Question: How can you add to a meeting agenda, either a committee meeting or Annual general meeting when the date, time, and agendas are already sent out? Answer: Theoretically, you could adjourn the meeting and incorporate additional items giving the full statutory notice period. The secretary of the owners corporation does not need to include requisitioned…
Question: Our secretary only records the Strata committee minutes, including what she wants our owners corporation to hear. What can we do to get our processes back on track? Our NSW strata committee members are frustrated and concerned that our secretary only records (in Strata committee minutes), what she wants our owners corporation to hear….
Question: I have inherited a unit, that my cousin owned, (she passed in 2018) including her three cats, 1 of which has been there for 10 years, the others 4 years. It’s a unit with courtyard and yes the cats, generally live outside, but tend to stay in the boundaries, cause they are a little…
Question: Due to complaints from one neighbour, our strata is trying to take us to court over our small dog. Other neighbours confirm the dog is fine. Do I have any right to keep the dog and not get taken to court? Our strata is currently trying to take us to court over our small…
Question: Who is responsible for a home lift totally located within the airspace of a strata unit, not accessible to any other unit owner and used exclusively by the owners/occupants of the residential unit? Is it the Owners Corporation or the Unit Owners? Answer: It is difficult to determine with any precision whether the subject…
Question: Can an EGM be called to reverse the decision of a majority at an AGM? The owners corporation by a majority vote accepted the proposed strata levies at our AGM. Levies supported by appropriate budgets, explanations and Capital Works Funding Plan. A group of dissatisfied owners (just enough to make the 25% required for…
Question: Does a resident’s right to peace and quiet in a lot (as stipulated in a bylaw) mean that people using a carpark area right outside a lot must keep their noise to a reasonable level? Does a resident’s right to peace and quiet in a lot (as stipulated in a bylaw) mean that people…
Question: We discovered a leak in the ceiling of our newly renovated bathroom. Strata will fix but will cover the repair hole with a vent. We’d like it returned to the condition it was in prior to the leak. I recently noticed a drip through a light fitting in my main bathroom. We completely renovated…
Question: How do we handle the other duplex lot owners who smoke outside their lot. Smoke drifts over the dividing fence and into my aging father’s lot. We are looking for information about how to handle the other lot owners who smoke in the back yard of their duplex. The smoke drifts over the dividing…
A quick reminder about the AirBnB changes to the strata legislation which commenced on 10 April 2020 and the new smoke alarm requirements which commenced 23 March 2020. New Smoke Alarm requirements for landlords and agents From 23 March 2020, NSW landlords and agents are required to ensure that smoke alarms installed in rental premises…
Question: We’ve never received approval for an air conditioner. We’ve recently been told to move the exterior unit as it is not keeping with the appearance of the lot. We own a strata unit in NSW and back in 2017 we installed an air conditioner with the outside unit mounted high on the balcony and…
Question: Now the evenings are getting cooler, we are wondering if we can set up a small fire pit on our apartment balcony. We have units and balconies both above and below us. Since we’ve been in lockdown, we tend to spend quite a bit of time on our apartment balcony to get fresh air…
Question: I’d like the noisy tenants in the apartment above me to be aware of the disturbance they are creating and the lot owner to change the flooring and comply with sound proofing requirements. Is this achievable? The lot owner upstairs changed their flooring from carpet to timber floor without approval from strata. Since then,…
Question: We get up to 4 taxis a day in the complex. The taxis blow their horn, park on common property and block the driveway. How can we control this? I own a townhouse in a complex. What can we do about taxis on common property areas like driveways? We get up to 4 taxis…
Question: Our Strata Treasurer holds a Petty Cash amount which we understand has been spent. We have asked for receipts but he has declined to table a reconciliation. What action can we take? I have a question relation to NSW Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 Section 93 The financial statements for any other fund must specify…
QUESTION: Are children allowed to play on the common property driveway? We have a group of families who socialise in the common areas? Is this allowed due to social distancing rules in NSW? Are children allowed to play on the common property driveway? What happens when children and their friends, either other residents or visitors,…
New AirBnB laws come into effect Friday 10th April 2020 by way of the insertion of a new clause 137A into the Strata Schemes Management Act, 2015 (NSW). Essentially: A by-law may only prohibit a lot from being used for short-term rental accommodation if the relevant lot is not the principal place of residence of…
Lot owners from NSW have questions about dealing with proxy votes and the quorum requirements for annual general meetings. Leanne Habib, Premium Strata provides the following responses. According to Strata Community Association (NSW), here is the definition of: Proxy Voting: An owner who is unable to attend a meeting may authorise (give their proxy) to another person…
Despite the much anticipated “pet-friendly” amendments to the new strata legislation, animals are still not automatically permitted in strata schemes even if they are kept wholly within the boundaries of an individual’s apartment. To determine what the keeping of animals position and pet rules for strata is in relation to any particular scheme you must…
Question: Is it ok to defer an AGM because of Covid-19? Many residents do not have internet so electronic voting will be difficult. If so, how long can it be deferred for? Answer: If the Owners Corporation holds an annual general meeting once in every financial year, it will comply with the strata legislation. Many…