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  • #9076

    Hi

    I’ve spoken with Department of Fair Trading with very little success. Six months ago, I bought a villa in a complex of only four. One of the other villas on the market at the same time sold two weeks before mine. Another villa is tenanted and I don’t know who the owner is. The fourth villa is owned by the sole EC member (EF) who is rarely seen. So at the time of the last AGM in December last year, the only persons present were the Strata Manager and EF and his wife. Some very unusual events have been taking place and I’m becoming increasingly concerned that all is not as it should be; it seems as though EF is “running the show” with the approval of the Strata Manager. My levies are $648 per quarter, despite the selling agent quoting $230, and I’m wondering what this is being spent on. The latest issue relates to a large rendered wall surrounding our two villas (at a roundabout) from which graffiti had been removed before I took possession. In the minutes of the AGM it was resolved that shrubs would be planted to deter further attacks. However, six months down the track, that hasn’t occurred and now the wall is covered in large graffiti. After emailing the manager, she responded by telling me that she had “left a message for the gardener” and said that she had originally asked “him” to do it on 17 January and she “thought it had been done”. The only person I’ve seen doing any gardening is the wife of EF. I’m assuming that I’ll have to contribute to the removal of the recent graffiti, which seems unfair. The other serious issue relates to rectification of cracking in the building, for which a $14,000 insurance settlement has been paid. The first I knew about it was when a contractor knocked on my door in July to start the work. After contacting the Strata Manager, she informed me that it was being organised by EF. So I’m wondering what we are paying the manager for? To add insult to injury, now while I’m at work, the “gardener” vacuums all of the common driveway and other areas, except outside my villa where the leaves are rapidly accumulating. Evidently he doesn’t like me asking questions. Sorry for the length of this post. Has this happened to anyone else? 

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  • #19739

    Hang in there Shiraz! Only two months until your next AGM.

    It may well come to pass that EF will appreciate another owner wanting to become involved and ease the burden of them having to do all of the work previously. Obviously he was the only owner interested in how your property was being run before the two recent villa purchases.

    As for the $230 levies? The sales agent was telling lies. Presuming that all for units have close to equal units of entitlement that would only amount to a total of $3700 in levies. That would struggle to even cover the building insurance let alone strata management fees water usage and common area electricity (not to mention the numerous other outgoings).

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