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Topic
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Are you too in the strata with no names?
Should executive committee members be a secret society or available for comment and complaint by phone, email and the occasional front-up?
This debate kicked off when Flat Chat Forum regular Unexpected Leigh wrote, “I sent a very polite email to a couple of the Executive Committee and was told in no uncertain terms it was an invasion of privacy … Am I in the wrong?”
Why would anyone be on the Executive Committee if they don’t want people to contact them, I replied.
Peter C agreed: “We have an information booklet in a loose leaf binder in each unit containing the name, unit number, phone number and email addresses of each executive committee member …”
Gilgal 1 is in favour too: “As an EC member and secretary of our OC, I can’t see why anyone on the EC should be upset at a resident or owner contacting them. Isn’t that our job as EC members?”
Bronco 17 wrote “We are trying to set up a central webpage/portal with email addresses … so that people can contact us. This may solve the issue for your EC people, who may not want to give out their personal email address.”
However, a couple of posters think life as an EC member is tough enough without having their contact details available.
“If our EC has to have their details “published” for all to see, then we definitely wouldn’t have an EC at all,” says Struggler. “It was bad enough that owners knew my unit number. I had people coming to my door, wanting me to personally give them permission for work, there and then. So phone numbers and email as well? No thanks!”
CBF “totally agrees … I have had more than one resident knocking on my door to abuse me and hold me personally responsible for Committee decisions. I hope the posters who would like all EC members’ contact details available consider the flack taken by these volunteers.
What do you think – full disclosure or “no name, no packdrill”? Go HERE to read the whole catastrophe and have your say anonymously.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
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When I was on the EC of our townhouse complex we originally made our email addresses available. However, there was a lot of misuse, aggressive, unpleasant messages, etc. This prompted a change of procedure: first contact was with the strata manager who would attend to problem if simple maintenance. If more complicated, she would contact the EC. If the owner had difficulties after this, they could drop a note in the OC mailbox. This mostly worked OK and life was much pleasanter for EC members. In my view, owners not on the EC should realise that it is no mean task to look after a number of dwellings, equivalent to a small street. The strata manager is paid, and therefore can filter out requests before bothering EC members who do, believe it or not, have lives to lead.
Dear Jimmy, with all due respect, secret society is a bit over the top.
Any owner who attends AGMs is totally aware of who the members of the EC are as they are voted in at these meetings each year. BY THE OWNERS. You know this. The minutes of these meetings are then sent to ALL owners.The EC members names are available as information in these minutes. Again, you know this. So realistically there is no such thing as a strata with no names unless of course you are in a building without management or does not record the election of the EC. Possibly there are some other situations I am not aware of? Maybe in other states? I am in NSW.
So why the provactive headline?
As you know any Owner can front up to an EC Meeting and ask to speak.
Having a Strata Manager is an investment well spent, they manage the buiding, this is what they are paid for.
The EC volunteer their time as most are interested in the upkeep of their building and work very hard on their own time to provide a well kept and financially productive community and building, I estimate I spend approximately 10 hours a week on building issues, more when there are big issues, often more, not including phone calls, printer paper and cartridges which our Committee at this stage are not reimbursed for, the SM is able to filter the usual repairs etc and then forward on more serious issues to be dealt with by THE COMMITTEE, therefore reducing the issues we have to deal with personally. There is probably no point really in contacting one particular Member with an issue, as if the issue involved needs Committee approval it will still need THE COMMITTEE to act upon. Meaning it will generally have to go to a meeting anyway, and need a majority to vote on so what exactly is the point of contacting one member on their own time? Does one contact their bank manager or phone provider etc out of business hours?
Really? I am so totally waiting on a ballout!
If I want to contact the EC I either go via the Secretary's email address, or through the mailbox marked “Secretary”. Depending on my request, I get a timely response.
Previous posts about letter boxes have shown that for some developments there are no secure mailboxes, so in that case, wouldn't it be a better idea to just have “generic” email addresses for each member of the EC, or even one email, so at least people know how to make contact?
I have never been in a situation like yours cbf as I am only living in a small, eleven villa development, but surely your EC could at least get expenses back.
If it really is a bad as you say it is, why not sell out while the going is good and have some peace? It sounds like you are in a losing battle where you are now.
If not, how about some positive posts about why you are staying there?
The EC volunteer their time as most are interested in the upkeep of their building and work very hard on their own time to provide a well kept and financially productive community and building.
Hi Flat Chat Fan, this is why… I love my home and my building. It is not bad and not a losing battle. It is a good building. Really good.
Happy to hear your building functions well with the system you have in place. As with most Strata buildings there are 'issues'. We are dealing with ours bit by bit and each year we try new ways to improve communication and resolve issues, currently we are not reimbursing committee members for calls, paper etc as we have yet to find a way to calculate the use of amongst all the personal use of calls, paper etc,(we are trying) if anyone has any suggestions it would be appreciated. Being on the EC and dealing with the many issues of a Strata building and finding a system that works for everyone and is most productive is a gradual process with many learning curves. I gain much helpful advice from this forum. I appreciate yours and any other poster who takes the time to type an opinion, we are all entitled to one, especially JT. The general nature (I feel) of this forum but not always is to find solutions to problems or post your thoughts on problems in strata and magically a solution or if not some bloody good advice appears, so please accept my apologies for any past or future negative posts as I will now make a concerted effort to use my positive voice.
Big Cheers,
CBF
Someone at one of our previous AGM's suggested that we get an EC mobile phone (cheap prepaid number). One with limited numbers that can be dialled (eg the SM, plumber, electrician, other EC members only). Then the phone could be rotated between EC members eg whichever member did not have friends over, a family crisis, away on holidays or working could have the phone (with each member being required to take their turn at a weekend shift).
All residents would have one number only to ring (besides the SM). Residents would know someone would be available on weekends when SM wasn't there and that this person would have all the other EC members contact details on hand in case of an emergency. EC members could feel secure that their personal mobiles/home phones would be for their personal use only and that even if an irate resident left an angry message, with it being on a communal phone rather than a personal one, then it would take some of that intrusive feeling out of the situation.
This was considered a bad idea by those owners who never put their hand up for EC stating they don't have time (who does) and who, when the EC tries to organise someone to come and look at their problem say they can't let anyone in because they are busy! And yet they want the EC to not only have unlimited time but to be available!
My mobile phone bill has gone down by about $30 a month. This was racked up from retrieving messages (just messages left by the SM – imagine if I had to retrieve messages from all residents!) and making phone calls whilst away from home on behalf of the EC. I received phone calls/messages whilst overseas and interstate asking me to meet a tradesman on site or investigate an issue on site, right now! Wouldn't it have been easier to have this one phone, one number and know that the person on the other end was here in the complex (or not far away). According to those who “don't have time” in this complex, no it isn't.
Thanks again to everyone for postings in this thread as well as the original thread on the topic.
If I was to summarise what I think I can take out of these helpful thoughts, it is that if you live in a residential strata, it needs to be well run and the better run it is, the easier life will be for Executive Committee members.
Surely it can't be difficult!
In a well-run strata, there would be no need for Executive Committee members' identities to be secret or for them to be worried about being badgered, because residents all know the do's and don'ts, what's expected of them, who to talk to when problems arise etc.
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