#24483
Jimmy-T
Keymaster

    There is a big difference between a committee that ignores legitimate correspondence and those that have to deal with floods of often irrational and abusive emails and letters, often from the one person.

    How do you tell which is which? Often it’s the sender who establishes the context and criteria, like the one who sends subsequent abusive and overlong emails before the committee has a chance to address the original message, then complains that the matters are not being addressed.

    This is a form of bullying and, frankly, the tactic of sending a brief, stock acknowledgement is probably the best way to deal with it.

    The committee might also establish a set of protocols that they can send out to people, stating how and when correspondence is dealt with and the restrictions on the committee’s ability to deal with matters without holding a meeting.

    The protocols might also state that if owners want their concern to be addressed in a timely manner, communications in the first instance should be no longer than, say, 100 words, they should not be abusive, accusatory or threatening.

    Communications that contain accusations of wrongdoing and threats of legal action will, necessarily, take longer to process as legal issues have been raised and greater care is required.  Also, subsequent communications will not be considered until the first communication has been dealt with.

    If a serial email writer becomes a pest – and we all know these people exist in strata – they can be a terrible drain on committee members’ time and energy.  There are legal avenues that can be pursued to deal with ECs that are to lazy to address serious issues. Multiple verbal attacks are not productive for either party

    Sending torrents of long-winded complaints wastes everyone’ time.  Keep your questions and letters of complaint short and to the point, then no one has any reason for ignoring them. If they are ignored, consider taking a Section 138 action against the EC at NCAT to force their hand.

    The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.