› Flat Chat Strata Forum › Common Property › How do I stop the door slam › Current Page
A few things things come to mind:
1. Make clear to all parties the effect (if any) the slamming noise is having on you. Do not be shy in expressing if the noise is bothering you, separate to the physical damage you mentioned;
2. By all means write to the committee about the damage you have seen. Photographs will help. If nothing is done, the damage will only get worse and you want to be on the front foot in documenting the extent of the damage, the regularity of the slamming and the time taken by the committee to attend to the damage (let alone complete repairs);
3. As Jimmy notes, ask the committee to install or replace any door closing mechanism on your neighbour’s door. A good idea is to suggest it for ALL doors in the building. A well adjusted mechanism should ensure a door closes softly. You could as Jimmy wrote, bring to the committee’s attention that there is no point repairing the damage if the door in question will be without the door closing mechanism. Folk should also be advised not to interfere with the mechanism as adjusted by the Owners’ Corp’s contractor; and
4. Most stratas include a by law on “nuisance”. By laws govern behaviour by occupiers in a strata. The door as you know is common property. The term “nuisance” is defined in the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, as follows:
153 Owners, occupiers and other persons not to create nuisance
(1) An owner, mortgagee or covenant chargee in possession, tenant or occupier of a lot in a strata scheme must not–
(a) use or enjoy the lot, or permit the lot to be used or enjoyed, in a manner or for a purpose that causes a nuisance or hazard to the occupier of any other lot (whether that person is an owner or not), or
(b) use or enjoy the common property in a manner or for a purpose that interferes unreasonably with the use or enjoyment of the common property by the occupier of any other lot (whether that person is an owner or not) or by any other person entitled to the use and enjoyment of the common property, or
(c) use or enjoy the common property in a manner or for a purpose that interferes unreasonably with the use or enjoyment of any other lot by the occupier of the lot (whether that person is an owner or not) or by any other person entitled to the use and enjoyment of the lot.
As a non lawyer, it seems to me that s.153 gives you certain rights, which you should go ahead and exercise.
Let the committee know that the door slammers are breaching the “nuisance” by law (assuming you have one) and that you expect the committee to enforce the strata’s by laws.
Turn the heat up on the committee: mention that the damage, as documented by you, if unattended could well be a hazard (at the very least it will be an expense of the Owners’ Corp) and that the noise from the slamming is interfering unreasonably with your enjoyment of the lot.