Gow

This is a recurring theme and a good one .I have been involved in strata committees as an owner for many years and have as a lawyer acted for many purchasers in strata.One of the standard headings in the usual pre purchase strata inspection report is

“state of harmony in the building “.

A well functioning strata committee will usually mean the answer to this question is the state of harnony is good.

Which brings me to a topic dear to Flatchat’s heart  – Airbnb.

Mostly committee members are made up of owner occupiers.I believe that new owner occupiers will shy away from apartment blocks that allow Airbnb in investment apartments if and when the changes to the law announced last year ( but not yet commenced ) come into effect .

I also believe that over time owner occupiers who can will move out of apartment blocks that allow short term rentals such as Airbnb.

What  has been lost in the debate about people’s “ rights “ to rent our their apartments on Airbnb ( which is in fact mostly prohibited under current planning laws) is this simple fact.

Owner occupiers are the heart and soul of strata committees and if they vote with their feet , the remaining owners may find their “ quasi hotels” less attractive to buyers .

Those of us of a certain age may remember we used to have a Strata Title Commissioner and a Strata Titles Board which adjudicated on strata title disputes.

Funny how everything old is new again.

Those of us of a certain age may also remember when new apartments were not riddled with defects ( or at least you may have read about it).

So maybe if we have a Building Commissioner whose job it is to make new buildings better and a Strata Commissioner whose job it is to make strata living better , we are on our way to a better life in strata?

Its got to be a beginning.

Might  I suggest that any Strata Commissioner “gets” strata as a prerequisite and is an owner occupier in strata?

Or at least has a close loved one in strata.

This is good as a start but doesn’t go far enough.
We need compulsory Home Warranty Insurance re instated for apartment buildings higher than 3 storeys.
It is ludicrous that this insurance is compulsory for single houses and apartment buildings up to 3 storeys but not for apartment buildings higher than 3 storeys.