› Flat Chat Strata Forum › Common Property › Bamboo bigger than King Kong › Current Page
Maaate …. finally I have the opportunity to follow one of your posts instead of the other way around.
Down here in Australia, the variety of bamboo that I believe your post refers to is classified as a noxious weed, and as such the Owner of the property where it’s growing is required to continuously control it in way that inhibits its growth, both above and below ground.
If the property Owner does not do that, then in NSW the Owners Corporation could advise the local Council, who would issue a Weed Control Order on the neighbour.
Once that’s been acted upon, any remaining roots that extend across the boundary into the Strata Plan’s property could be severed, and as they’re shallow rhizomes in the case of bamboo and therefore likely to be within the stratum of an exclusive use area, removal costs would be the Lot Owner’s responsibility.
As you know our Plan is self-managed, and my way of invoicing such costs is a “no surprises” approach by first discussing the matter with my Owners, then by (the O/C) arranging and paying for the works, and then adding the costs of those as a separate line item on the Lot Owner/s next Levy Contributions Invoice.
In that way Owners almost always pay the invoiced total (as they should), and if they do not, then I treat the balance owing as a debt against the Lot which carries forward to subsequent Contributions Invoices together with the permitted interest (10%) until fully paid.
I know that strictly speaking the costs of such works should be invoiced separately to the Lot Owner/s concerned, either by the Contractor or by the O/C on a miscellaneous invoice, but my approach works and the contractor (who I may wish to use again) gets paid first as opposed to waiting for a disinclined Owner to do so.
I agree that the procedures should be the same in QLD and other States/Territories, but I wouldn’t bank on it!