How can committee members respond to bullying or defamatory behaviour from owners?

By admin,

I am the outgoing chairperson of our body corporate committee and will step into the secretary/treasurer role next year. Recently, an owner launched into a shouting, personal attack against me when no one else was present. I have now received an email complaint from another owner, through the body corporate manager, that is personally abusive and, in my view, defamatory.

How shared basements and mixed-use buildings affect building insurance options

By admin,

For several years, our broker has told us that Chubb is the only insurer in Australia willing to cover our building because we share a basement with the commercial building next door. How is this the case when mixed-use buildings are common across Australia and often include commercial premises on the ground floor?

Do AGM minutes record the name of the members who will serve on the council of owners?

By admin,

At our AGM, the strata manager reads out council of owners (CoO) nominations by lot number, with no information about the nominees and no mention of the name of the person who will serve. The AGM minutes record the elected council using lot numbers and the names of the proprietary companies that own the lots. There is no reference to the individuals who will sit on the council or represent owners.

Is this the correct procedure in WA? How can owners know who's on the council of owners so that we can contact them?

Can a strata manager restrict access to financials if owners pay for the software?

By admin,

Our body corporate pays a quarterly fee to the strata management company for software and archiving, which includes access to StrataMax. Given that owners are effectively paying for this software, can the manager decide what information we can and cannot see on the portal?

Are nominee’s biographies and a how to vote guide a usual inclusion in AGM papers?

By admin,

Two years ago, our strata manager distributed biographies written by committee nominees to all lot owners and also circulated a how to vote guide written by the committee secretary. There was no formal committee motion authorising the strata manager to do either of these.

Are AGM minutes required to record proxies present at the AGM?

By admin,

The minutes from our last AGM list members present, proxies received, apologies, and other attendees, but there’s no section showing the names of proxies present. Eleven proxies were given to people who weren’t lot owners, and that omission changes the voting outcome. After inspecting the records, I confirmed that two of those proxy holders attended online, but there’s no record of the third person (who held eight proxies) being present.

Owners corporation obligations when facilities are unused or unsafe

By admin,

Our owners corporation property consists of 10 apartments across two buildings connected by open car parking. Two of the 10 apartments don’t have their own internal laundry. Each building has a shared laundry room with troughs and cold taps for washing machines.

The buildings date back to the 1980s, and the laundries have been locked for years after vagrants began using one. A tenant recently asked to use a laundry.

Are owners corporations required to provide accessible parking for residents?

By admin,

I am a disabled resident with a valid disability parking permit. Our building has a visitor car park with one accessible parking space, but I’ve been told I’m not allowed to use it because it’s for disabled visitors only. The problem is that the sign doesn’t clearly state it’s for visitors, and there are no accessible parking spaces allocated to residents.

Is the owners corporation required to provide an accessible parking space for residents, or at least allow me to use the visitors’ disabled space when it’s vacant?