› Flat Chat Strata Forum › Strata Committees › Corrupt strata and executive committee › Current Page
The key is to be organised and committed. Get some like-minded owners together and get to work.
First of all, talk to local real estate agents about the difference it would make to values of properties in your building – both in terms of sale and rents – if the building was smartened up and run properly.
Then get a hold of the strata roll and write to every owner, non residents especially, quoting these people extensively, telling them how much the continuing mismanagement of the building is costing them.
If you can, include pictures of some of the worst examples of neglect and bad management.
Include your own proposals for improving the building and something that says the current incumbents have been given a chance time and again and have allowed the building to be run down. (NB: Don’t name names, it will just get you into trouble you don’t need).
Also include Proxy forms which you can download from a link on the “Essential Links” page on this website. If you can afford it, include stamped addressed envelopes.
Talk to people either personally or on the phone, everyone has an gripe in strata so listen and promise them that things ar going to change.
It’s a simple fact of strata life that the chairs of owners corporations are given proxies by people who don’t know them, and have little idea of how the building is being run or even looks. However, if you tell them they are losing money, they will get interested enough to change things.
Try if possible to make this NOT about personalities and more about problems that aren’t being addressed. Ask for the other owners support in calling an EGM to sack the current EC and elect a new one that is more interested in maintaining the building. When you have the 25 percent of unit entitlements that you need to call an EGM and the 50 percent of votes, including proxies, to change the Executive Committee, start the process.
And be careful what you wish for … taking control of the EC is one thing, running a clearly dysfunctional building is entirely another.
By the way, if the strata manager is obstructive by, for instance, refusing to let you see the strata roll – he has a vested interest in protecting the status quo – explain to him that things are about to change whether he likes it or not and he can choose either to be part of the problem or part of the solution. His decision will not be forgotten when the new EC is installed.
There is another route you could take which would be to ask the CTTT to appoint a manager to take over the duties of the EC but this is such a tricky and unreliable process – with no guarantee of a desirable outcome – that I would only recommend it in the most extreme circumstances.