Am I covered if a fire in my neighbour’s duplex spreads?

By Neziah,

I live in a single tier duplex. Both lots are street front with common land all round. The two units are joined by two carports, which I assume are common property as they sit on the common property area. My neighbour's building is run down, and I doubt whether they have building insurance.

What are the safety obligations for an older residential block?

By Neziah,

I reside in an older apartment block in WA. I am reading about the growing area of safety issues and the onerous effect on the council of owners and strata company. I would like to know generally about these issues. For example, can an owner install bi-fold windows in their unit? What about our old balustrades? Do they need to be changed? And what are the requirements for roof anchor points, and what are the alternatives?

Why does our balance sheet show a large amount outlaid to fobs but not reimbursed?

By Neziah,

I've been reviewing our administrative budget and noticed that the recovery amount for fobs and keys is less than the total expense, leaving an amount sitting on the admin ledger. My understanding is that these costs should be fully recovered from the individual owners who purchase them, so I'd expect the YTD balance to be zero.

Can an owner join an AGM on Zoom with camera and microphone off?

By Neziah,

At our physical AGM, one lot owner chose to Zoom into the meeting. They had their camera and microphone off. We could only see text messages. Is this permitted? It could have been anyone on the other end of the connection with access to the Zoom meeting details.

Can a tenant be fined for a guest’s by-law breach?

By Neziah,

I have been a tenant in our scheme for over six years and have never had a breach notice or any complaints before. Strata have issued me a fine of $88 dollars for a guest urinating in the garden of the complex before they arrived at my lot.

Am I in breach and liable for the fine imposed upon me?

What happens when council nominations exceed the 7 available spots?

By Neziah,

Our strata manager, with the approval of the council, introduced electronic voting for our AGM last year. However, although there was an option to self-nominate electronically for council, there was no opportunity given to vote for candidates should the number of nominees exceed 7 and thereby require a ballot, which it did.