Skye – what you’re talking about is a redevelopment of your Strata Plan where right now every owner in the building would need to vote in favour before such a move could even be considered, and from 1 July 2016 the procedure becomes even more detailed so as to ensure that owners like you are not financially disadvantaged or in any way forced to agree to something that you really don’t want to.
As I said the process will be detailed, and in summary involves:
1) A General Meeting of the Owners Corporation (i.e. all owners) where a majority (51%) would need to vote in favour of just further examining the details of a proposal such as the one by your local RSL Club
2) Then only if that majority votes in favour, they’d need to elect a Committee to undertake that detailed examination of the RSL’s proposal, including precisely how owners who want to stay can be allocated another unit in the new building and who it is will pay for the associated costs such as legal costs stamp duty, who is is will pay for their alternate accommodation in the interim, and how those who want to sell and move elsewhere will be compensated and how that amount will be calculated.
3) Then the Committee has to report back to all owners at yet another General Meeting where for anything to proceed further at least 75% of owners would have to be in agreement with everything in #2 (above)
4) Then there’s another General Meeting where for the RSL’s proposal to be formally accepted at least 75% of owners have to again agree, this time based on the units of entitlement of their units – so the higher your levies the more your vote counts.
5) Then your Owners Corporation needs to inform the Registrar General of NSW Land & Property Information (the old Lands Department) of what has been decided.
6) THEN FINALLY if any owners such as you remain opposed to what’s proposed, you can have your say at the NSW Land & Environment Court, where a Commissioner will make sure that all owners have been treated fairly and that items 1- 5 (above) have been properly followed.
So rest easy Skye, as the procedures that I’ve summarised have been deliberately designed to ensure that people such as you are not stressed by any proposal such as the one from your local RSL to redevelop your building, that all your concerns are properly listened to, and that you’re not pushed into making decisions that you’re not at ease with.