QUESTION: I’ve been renting this apartment for about a year now and recently the lifts in the building have become very noisy, mainly because they’re not well maintained. Also they constantly go between the floors with no one in them, sometimes for hours on end.
It’s got to the point where I can’t sleep due to the incessant screeching noise. The lifts still get you from one floor to the next (with a few random stops) but my apartment is no longer what I signed up for due to the constant noise. – Katkatkat, via Forum.
ANSWER: While you can approach the executive committee or strata manager and ask them to do something, if they refuse, as a renter you really need to get your landlord to put pressure on the EC to get the lifts properly maintained.
The Owners Corporation has an absolute legal duty to repair and maintain common property so your landlord has every right to demand that this be fixed immediately – especially as this constant motion will be costing a fortune in electricity.
If the landlord or their agents are reluctant to take action, call Fair Trading (13 32 20) and ask them to order a rent reduction until such times as the problem is fixed. More on this HERE in the Flat Chat Forum.