Can an owners corporation ban pets?

By admin,

We just received the AGM motions for this year’s meeting and surprisingly the owners corporation are repealing the current by-law from requiring written permission to keep pets to the below:

By Law XX – Prohibiting the Keeping of Animals:

An owner or occupier of a lot must not bring or keep any animal on the lot or the common property.

An owner or occupier of a lot must not permit any person including any invitee of the owner or occupier to bring or keep an animal on the lot of the common property.

Who to contact for strata maintenance as a tenant

By admin,

I rent an apartment in a small complex in WA. Since I moved in four years ago, the intercom has never worked. A few months ago, the security gate to the complex also stopped working, so anyone could walk in and access my car and apartment. I do not feel safe.

My real estate agent says that the owner has no obligations for anything outside the apartment itself and that I should contact the strata management company directly. Is this correct?

Managing suspected prostitution activity in a strata building

By admin,

We've identified what appears to be a prostitution business operating in a rental unit on our floor. It's been happening for about two to three months. Visitors are regularly buzzed in — sometimes up to seven men within three hours. One even knocked on my door by mistake before realising they were at the wrong unit.

I work from home and am feeling unsafe. I've reported the situation to both the strata manager and the police. What further steps can residents or the strata company take to address this kind of activity in a strata building?

Our body corporate committee makes ad hoc decisions outside meetings

By admin,

I am on the committee, but the other committee members make ad hoc decisions without holding formal meetings. They recently decided to restrict resident access to our bin room. There was no formal meeting, no agenda, and no minuted decision.

When questioned after resident complaints, they said it was for “safety”, even though some committee members still have access.

Accessing owners corporation records after the Saint John decision

By admin,

Our owners corporation manager refuses to provide owners with a copy of the register containing the emails and phone numbers of other owners.

When asked for a copy with just names and addresses, they took three months to provide this information!

I'm aware of the recent case law, the Saint-John Decision, but what can we do if the owners corporation managers still refuse to provide owners with the records?

Can a caretaker claim exclusive use of a visitor car park without approval?

By admin,

A previous committee allowed the former caretaker to use a car space and painted "Manager" on the space, effectively giving the caretaker exclusive use of the car park. This was never recorded in the minutes, put to a vote of the body corporate, or documented in the community management statement.

Emergency lighting compliance for Class 2 strata under AS 1851

By admin,

I understand that from 13 February 2026, all Class 2 buildings in NSW must have essential fire safety measures inspected and tested in accordance with AS 1851-2012 under the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021.

Can pet allergies justify a “No Pets” strata by-law?

By admin,

When our owners corporation has discussed allowing pets in our 60 lot strata building, two of the owners claimed to have an allergy to pet fur. Their claims have put an end to the discussion.

Can a "no pets" bylaw be valid on the grounds of resident’s allergies? Can the Owners Corporation demand medical evidence to prove the allergy actually exists?

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