Building format plan boundaries: When do renovations affect common property?
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An owner notified the committee they plan to renovate their kitchen, bathroom and laundry. These renovations include replacing the cabinets attached to boundary walls. The total cost of these works is estimated to be >$3,000.
Our building is under the Building Format Plan(BFP); no specific by-laws cover renovations.
Our body corporate manager advised that given the works are contained within the lot, approval for the works is not required. These are not improvements to common property.
Can a body corporate force owners to change exterior colours?
Our body corporate, for maintenance purposes, wants owners to repainted the timber trims and roofs of their townhouses in a new colour scheme. No new colours have been decided on yet. The complex was built in brick Federation style and has red, green and cream-coloured paint with some ochre-coloured timber. I object to the changes the body corporate want us to make as I feel it will detract from the original intention of the building style. Is it lawful for the body corporate to make owners change the colours of the outside and roofs of their houses?
Strata pool project cost blowout: Who is responsible for budget overruns?
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The body corporate decided to improve our swimming pool. The committee's spending limit was increased to $99,000 to complete the work.
The committee spent $205,000 without consultation with owners. Only half the work has been carried out. Owners won't agree to the additional funds required to finish the pool. The pool area looks like a building site.
Does our body corporate manager share any responsibility for not managing the project's budget?
Owner consent before submitting a DA for common property changes
Our committee recently submitted a DA to Brisbane City Council for a material change to a common area rooftop. The DA was submitted without owners' knowledge or written consent. The chair and secretary signed the form that certified they'd lodged the DA with "body corporate consent for making a development application under the Planning Act 20l6".
I've viewed Frank Higginson's maintenance vs improvements webinar, and I believe the rooftop refurbishment is an improvement.
Do caretakers need approval to install signs on common property in strata?
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I'm the caretaker for a Queensland strata scheme. Two fire doors lead to the pool area from reception, and guests often have trouble finding the pool because they think the fire doors are only for emergencies.
To help people locate the pool, I've installed small signs on both doors at my own expense.
The committee, via their liaison person, told me I need committee approval to put up these signs. Is this correct?
Do mismatched roof tiles affect the external appearance of the lot?
A lot owner is having trouble matching their roof tiles because they are so old. New tiles don't match the existing ones, which would affect the lot's external appearance. I've suggested putting the new tiles on the side of the roof that can't be seen from the street and using the old tiles from the rear on the presentation side.
Alternatively, are sustainable roof tiles exempt from Model Rule 5.2 if the owner replaces the whole roof?