ACT: Who is responsible for pest control in common areas of a strata complex?

Question: Residents in our complex have reported seeing rats in areas like our terraces. Should the committee deal with this common area issue?

Myself and others in the complex have reported seeing rats in the common area. These rats are entering our terraces and leaving droppings. 

The committee states that we need to obtain a pest investigation report for inside our apartment before they decide to do anything. We believe that the committee will not do anything as there is no pest control of any type in any of the 7 apartment blocks and they avoid taking responsibility. This is a common property issue and we certainly do not have rats inside our apartment. 

If other people see them does that mean everyone needs to get a pest control report? 

Not sure what to do here, so any advice would be appreciated. We currently personally use poison etc to stop them but we are just 1 unit and this is a bigger issue. 

Why should we be having to deal with this common area issue?

Answer: Owners can undertake action in relation to pest control to their homes and yards.

From the description we would understand that this is a Class B complex.

The Owners Corporation can only take responsibility for areas of common property unless the required resolution has been passed at a general meeting allocating responsibility to areas of individual units to the Owners Corporation.

Owners can undertake action in relation to pest control to their homes and yards.

• The first step would be to eliminate entry points
• Before you put down any traps or bait, investigate where the rodents are entering
• Try to determine where the rodents are living and building nests and set traps around these areas.

If nests are found to be on common property then the Owners Corporation would be responsible.

The owners could request a general meeting with written notice to the secretary of the Owners Corporation with the relevant motions for pest control on common property areas.

3.5 General meetings other than annual general meetings

1. The executive committee of an owners corporation may call a general meeting, by notice under section 3.6, whenever it considers appropriate.
2. Subsection (3) applies if the executive committee of an owners corporation receives a written request (a meeting request), stating the matters to be considered at the meeting, from people who are entitled to vote on all motions for units whose combined unit entitlement is at least 1/4 of the total unit entitlement in the units plan.
3. The executive committee must hold a general meeting, by notice under section 3.6, within 28 days after the day it receives the meeting request.

This post appears in Strata News #453.

Jan Browne
Bridge Strata
E: jan@bridgestrata.com.au
P: 02 6109 7700