- This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 6 months ago by .
-
Topic
-
I have been living in the same strata of 38 units for fourteen years.
The finances are healthy, however the block has been really let go over the last two years by the last two Executive Committees who are enabled by proxies and exclude others who want to be involved. As for the Strata Manager, he's a waste of space and money.
To my mind, they are not maintaining the common property as they should at all.
There are pockets of rubbish here and there, the common area carpets need steam cleaning and the walls need to be cleaned, the garden is a mess and the cleaner and gardener are not being properly overseen.
Residents have complained about the state of affairs in a constructive way but now, low and behold, the EC has scheduled a 'working bee' and we are all expected to turn up and lend a hand.
While this is a nobel idea, we've never needed one before.
My own levies are typical and total around 5 grand a year. Shouldn't the type of things the working bee is supposed to be doing, be covered by the levies and orchestrated by the EC? I find the idea of a working bee rather undignified and loathsome, actually, especially considering the fees we have to pay.
(Other minor problems here, being ironic, are that one EC member has built himself a little 'patio' on the common property garden area; another, an office holder, has been given a slap-on-the-wrist by the EC for unapproved renos which breached a special by-law we have.)
-
Replies
-
Hi Urban,
The idea of a working bee is at the heart of my SP. My SP operates completely on a philosophy that volunteers will get the job done – every job.
This philosophy has meant- significant projects are still a work in progress after almost 20 years
- there is a significant list of unfinished projects not receiving attention
- there is a long list of projects that still have not commenced
- urgent matters get dealt with in what is called * time (* strata plan name withheld)
- other matters get dealt with if and when someone has the time or inclination
- some matters do not get dealt with because of who wants them dealt with
Working bees work if you are not in a hurry to get anything done but they are a good way for people to get to know their neighbors – if they show up.
If you are paying 5k in levies then i am surprised that the EC is calling a working bee – where is your money going?
We pay less than 1k per year in a large SP primarily because there is the expectation volunteers will do everything; they don't.I would not recommend relying on volunteers to do jobs that need doing around an SP. That sort of idea sets the bar pretty low for the expectation regarding appearance and the general standard of the SP. A lot of things will not get done and those who do show up are not always happy with those who do not show up. The novelty of such in-house gatherings soon wears off.
We have significant money sitting in some sinking fund categories waiting for people to volunteer to do the job; trouble is some of these jobs require know-how that most owners do not have and most volunteering work is manual labor work. Some jobs are now begining out sourced at significant expense.
“Working bees” is not a mindset you want an SP to get into because people start thinking they can get things done for “free”; they get used to not paying to have things done; things start not being done and the whole SP goes downhill until it ends up full of a clique of owners who are happy with the sad state of place because it is cheap. The SP's reputation slides and the value of the SP will decline.
The OC has an obligation regarding maintenance and repair; this obligation gets seriously compromised if an SP starts relying on the owners effort (rather than their money) to meet that obligation — and CTTT cannot be relied on to get thing back on track.Great social event for those who show up but a disaster as far as getting whats needs doing done in any sort of reasonable time-frame. That's my experience in an SP that relies on the owners doing things.
We had hoped that residents here would participate in minor clean ups around our complex. But alas, it was only the members of the EC who would give up their time to do a bit of work here and there. The reward – nothing! Residents here would not even give you a “good morning” let alone a thanks or helping hand as you worked for free, saving them money and giving them low levies in return. So we now hire people to do absolutely everything! Result – higher levies!
So if your levies are high enough and there is enough money in the bank, get someone else to do it! If the working bee goes ahead, hide! Let the other 5 people who show up do all the work. Then let them get someone else in to finish it.
Though perhaps I will be proved wrong and a lot of people will actually volunteer because they care, have pride in where they live and how their homes look.
I once lived in a building that had 2 working bees/year. The bees were only only for an hour or two. At the end of the bee, drinks and snacks were provided at OC expense. It sort-of worked I suppose and for those that participated it was a bit of a neighbour social. But I stress these bees were for relatively minor things – garden clean-ups, minor painting (with paint and brushes supplied by the OC) and similar.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.