We have a unit in South Australia.
The breacher piece broke in a boundary wall. The pipes are connected to 3 other units. Water was going through the wall. We had it fixed and had to replace tiles that were only laid a few months ago, and paid the bills.
Who is responsible for locks on the external door to your private apartment (not the door into the main entrance). Block of apartments was built in 2017.
We recently discovered that only 1 of the 3 sets of keys provided open the apartment. The locksmith said that after years of only one key being used, there was wear on both the key and the cylinder which meant the other keys did not work. Is the $450 locksmith invoice strata's responsibility?
There is a lot of change happening in strata at the moment, from new technology and AI tools to reforms around insurance, building standards and compliance. It can feel overwhelming to keep up with everything.
What are the big advocacy battles on the horizon for strata communities? Where should owners and councils focus their energy next to have the most impact, whether that is on legislation, insurance, building safety, fairer governance, or something else?
In a 3-lot strata scheme, can the strata company call and hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to deal with special business that requires discussion but does not yet include any formal motions? If so, can any decisions or resolutions that arise from that discussion be put as motions at a later EGM or general meeting?
We are a small strata of four units in WA, and all four lot owners are on the council of owners. All owners are financial. The current chairperson is also the treasurer and has held these positions for more than 10 years.
I would like to nominate for the chairperson role. In the past, when we have voted on office bearer positions, the chairperson/treasurer has retained the role on their own vote plus the secretary’s vote. The other two owners did not support that outcome, so it was a 2–2 split.
We are members of a strata corporation made up of two-storey townhouses. The Strata Corporation wishes to paint the external paintwork. One unit has installed a pergola along the back of the unit, which is making it costly for painters to undertake the strata painting, especially the eaves of the second level of the building. Who should pay the extra costs for the painter to access the building for the unit with the pergola to undertake the external painting?
As part of our loan conditions, my bank wants a certificate of currency from our insurer for our new apartment. How does the owners corporation, which pays for the insurance on the building, acknowledge our title? Can they include the bank as the "interested party"?
Our strata have purple bins for return-and-earn containers. One owner regularly goes through the yellow recycling bins (and possibly the red general waste bins) to pull out containers and add them to the return-and-earn bin. They also post public messages to shame or pressure other residents into “doing the right thing”.
With regards to new paragraph 23A(3)(C), which indicates that the owners corporation can pass on:
"an excess amount on an insurance claim if the claim solely relates to a lot owner's lot.”
…does that mean that currently we are not meant to be charging the lot owner the excess when they make a claim which is only in relation to their unit?