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  • #9018
    Panamenke
    Flatchatter

      Hello

       

      The Managing Agent looking after my complex is corrupt!  She has the EC basically in her pocket and sadly because of the ignorance of the EC she gets away with blue murder.  The most recent act that she did was to inform us at the AGM, under general Business, that her agency was being dissolved and that she had started a new agency and then asked for a vote to accept her new agency.  All of the ‘cronies’ voted for her and two of them signed an agreement to appoint her agency as the ‘new managing agent’.  I have consulted with the Minister’s Office and also the Office of Fair Trading and have confirmation from both parties that what she did was against the Strata Law (Section 27) and that the change of agents could not be part of ‘general business’ but had to be listed as an Agenda Item.  The recommendation from the Minister’s office is that I call an EGM and have this listed as an agenda item.  The Minister’s Office has given me guidance on how to write a letter to the OC informing them why this motion cannot be taken as a resolution however as you may guess, I want this agent to be dismissed and am in the process of seeking another agent.  Since I have only just become part of the EC I am not 100% familiar with how the Managing Agents structure their fees.  I have been told that it averages between $100 – $140 per unit and would like to get some information as to whether this would be accurate.  The current agent is charging more than double these figures and basically does nothing for the money other than email accounts etc.  The EC make all the decisions regarding repairs etc. and to be quite frank this agent is basically “getting money for jam”.  She has befriended 4 of the EC members and they will not heed any warnings about her lack of integrity.  I have managed to get some owners to see the light and want to have facts to present to the EGM so would like information on average costs for managing agents and what the agent is expected to do for these costs.

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    • #19354
      kiwipaul
      Flatchatter

        see this post

         

        #19356
        Jimmy-T
        Keymaster

          The problem here isn’t over-charging or, probably, corruption – it’s basic incompetence.

          If your current strata manager didn’t know that you can’t have “General Business” on an AGM agenda then she has no business calling herself a strata manager.

          If she did know this and chose to fudge the issue, then she is as dodgy as Hell anyway.

          If you genuinely fear she is corupt, find out how much is she making on insurance commissions, hidden fees and kickbacks from tradespeople (which you end up paying for in inflated bills).  

          And is part of her “nod and wink” to her mates on the EC to ignore your statutory duties to create a sinking fund, for instance. 

          I would get rid of this person before she does too much damage to the value of properties in your building. All owners will pay when the fundamental mistakes she is likely to make come to the surface.

          I would be telling the EC to call another EGM immediately to resolve this or you will be going to the CTTT for the statutory appointment of a strata manager (which will be a lot more expensive when a properly qualified and informed professional starts unpicking the mess this rank amateur has doubtless left behind).

          By the way, $250 per unit per year is a reasonable amount for a strata manager. Many charge more.

          If you want to know what a strata manager does, go to Strata Community Australia’s website HERE and get it from the horse’s mouth.

          By the way, if this strata manager isn’t a member of SCA, you have even more need to get rid of her pronto.

          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.
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