Question: Our bathroom’s waterproofing membrane has failed and is causing damage to the lot below. Should the Owners Corporation be responsible for all repairs, as these are only needed due to common property defects? Answer: There is a very similar 1999 strata titles case. There is a 1999 case where water had leaked into…
Faulty Waterproofing I live in a unit complex in Sydney and there are 76 units. My strata contracted (& paid for) a company to come fix my faulty waterproofing on my balcony. In order to access the faulty waterproofing, the company had to remove/lift the wooden deck on the balcony. During the process of repairing the faulty…
Question: We have recently renovated our kitchen without approval from the Owners Corporation. Will have to return the kitchen to the original condition or be fined? Answer: Transparency and pro-activeness is usually the best approach when something like renovations without approval occurs. Kitchen renovations (with works involving waterproofing) are “minor renovations” under the new…
Question: The floor in a lot’s kitchen has to be repaired because of concrete cancer. The lot owner now wants the owners corporation to pay for a new kitchen. Answer: The Owners Corporation would need to address concrete cancer and then reinstate the kitchen with like for like. It sounds like the kitchen is…
Bathroom Renovation Question: One of the lot owners in our strata complex requires a major bathroom renovation and is expecting the owners to pay for it – is this correct? Answer: It depends on why the owner requires a major bathroom renovation. Presumably, it is because there is some defect in the common property slab…
Question: An old cooling tower in our building only services a proportion of the apartments. What are the strata committee powers? The committee is proposing to replace the tower with ducted air conditioning to the affected units at the cost of the Owners Corporation. Answer: The strata committee seems to be abusing their powers and…
A LookUpStrata reader in NSW wanted to know whether Owners Corporation permission is required to install an internal sliding door to prevent the smell of cooking in the kitchen escaping to the other rooms. We provided the following response: Technically speaking you do not…
The strata Community Australia – NSW is organising a seminar this Thursday, 12 October 2017, on everything you need to know if you want to renovate your strata titled apartment. A panel of expert speakers will be available to answer your questions. This event will be held at the Sebel Hotel in Chatswood (37 Victor…
A LookUpStrata reader wanted to know which steps they should take to obtain the appropriate approval before renovating their strata titled unit in NSW. People who attended our Client Forum on 17 July will know the answer to this, as it was covered in Monika Jandrek’s presentation. In summary they should have a lawyer prepare…
We covered this in an earlier article on the imminent strata law changes. however we thought this article was worthwhile sharing. In this article, Jimmy Thomson from the Flat Chat column in the Domain explains how DIY renovators need to be mindful that many activities will need prior approval by the strata committee before commencement of…
The team at Kerin Benson Lawyers has written this handy fact sheet which summarises what you need to know before you start work to improve your strata lot. The general rule is that if you are altering the common property in any way, you will need to get a by-law passed before doing the work. The…
We have written about the Strata Law reforms before, however our friends at Clinch Long Letherbarrow Lawyers have written a great article on the NSW Strata Law Reforms that we wanted to share with you. The article summarises the key changes the new laws are expected to bring. These include: By-laws – under the new…
When you are considering renovating your strata unit, apartment, townhouse or villa there are a number of important aspects to consider before you start any work: 1. Check applicable by-laws and seek prior approval by the Owners Corporation. 2. Check with your local council to see if your proposed works require a development application to be…