- This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 7 months ago by .
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Hi Everyone,
Long time reader, first time poster.
I am the Secretary of our strata of 24 units. After 20+ years of poor service and incompetency from our strata manager including with important legislative matters, I stepped in last year and supported all of the Owners and Committee to finally have a voice. We ran a tender process last year and successfully voted them out, reluctantly paid out the contract and we now have a new strata manager who is brilliant so far. That solved 50% of our problem.
The other 50% is the Exec Chair. She has lived here since the early 2000s and I believe she’s been Chair all that time. She’s relentlessly bullied, harassed & abused owners and residents for even longer than the 16 years I’ve lived here. This all came to light from other owners when running our process last year and who all provided their experiences and documented evidence and I was appalled and embarrassed that this had all been happening under my nose and I just didn’t know. She knew people wouldn’t speak up. We estimate around $1M (conservatively) over the years has been spent without any approval of the Committee and Owners Corp along with her white anting jobs requested by other owners if she didn’t want them to go ahead. The previous strata manager did nothing and totally enabled her. She has gotten away with her behaviour because the cost to mental health has been huge and people understandably have just backed off. My mental health suffered last year going toe-to-toe standing up for what is right. It was the right thing to do and focussing on the big picture I have no regrets.
Some will be aware that cyberbullying is a criminal offence. My question is does anyone know of any instances where calling this type of behaviour out as an offence has been used successfully to stop bullying and harassment in this type of situation? Alternatively does anyone have any suggestions?
Thank you!
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I wouldn’t go down the bullying path as it probably comes down to he said she said.
Get her off the committee. At the next AGM do the numbers on who wants to be on the committee (not including her) and set the number of committee positions to that number and make sure you all vote for each other and not her.
Remember before you elect a committee you set the number of committee positions. You can have between 1 and 9 committee members
Or a simpler way would be to make sure you have the numbers among othr committee members then propose a motion on the next SC agenda that the position of chair be declared vacant and a new election for committee chair be held by the sitting members.
Your challenge would be to make sure the “rebels” held their nerve in the face of what would surely be ramped up bullying. And then there’s the fact that the chair would still be on the committee, if she didn’t resign in high dudgeon.
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.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by .
My question is does anyone know of any instances where calling this type of behaviour out as an offence has been used successfully to stop bullying and harassment in this type of situation?
Getting back to the basic question, my answer would be “no” (but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened).
The basic tool in a bully’s locker is intimidation. Which means they will have intimidated other owners and committee members too. You could call them out by seeking mediation and an action at the Tribunal to have them removed from office or their position on committee. It probably won’t work but it will sow the seeds of discontent and maybe even rebellion among other owners.
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.
- This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by .
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