- This topic has 1 reply, 2 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 1 month ago by .
-
Topic
-
Even in houses, especially shared houses, the question of whose turn it is to do domestic chores creates angst and anger. So how bad can it be for 12 homes?
QUESTION: I live in a block of 12 flats where we have a roster to put communal garbage bins out for council collection. It works out that each apartment has “bins duty” every nine months because one resident can’t and two tenants won’t (one did until she discovered the other wouldn’t).
I went along with this, despite being a lady of a certain age and on my own, but the bins are outside in the open have become increasingly grotty and, more alarmingly, densely coated with cobwebs.
I think a cleaning program is needed – I worry about spiders up here in the North – and everyone should pitch in. Is such a bins roster enforceable and how common and costly is a bins cleaning service? – Arachnophobe, Hornsby
ANSWER: Firstly, the Owners Corporation has a basic responsibility to keep common property clean and tidy and you may even have a by-law related to the bins But I doubt if you can force an individual to take their turn on the roster.
I would think a local odd-job person, or even a resident, would gladly put your bins out and clean them for, say, $20 a week. That would be paid from levies which would mean even the landlord of the slacker tenants would be contributing. Problem solved.
UPDATE 1: Since we wrote about the resident who is suffering from cancer and is plagued by smoke from his downstairs neighbour, David Bannerman of Bannerman Lawyers has offered to take on his case pro bono. Onya David. We’ll keep you posted on that.
UPDATE 2: Last week, when I wrote about late levies payers being banned from facilities in American strata schemes, I kind of implied that might happen here. A couple of lawyers have written to me to tell me it probably can’t. Shame … but what can you do?
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.
-
Replies
-
We have a bin roster in our complex for the shared bins. We never used to. It used to be the good old volunteers on the EC that made sure the bins went out week after week. And because this, like so many things, was considered someone elses problem/responsibility by the residents in this complex, they started to dump bags of rubbish in the bin area, dump cardboard boxes on top of empty recycling bins and not even bother to wrap or contain rubbish placed in the bins, including used nappies which lead to human waste matter in through the bins. And with that came the maggots (the bins are in the open, exposed the weather and hot blazing sun) But who cared, after all, the garbage bin fairy took care of all that.
Then we introduced the bin roster. Now the bin area was the responsibility of everybody. Including the cleaning up, putting away, inhaling etc. All of a sudden, everything went into bins, rubbish was wrapped, cardboard boxes were dismantled and folded. The bin area (which everyone has to walk/drive past everyday and a number of residences have to look over) was tidy
We had thought of employing someone to take the bins out. But we fear the problem would resurface as again it would be someone elses problem. We do get the bins professionally cleaned throughout the year but bins are not as gross as they once were when unwrapped unhygienic rubbish was placed in and around there.
There are a couple of residents who are not physically able to take all the bins out for the complex. But the bin angels still exist to help those who can't do it themselves.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.