AJP – I’m sorry, but I disagree and consider that your Strata Manager is correct. What do you think would result if your Owners Corporation accepted your suggested approach to locks on first floor windows, and after some change to your Plan’s occupancy profile a child was able to open wide just one of those normally closed windows and an accident ensued?
I don’t know how many windows in the two-storey Lots are involved, but as compliant devices that can be fitted without tools retail from around $5.00 each, why would your O/C want to risk not doing precisely as the Act prescribes?
So by all means tell your Strata Manager to obtain some more quotations, and if votes by the Owners of the single-storey villas carry a resultant Motion, then just thank them sincerely because they’ll be contributing via their Levy Contributions to the costs of devices for which they’ll likely derive no benefit!
Boronia – after reading all the posts here I don’t know what’s confusing about the term “all windows” if read in conjunction with the following diagram as produced by the NSW Department of Fair Trading:
