Is it legal for related owners to control a majority vote in strata?

By admin,

I have purchased a unit in a four lot strata scheme. An individual owns the largest unit in the block, and his son-in-law owns another unit. Together, they own 51% of the block, granting them the majority of voting power at 51%. At the AGM, the son-in-law gives his proxy to the father-in-law. Is this legal? I will never have the opportunity to participate in the decision making processes while they hold the decisive vote. This situation feels particularly inequitable since I was unaware of their relationship before I purchased in the block.

Can a strata committee change garden plantings without owner approval?

By admin,

Can a strata committee alter the appearance of common property without the approval of owners corporation? At an AGM several years ago, owners voted to only have hedges in the gardens of our 64-unit complex. The hedges were to be maintained by a gardener.

There were several reasons for the decision, one of which was the responsible use of water. Without consultation, the current committee removed hedges and planted flowers. I wrote to our strata manager with my concerns and requested the strata manager advise the committee of the original AGM vote.

Do you need a special resolution to install signs on common property?

By admin,

Our committee has erected direction, delivery, and behaviour signs on common property without any reference to the owners corporation. Some owners object to the signs, stating they are unnecessary and/or inappropriate.

Should committees have a special resolution to erect signs on common property?

Can a strata resolution be reversed after an EGM?

By admin,

At the EGM, three attendees passed a resolution to replace air conditioning units for a commercial building. The air conditioning units will only run 9 am - 5 pm on weekdays.

I own two commercial lots in the building. I run an after school care business, which mainly runs outside of business hours.

Many of the 25 lot owners are unhappy with the resolution and the ridiculous quoted price. In addition, my levy costs for this installation are disproportionately higher than all other lot owners.

How should strata owner requests be decided under the act?

By admin,

Our strata manager doesn't hold committee meetings. They email owner requests to committee members for consideration, and the manager waits for the majority of the committee to reply.

No notice of meetings or minutes are sent to owners. Due to this process, decisions can take a long time, and owners are kept waiting. Is this the usual process under the Act?

Can a building manager install a sign without owners corporation approval?

By admin,

The building manager has installed a sign forbidding people to feed stray cats on our complex’s garden bench. The building manager has threatened fines and forbids people from taking the sign down, stating the sign is common property. The owners corporation has not voted on the sign, and I feel it is restricting owners access to the bench. As the building manager takes a very aggressive approach to communication, what should I do? Can I remove the sign? Am I best to escalate this situation?

No strata meetings held: Who is making the decisions?

By admin,

We have been resident owners in a large apartment complex since the building opened. The owners corporation hasn't had a meeting for over a year, yet decisions are being made by the "owners corporation" or the "strata committee". There have been no meeting notices or minutes, and owners don't know who's on these committees.

Parking decisions change every month or so, communicated by strongly worded emails from the building management.

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