› Flat Chat Strata Forum › Living in strata › Strata Living in a Dysfunctional Society › Current Page
I don't disagree with either of you but I would say this, if by-laws are too restrictive, then we should make an effort to have them changed.
However, by-laws are in place with the tacit approval of the majority of residents so they should be respected. (Yes, Pedro, I know there are StrataFascists for whom “no-no notes” are a hobby – just as there are selfish morons who think everyone else should adjust to what they want.)
Railing against by-laws is a popular sport in these here parts but, like governments and newspapers, we only get what we deserve.
Seriously, there are very few mandatory by-laws in NSW and they are just common sense (like, you can't ban guide dogs or children). So if you think your executive committee is too domineering, vote them out. If you think your by-laws are too oppressive, change them.
What we shouldn't do, however, is encourage a culture of ignoring by-laws because we think they they are stupid or unreasonable. Sadly there are too many people already who think their ownership of their home entitles them to behave as if the entire block is their domain.
Being a member of an owner's corporation (which all owners are whether they want to be or not) is the most profound and direct form of democracy we'll ever get. We get to collectively choose the rules, who enforces them and how diligently they are enforced.
And if we are consistently out of kilter with the majority, we have the choice of either sucking it up or moving on to somewhere more in keeping with the lifestyle we wish to have.
Yes, there are some people in strata who over-react to minor infractions but strata is a system that has plenty of mechanisms to rectify dysfunction – all that's required is the time and energy to fix the problem.
And if we can't find the time or summon the energy, maybe the problem isn't as bad as we thought.