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I am a member of OC, a where a new SM has been appointed. She was previously in rentals, and has no Strata experience.I have suggested that all communications that relate to common property, should be communicated to all committee members, discussed and decisions made. She refuses.When I made my request I cc’d her manager in and have had no response.Committee is made up of senior owners who are very concerned about levy increases (so there have been none), some do not have email and those that do, do not reply to emails. It’s like a secret service organisation.
I do not want to be difficult but whilst I am a member I feel I have a duty to at least try to assist a non-functioning committee who now rely on a very inexperienced SM.
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How did this strata manager get appointed (if its recent)?
Does the rest of the committee agree with you that the SM performance is below par.
Read the management contract. See if there are provisions to sack them (if thats what you want) In any case, if other committee members agree with you, send a letter signed by the committee putting them on notice. Be specific with what you want improved. Give them time to improve (say a month) and if there is no improvement you may seek to have a court sack them for breach of contract. And keep any records of correspondance and communications and lack of replies as evidence.
I have found that particularly with the large strata management companies, the person handling your building is inexperienced and their main job is to do as little as possible and charge as much schedule B fees as possible. They also manage far more buildings than is humanly possible to do. And they get paid very little.
It sounds like the choice of strata manager was not a good one.
Kaindub makes a good point about you sighting the management contract. When you do have a look at it, see who signed it on behalf of your OC. Normally it is 2 members of the SC, with one of them being more vocal/dominant, who I call the puppeteer, with the agent typically being the puppet.
In my experience in various strata plans, lazy inexperienced or not, the agent has always done as told by the puppeteer. After all, if the puppeteer knows the contract then he/she knows how to sack the agent.
I have suggested that all communications that relate to common property, should be communicated to all committee members, discussed and decisions made. She refuses.
I sympathize with you but you should realise that no single owner can tell a SM what to do.
Get the committee itself to make the request.
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