Our strata management agency charges a monthly fee to act as the public officer for our four-unit strata plan. What duties does the management agency carry out on behalf of the owners to fulfil this role? If the strata manager did not act as the public officer, what extra responsibilities would fall to the strata committee or the owners corporation instead?
I live in a community titles scheme in Queensland and use a wheelchair. Our complex has a small visitors’ car park with one accessible parking space. I have a valid disability permit, but the body corporate manager told me I can’t park there because it’s for visitors only. The sign doesn’t clearly say it’s for visitors, and there are no accessible parking spaces allocated for residents in our building.
If a prospective buyer makes it a condition of sale that the body corporate repair all defects it is responsible for before settlement, how is this managed when the repairs exceed the committee’s spending limit or require professional advice, such as from engineers? If an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) is required to approve such expenses, who pays for the EGM? What happens if the motion is voted down or delayed and the buyer withdraws as a result?
The previous owner built a fence on common property before I bought my villa unit, and never told me about it. Most residents don't mind, as it's behind a garden and sits directly in front of my unit. There's still access to services. My unit faces the street, bins, and car park, so no one would use the area if there were no fence.
Our five-unit, standard module body corporate recently received its annual fire safety report, which identified that my unit's entrance door needs replacing. The contractor's quote states they no longer paint replacement doors. However, the body corporate manager says I can't paint the new door myself because it requires a special fire-rated undercoat. Is this correct? Are there any specific restrictions or requirements for painting fire-rated apartment doors?
I live in a 3-year-old block of 10 units. One of the lots is a shopfront that has a single toilet connected to the body corporate’s water tanks, which are on common property. The system uses an electric pump powered by common property electricity to supply the toilet.
Members of our committee continually target me and my family. They verbally abuse my father, both in person and by email, and I’ve overheard them speaking poorly about us. The chairperson has been reported to the police several times for verbal and physical harassment and has now sent me a cease-and-desist letter. They also speak negatively about us to other lot owners, often within earshot. What are my rights to stop this behaviour, and is there a way to have them removed from the committee? For context, my father is a lot owner, and I am a tenant in another lot.
At our committee meetings, one lot owner attends every meeting and constantly talks and gives opinions. The chairperson allows this and lets anyone else in attendance speak whenever they want. Aren't lot owners supposed to observe and only speak at the end if invited or given permission? What's the correct process?
Our committee is dealing with a lot owner who won’t respond to a cash settlement offer from the insurance company relating to their building insurance claim. Is there a time limit for how long the offer can remain unresolved? Their refusal to engage or negotiate is frustrating. It prevents us from finalising the claim, affects our ability to secure future insurance policies, and contributes to higher premiums.
I am considering proposing the installation of a CCTV camera on the balcony of our manager’s residence. The camera would cover the front vehicle access gate and pedestrian entrance to monitor the speed of cars entering and leaving the complex, as well as for general security purposes. Is this permitted?