A garbage truck damaged our strata building's wall. What can we do?
Our building is located in NSW. A garbage truck knocked down part of our front complex wall. Repairs were carried out through the garbage truck company's insurer.
Repairs were not carried out satisfactorily. You can see where the wall was repaired. The rendering does not match the original finish of the wall.
Can a lot owner claim partial loss of rent from strata insurance after water damage?
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Due to recent water damage in our unit, we've experienced a partial loss of rent. As the damage only affected one bedroom, we had to reduce the rent because of the loss of amenity. Unfortunately, our insurance doesn't cover a partial loss of income. Could we file a claim with the strata insurance to recoup the lost rent?
Can a body corporate committee arrange their own strata insurance?
We have five units in our strata scheme so our annual fees to our body corporate manager are very high. As secretary of our group, I endeavour to keep costs down by getting our own quotes for intended work and doing all necessary research before instructing the body corporate to act on our behalf.
Our annual insurance and the commission increases every year. The strata insurance commission we pay our body corporate manager is now almost $5000. This is paid directly to the body corporate manager by the insurance broker.
Our body corporate manager's insurance commission is not included in the premium
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In 2023, the body corporate manager's commission of $17,000 was included in our total insurance premium to be paid.
This year, the body corporate manager's commission of $14,534 was not included in our total premium and advice from the committee treasurer states the commission was paid by the insurer.
Why is there a difference between last year's and this year's commission payments, considering we've been with the same insurer and broker for a few years?
What if a developer lot owner refuses to maintain their vacant unit?
Our scheme has twelve residential units plus two commercial lots. The developer still owns three units. One unit has sat dormant for three years. The rear verandah is thick with pigeon faeces and is in a terrible state.
Our strata manager has contacted the developer but is unable to get responses to emails. The developer is uninterested in maintaining the unit. What can we do? We'd prefer not to go to the tribunal.
How do we ensure a lot owner pays their proportion of repair costs?
In our eight lot strata scheme, one rented lot is neglected and requires repairs. Our strata manager has organised an engineer and a building company for works. The repairs involve work to both lot and common property.
The lot owner's proportion of the work outweighs the common property work. However, the strata manager has split the total cost among all the owners based on lot entitlement. The investor lot owner will pay less, and the remaining owners will cover their costs.
Is a lot owner liable for damage caused by failing to maintain their lot?
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A lot owner in our building rents out their unit but does no maintenance: