Re: Loose Lips Sink Ships

Thanks guys 

My unit is liveable and is in the middle of the block with no internal damage so the works will only directly affect my unit for 2-3 weeks with boarding of the unit 1 metre in.   Length of remedial work is around 16 weeks.  Other units have not faired as well and people have had to move out.  These are the people that my tenant spoke to before I could get the strata to send around a letter setting out what exactly the works meant to each unit. I could rent it out at half rent but I would just get poor tenants and then have to deal with them. 

I read Jimmy T’s article some months back around this issue, perhaps my reading was incorrect.  Jimmy mentioned that if a tenant moves out citing works that the strata is commencing then owners have the right to claim loss of rent from the Owners Corporation. 

The strata struck the levies of $61,138 (some apartments more) and requested payment from owners within 14 days.  Given this I had to borrow money from family (I was trying to do a career change at the same time so had resigned from my job of 8 years – no stable job for 3 months – no bank loan) with the proviso that I pay it back in November when I sell the property.  So my concern for the Owners Corporation is as much as they had concern of giving some more advance warning especially of a levy of this magnitude (even 30 days) before striking a levy which some of the owners still can not pay. 

I raised the issue of the works in 2008 and requested the works be put into the 10 year sinking fund plan but this did not happen and I got tired of fighting the other ‘short term investors’ as opposed to ‘live ins’ on the point. 

Guess the real story is ‘sell, sell, sell’ if you get wind of remedial works (which is really concrete cancer).  

Thanks for your help.