#25267
excathedra
Flatchatter
    I am on the Executive (or Strata Committee) of a medium sized pre-1996 scheme.  Our current by-laws are essentially the Model By-laws of the 1996 Act, with some amendments to recognise current waste collection practices and allow washing to be hung on balconies.  To me, the new regulations provide an opportunity to modernise, and I presume there will be scope for a scheme like ours to adopt the by-laws proposed for post-1996 schemes. 

     

    In particular, I will argue for the adoption of Option A of the new By-law 5 (pets), although I hope that there will be provision for a problem animal (e g a noisy or aggressive dog that is not properly restrained by its doting owner) to be forced out.  Our building has accepted one dog after its owner argued the case in terms that would have made any refusal “unreasonable”, and the dog has not put a foot wrong since its arrival.  We have been informally aware of various cats, and I hope that the requirement for notification can allow for ‘grandfathering’ of existing animals once the by-law is adopted.

     

    The new By-law 9 about smoking is welcome, and I will propose Option A.  I do hope that the definition of smoking can be ruled to take in the emerging vogue of ‘vaping’ e-cigarettes.

     

    By-law 14, allowing washing to be hung on balconies but not over railings, is a welcome blow for commonsense.  Whatever your views on the contribution of power generation to climate change, the reality is that dryers are expensive things to run.

     

    By-law 15 will not apply to us, and presumably this can be stated in the set of by-laws that we adopt.  By-law 16 is a welcome recognition of reality in all but the smallest blocks.

     

    Let the discussion begin!