lot owners invited to chat with purchasers lawyer

Minchkn wrote:

The solicitor has also just directed the strata manager to cancel a strata meeting and they are taking directions from the a third party.

Who is taking directions from a third party? And what is the problem behind all this?

Also, the above post was the third you have sent on the same topic – that is a clear breach of our rules.  An earlier one said this:

Our strata manager has cancelled an EGM without consulting the commitee first.  They also appear to be taking directions from a third party without  the consent or approval by the committee. In this case the solicitor of a purchaser who is seeking to buy a unit in the building is giving them direct instructions.

I am wondering if this permitted?  Surely the strata manager has a duty of care to take instructions from the committee not a third party?

There is obviously something you are not telling us.  And what does the strata manager say about all this?  Why would they take instructions from someone who isn’t even an owner yet?

BTW, there is nothing wrong with a prospective purchaser or their representative chatting to owners about the state of play in the strata scheme.  In fact, it’s something I would highly recommend.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by .

Minchkn wrote:

Can the strata manager give lot owners contact details out to a third party without the lot owners consent?

The SM can do this if a current owner approves it.  It’s common practice when a prospective owner wants to do a thorough search and it’s just a way of speeding up the process that would otherwise involve the vendor getting the information then passing it on to their solicitor.

As far as the strata manager “taking instructions” from a purchaser’s solicitor, all you can do is to ask them why and if they refuse to answer, report them to Fair Trading or threaten to do so.

If a potential purchaser either directly or through a solicitor requested the contact details of all owners from the SM then this could be odd depending on the circumstances.

If the lot seller confirms that this is a bonafide potential purchaser then this would be ok. Here I’m assuming that only strata roll and hence the contact details on the strata roll are being requested and not other contact details. The strata roll contains the nominated contact details which may not be the regular or personal contact details of an owner.

But if there is no direct confirmation or otherwise from the seller then this should be treated cautiously. We’re all being advised to not hand over personal information willynilly to protect us from scammers. Also that “purchaser” could really be someone trying to circumvent a restraining to locate an ex who happens to lives in the same scheme.

The better way would have been for the seller to have the strata roll on hand to make available as required either directly or through their realestate agent.

Irrespective of the above the SM has erred in accepting the directions of a solicitor representing a non-owner (whether a bonafide potential purchasor or not) to cancel a strata meeting.