• Read more about Rezoning a commercial lot to a residential lot in our building
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Fifty of the 51 units in our building are residential. The remaining lot is an intended medical practice that has been sitting vacant and not fitted out since 2009. The owner intend to fit out the lot and open a medial practice with six consulting rooms operating 7 days a week, 7 am to 9 pm.

Residential owners would prefer the lot be rezoned for residential use to avoid having to share a lift with possibly highly infectious patients plus the loss of visitor parking spaces. Where does each party stand, legally?

• Read more about Can the strata company take a matter to SAT over a plant dug up from common property?
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I dug up a neglected plant from the common property a few years ago. At our recent AGM, the chair raised the issue and estimated the cost of buying, planting, and tending the plant to be about $5,000. They provided no evidence in support of the amount.

Can they take the matter to SAT for a penalty? What would the penalty range be for something like this?

• Read more about Benchmark information for caretaker remuneration
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I am the chairperson of a strata scheme in Sydney, NSW. We are currently reviewing the remuneration of our caretaker service and would like to know if there is any benchmark information for caretaker remuneration. Our caretaker is contracted to our strata scheme by a building management company.

We have 156 units spread across seven buildings operating on an 8-hour day, 5 days per week, plus a Saturday morning 3-hour service. We pay a remuneration amount of $150k per annum. Is this the market rate?

• Read more about Forced Sale: Can lot owners be forced to sell their unit?
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• Read more about Spending limits and setting budgets
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There is a primary corporation, residential corporation and commercial corporation within our apartment complex for over 250 units.

The residential and commercial corporations are two lots under the primary corporation. Would the management committee have a say in the budget, expenditure and other decision making for the primary corporation?

Would members of the residential corporation have any say about the primary corporation, eg budget, expenditure and others.

• Read more about Strata Industry at Risk – Workplace Safety
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• Read more about Should an OC go to tender when their embedded network agreement is expiring?
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An existing embedded network agreement is coming up to the expiry date. Is it better to roll over the existing contract (and operator), or can we get a better result by going to tender? What are the potential issues?

• Read more about Must I allow access to my storage room for my neighbour's gas pipe installation?
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The neighbouring lot had a gas leak within their property, affecting only their facilities. The contractor suggested installing a new overriding gas line pipe on my side of the common or party wall between our two lots, inside my storage room.

The owners corporation would like access to my storage room to install the pipe and reconnect the gas service to the apartment. The lot owner will pay the costs.

• Read more about Scope of Work Assisting Committees to Manage Rising Costs
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• Read more about Who's responsible for treating mould caused by bad weather in strata units?
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Due to the ongoing rain in Queensland, some of the units in the complex have developed moulds in their units in various rooms.

Two of the unit owners believe this is a body corporate issue and that it needs to be fixed by the body corporate?

There are no pipe leakage in any common areas, just a lack of sunlight due to the amount of rain and the ground being so soaked.