Whale…what a brilliant reply.
But the plot thickens. No long emails today. Just a short report/letter from a Building Surveyor (I paid) to inspect my file at council in April.
“I refer to our meeting and review of ….council records on the …..of building files for the construction of units at the subject property.
I can confirm that documents authorised by a Council officer stated words to the affect “….inspection of units 1 – 6 revealed that stairs had been constructed to each of the units. The stairs are not included on the approved plans and that the builder is instructed to remove the stairs or apply to council to modify the plans”
A later note on the councils file stated words to the effect. “The building works have been completed satisfactorily”. I also viewed a later document being a Certificate of Classification and Occupation Certificate issued by ….council.
In conclusion, I can confirm that having reviewed the council’s file and the documents thereon, and based upon those documents, that council’s officer was aware of stairs constructed to units 1 -6 before the council issued the Final Certificate.
My engineer had managed to obtain copies of relevant documents which will assist in the report on my ‘slab’ and the continuing damage within my villa. Quite scary. The common wall with next door is fighting the urge of my villa to sink on the NW wall.
This report, which I have’t seen yet is on the agenda for the EGM on Tuesday.
I have requested the the OC act on this report and make a time frame for work to commence.
It looks like my wall will need underpinning. So who pays for the plasterwork and painting within my villa caused by the slab sinking?
The solicitor, who was very skilled in strata advised me agree to the SPB with all rules and conditions. I won’t go in to details on line but she mentioned a few things that one would hope do not eventuate further down the track.
I will be agreeing to the SPB as I do not want this matter to drag on and on and I now have the other saga about to happen. Re the slab.
The SM applied to view my file at council lats November. He did not do so.
Yet, the SM and EC instructed their solicitor to write a response to the Adjudicator in which it is stated repeatedly that the stairs were built without authority form either the Owners Corp or the council. This response was lodged in March.
The two page letter from the SM to the Adjudicator contains outright lies and worse still, the SM doubts my claim of being vision impaired as I drive a car and can been seen walking over for coffee each morning.
(I am still walking into the scaffolding now and again, as are other visitors to my villa. There is only 64cm between jutting wall and the first pole and on the floor 53cm from wrapped timber plank to jutting wall).
For thirty years or so I have trained myself to guard against falling, tripping etc because of field vision loss. I have had a number of injuries, but not for a long time. They think it is glaucoma. Then maybe not.
Since my submission to the Adjudicator in Dec I have had two cataract operations and now have super sonic eyesight. What a joy. I still have centre vision and some fields. The specialist was then happy to grant me my licence for another year. But the SM & EC would not know about that.
How horribly insensitive that not only the SM cast aspersions on my claim to be vision impaired but members of the EC also did so to the Adjudicator. I have ample evidence by way of Humpreys Field tests.
The EC are unaware that history can be gathered about who purchased what, when. In one claim to the adjudicator, an EC member states that her husband ‘stained’ the stairs in my villa. Ho Ho. My villa sold in 2002. She purchased her villa in 2004. One does wonder about people.
I will be lodging an appeal as I feel that the SM was aware right from the start that these stairs were built by the developer. The SM has claimed all these years that he was then a real estate agent, that he had sold this land to the developer, that he was involved the development from the word go.
I am now wondering if the EC had this knowledge. Dare I say, conspiracy? Collusion? To force me to pay for the repairs. We are talking $10,000 or more.
I find it hard to believe that I have made such bad enemies. I was always taught ‘beware the group’. Perhaps individually the EC members are decent people, but as a group….
Whale, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I had said this was short email but you know what happens.
Janet