We had an AGM early this year, and none of the committee nominees were elected; therefore, we have no committee.
The AGM was held via a paper vote/pre-meeting electronic vote. There was no in-person meeting.
We provided our strata manager with a qualified request. 25% of all owners signed a document requesting the managing agent convene an Extraordinary General Meeting for a committee to be elected.
I own a lot in a 12-lot strata building in Melbourne. The building has fire safety defects, including unsealed party walls and service penetrations, which the owners agreed to repair at a shared cost based on lot liability.
During the works, we discovered that the corridor walls are built with non-compliant material and need replacing at an additional cost of $190,000. The plan of subdivision shows that these corridor walls are not common property. About half the lots contain these walls entirely, while the rest have only a small section above their entry door to repair.
At our 9-storey complex, the five lots on the ground level have large, uncovered, exclusive-use courtyards. Some of the owners of these lots want the body corporate to pay for structures to be erected over their courtyards to protect them from anything that may fall from lot balconies above. The chairman favours this, claiming that body corporate's owe a duty of care regarding falling objects to those owners on the ground level. Do we have a duty of care to one owner arising from the negligence of another owner?
We are new owners in a body corporate. The committee is establishing a pet protocol, which we think is unreasonable.
To avoid pets on common property areas, the committee asked owners to only exit the building with pets via the dangerous driveway ramp. They have changed the request to exit via the fire stairwell. Many residents are elderly, with small, aged pets. Many pets and adults are not capable of taking the stairs.
I want to upgrade my exclusive use storage cage structure from steel wire to a more secure diamond aluminium grill at my expense. The storage cage is a stand-alone structure between two concrete pillars.
Do I need approval? If so, what is the approval process? What challenges may I face?
Our owners corporation committee (OCC) wants CCTV cameras in our common areas, including the pool and gymnasium. I'm very supportive of additional security measures outside the building. Everyone should feel safe in their home. However, I find this an extreme measure that will impact owners' enjoyment. Residents have not been consulted on the placement of cameras, and no policies have been circulated.
Can the OCC do this? Should the committee develop a CCTV policy for our apartment building? How can residents approach this matter with the OCC?