Question: Our committee has accepted a new MAA while we still had a year on the current agreement. There are fee increases and other changes. Why would this occur? I’m new to owning a strata lot and new to being on committee. A new managing agency agreement was presented at our AGM and quickly…
Question: One of our EC members has called a general meeting to terminate our current strata manager and appoint a new one. He states there is a dispute about the length of the current agreement. Should the meeting proceed or be postponed until the disputed term has been settled? I am a member of…
Question: Some lot owners have requested a motion that the lot entitlements be updated. Can all costs incurred for the amending of the entitlements be payable by the owners requesting the amendments? We are holding a special meeting this week and some of the lot owners have requested a motion that the lot entitlements…
Strata Hub is nearly ready to go live! As you will have read from our previous newsletters, the NSW Government has introduced a new portal, Strata Hub, to enable ease of access to key information relating to strata schemes. There has been a delayed start date due to the large number of strata schemes…
The Strata Schemes Management Amendment (Information) Regulation, 2021 (NSW) commences on 30th June 2022. Owners Corporations will have to provide information annually to Fair Trading in the approved form: for the first time— if the first annual general meeting of the owners corporation is held on or before 30 June 2022—by 30 September 2022, or…
Question: During closed-door meetings, the committee vote on each agenda item frequently without costings or reasons for decisions. As an owner, what can I do? The chair of the Strata committee enforces the ‘owners cannot interrupt’ rule. All decisions are made behind closed doors before the formal Strata Committee meeting. These closed-door meetings result…
Question: A lot owner has carried out works on his balcony and installed air conditioning without approval. What steps should the OC take to protect themselves? An owner has tiled his balcony and installed air conditioning with a visible compressor sitting on the balcony. The owner has not obtained permission and we do not…
Question: Is a proxy vote valid if the resident hasn’t been advised on the issue being voted on? What should the correct process be? Answer: It depends on how the proxy form is completed It depends on how the proxy form is completed. If the “form authorises the proxy to vote on my/our behalf on…
Question: Our secretary takes full control at meetings, will not let anyone make any comments or ask any questions. We all feel very bullied by this person. What can we do? At our monthly Owners Corporation meetings, although the whole committee including the chairperson attended, the meeting was run by our overbearing secretary. We…
Question: We own a villa in a two lot strata scheme that is in need of repainting. The owners of the other lot do not want to pay for the property to be repainted. We own a villa in a two lot strata scheme that is in need of repainting. The owners of the other…
Question: I’m renting a unit in Brighton-Le-Sands, southern Sydney and I have a double garage. Can I use the garage for DIY projects rather than for parking of vehicles? Answer: Seek strata permission through your strata manager or your strata committee. It is advisable to seek strata permission through your strata manager (if you…
Question: Our Strata Manager keeps coming into my garage to have a look around etc. Am I entitled to ask them politely to ensure all correspondence between us is through email, text or phone call? Answer: It is unclear why your strata manager keeps trespassing. Yes, absolutely, you should ask them to refrain from…
Question:Can an existing Special ByLaw be amended without the legal cost of being re-written by a strata lawyer? Can an existing Special ByLaw be amended without the legal cost of being re-written by a strata lawyer. This bylaw outlines permission and the terms and conditions for owners to install ducted split air conditioning systems, roof…
Question: Is this general meeting valid? What about the quorum? We have just had an EGM stated as (DATE) with pre-meeting voting closing (24 HRS PRIOR). The notice of the meeting was misleading. On one side of the header, it says: The meeting will be held on (DATE) via electronic vote commencing at (TIME) Next…
Question: How do we force a decision in a 4 unit, self-managed complex? There are always 2 for and 2 against. Strata is a democracy and it comes back down to a vote. Generally a four lot scheme can create more work than a 400 lot scheme because of that one reason where you just…
On Wednesday June 8 Leanne Habib founder of Premium Strata joined Nikki Jovicic from LookUpStrata to talk about the NSW rollback of amendments and answered owners NSW Strata questions. During the session, Leanne addressing the rollback of COVID-19 strata amendments in NSW which, among other things, relaxed the manner in which to vote at meetings (eg electronic voting is no longer automatically permissible)…
Question: As an owner do I have the right to approach committee members for information about current issues and does the committee member have the right to share that information? Answer: You have automatic rights to be apprised of all current issues affecting your scheme. While an open relationship with the strata committee is…
Question: I am a piano player living in a NSW strata apartment building. I have received two noise breaches for nuisance about the piano music, claiming I play excessively. This is not correct. What can I do? I am a piano player living in a NSW strata apartment building. I have received two noise…
Question: Are there regulations on the use of smoker BBQs on apartment balconies considering the amount of smoke and smell these produce? Answer: You must check the by-laws applicable to your scheme. The short answer is that you must check the by-laws applicable to your scheme. Many schemes have by-laws which regulate BBQ’s and…
Question: Our strata manager refuses to hold our AGM after office hours. Should this be an expected service or is he being inflexible? Our strata manager refuses to hold our AGM at 6.30 pm. He says his office closes at 6 pm and will not accommodate an owner who cannot attend until 6.30 pm…