Who distributes documents for an owner-convened EGM?

By Neziah,

Our council of owners has consisted of three members for about 10 years, but it's really only two people. The third person never has a say and ends up resigning, so our council runs with two out of three members until the next AGM, sometimes for 10 months of the year.

These two owners, through owning multiple units, outvote us on everything. Recently, one of the two council members sold one of his units, so we finally have the numbers in our favour.

Can our chairperson get a lower levy for their own water meter?

By Neziah,

In a complex of 12 townhouses, there are no common gardens and no common property water consumption. One owner installed their own water meter without permission from the council, but unbeknownst to anybody, had requested and been granted that permission by the strata manager. The owner is the chairperson of the council of owners. Now they've asked for a 1/12th levy reduction, since they no longer use common water. The strata manager resigned, allegedly because of complications from the owner's actions. The other owners are unsure how to proceed. What would you suggest we do?

Is accepting a quote the same as having a contract?

By Neziah,

Our council of owners has agreed to a quote for maintenance work on our strata's roofs. We've received a fairly detailed scope of works, but it has no dates. We've paid a deposit. We asked for a contract, and although it was promised, we still don't have one. The contractor emailed us a work schedule, which has been partially, but not fully, followed.

Can a strata company apply my levies to a disputed fence debt?

By Neziah,

I am in discussions over a fence dispute. Is the strata company allowed to allocate my standard levies to fence instalments when no resolution has been agreed on? They are putting me in arrears without any legal justification.

I would like them to cease this until an agreement is made. Is this a feasible request, and if not, what are my options through SAT?

Can our strata charge admin fees for warning notices?

By Neziah,

We get breach notices all the time from our strata company for all kinds of things. The most recent was for having items outside my storage unit. No damage was done, just a notice telling me my items shouldn't have been there. This is a warning notice, not a breach, yet my other carport neighbour and I have each been charged $66 for the breach notices.

Can we stop a young heir from living in an over-55s unit?

By Neziah,

We have an over-55s, 12-unit strata complex. One of the owners will be 92 years old in a couple of months. He's leaving his property to his mid-20s granddaughter when he passes. She insists she will be living in the property. We've been in contact with the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT), which can't advise what we can do, but they referred us to this site. How can we prevent this situation from occurring?

Does our council quorum shrink as members resign?

By Neziah,

At our AGM in November, seven people were elected to the council of owners. Since March, only three councillors remain, as four have resigned. Does the quorum still have to be four, as when everyone was originally elected, or does it change to two now that there are only three councillors left? We have 50 units in the complex.

Who maintains a letterbox sitting on exclusive use common property?

By Neziah,

Our complex has 120 townhouses under a Standard Format Plan, Accommodation Module. Fifty per cent of the townhouses have exclusive use driveways separated by common property garden beds. Those lots have a personal letterbox positioned at the end of the driveway on common property. The remaining lots have their letterbox attached to the external wall of their garage.

Australia Post states that the setup, placement and maintenance of a letterbox is the homeowner's or property owner's responsibility, as it is not a public utility.

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