hold that meeting – didn’t make any sense to anyone.
That was last year and, Zoom permission or not, a lot of strata schemes postponed or delayed their AGMs until such times as meetings could be held. Well, that window of opportunity soon flashed by, like an unmasked limo driver, and here we are again … only there is a difference.
Strata law says you must hold your AGMs every financial year and some schemes are already in breach of that because they missed the pre-Delta boat.
Meanwhile strata committees have lost members due to natural attrition through things like people selling up and moving on, or just having enough to do trying to deal with this bloody virus.
So, can you hold your AGM electronically? Yes, up to a point – and that point is the election of a new committee.
You see, there are so many conditions attached to strata committee elections and one of them is that you can’t have pre-meeting voting.
Another is that you have to actually be in the room to vote. And then there’s the voting process which, strictly speaking, involves handing out blank sheets of paper for people to write the names of their preferred candidates.
So what can a beleaguered strata committee do to keep the wheels of democracy turning? That’s HERE.
Elsewhere in the Forum
- We are joint owners but only one of us gets emailed agendas, notices and minutes and the strata manager says it’s the law. That’s HERE.
- An owner want to hear your horror stories about strata living. Stand well back! That’s HERE.
- The owners corp wants to raise a special levy to repair lot-owned roofs. Can they do that? That’s HERE.
- A burst common property pipe ruined my carpet. Strata manager says it’s nothing to do with the OC as the carpet is my concern. Is that right? HERE.
- Latest Public Health Order on “blockdowns” is confusing. What’s a “dwelling” and what’s a “premises”? That’s HERE.
- Is there any point in putting strata funds into interest earning accounts? Would we have to pay tax? Would it cost more than we’d gain and is it true that it’s the individual owners who’d pay? That’s HERE.
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