• Read more about Can committee members be paid for their work?
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Our large estate is over 20 years old and now requires a lot of maintenance and repairs for extensive common grounds. Once, we had a committee of 10. This is now a committee of just three people. They go above and beyond and devote a lot of their personal time, care and effort.

The cost of $120k to hire a manager for the estate would increase residents fees. Is it possible to reward/compensate committee members for their ongoing services? Can we remove their need to pay OC fees? What is the usual process for committee member compensation?

• Read more about Do owners have a right to access all common property floors in their building?
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About ten years ago, the intermediate doors on each floor were removed, and access to the floor by lift (and via the fire stairs) was controlled by a security fob. At that time, the committee decided to limit owner's access to their apartment's floor and to the floor with the gym.

Do owners in buildings with common property have a right to access all normally accessible areas of common property (excluding special areas such as switch rooms, etc.)? I understand this right is spelled out in disability legislation.

• Read more about Can a strata manager force the strata company to switch to a broker?
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Our strata company deals with a direct insurer. The strata manager wants us to transition to an insurance broker, which will see us incur a (as yet undisclosed) fee.

Our previous strata manager charged a $1500 commission on top of their management fee. We chose our current strata manager specifically because they administered our insurance directly with no additional cost apart from their management fee.

• Read more about Whose details on the address for service?
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Whose details should be on the address for service? If the secretary regularly checks the strata mailbox at the physical address, what is the advantage of using the strata manager’s address on the Certificate of Title? Every change of strata management would require updating the Certificate of Title, potentially incurring costs for the owners corporation.

• Read more about Organising lot insurance in a gated community
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I live in a gated community. It is hard to get insurance. The strata plan is an accommodation module, approx 160 freestanding houses, most on poles. Lot owners own the house and the lot. There are no common walls or roofs. The remainder of the property falls under strata. There is a live-in manager on site. Most insurance companies I've approached won't offer insurance. Not all strata schemes are the same.

• Read more about The right to privacy in your lot
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An adjoining unit's window looks directly into our unit's upstairs balcony and bedroom.

We have no privacy in these areas and have to close the bedroom blinds to prevent being seen when lying in bed. Neighbours can view our bed no matter where it is located.

Are there any state-building privacy regulations or standards regarding privacy in a lot that override the body corporate or adjoining unit owner's response?

• Read more about Increasing building security in a strata scheme
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We recently had a series of burglaries in our complex. The offenders, on bicycles, tailgated residents entering the underground car park. The car park can be exited by opening the garage door using a manual button or via the lifts providing ground floor access without a swipe.

• Read more about Pursuing the builder for a leak in my lot
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I own and live in an apartment on level three of our building in Canberra. I am the first owner of the apartment. The complex is not yet three years old.

The unit below reported a leak in the ceiling to strata management. Strata management sent a plumber to investigate. The plumber advised that a sealant issue originated in the under-the-floor toilet pipe in my bathroom and could only be fixed from the unit below.

• Read more about Can a committee vote to implement a discount for early payment of levy contributions?
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• Read more about Small strata scheme building valuation fees
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We are a three lot strata. We paid several hundred dollars last year for a building valuation. Our current insurer suggested we are now significantly undervalued, particularly with rising costs. Quotes for new valuations start from $1.5K, which is prohibitive for us.

All online calculators seem to use the same database and specifically state they are not suitable for strata insurance. They seem far too general, anyway. A 'cost per lot' quote has been suggested and seems to be the most comprehensive.