My rented apartment is next to a resident facility room and I'm regularly disturbed by noise — what can I do?

By admin,

I rent in an apartment block that has a grand hall room facility for use by the residents. The facility room is situated right next to my apartment. Moving in, I knew this was the case, although the noise is getting out of control. The by-laws state that occupants must be out of the room by 10:00 pm but this rarely happens. I'm forever knocking on the door, asking them to keep the noise down and / or leave the room. In addition, it's noisy at other times when residents are setting up for events and moving furniture around the room.

Can a council of owners member selling their unit remain on the council, and should they be restricted from voting on matters that could affect their property's value?

By admin,

If a council of owners (CoO) member decides to sell, is this a conflict of interest? Can the council request that person withdraw from the CoO or not cast any votes? Given that a selling member's priorities may diverge from the broader interests of the strata body corporate, should there be specific guidelines or procedures in place to manage potential conflicts of interest during this period?

Is there a limit on the term of a building management contract and at what point can we terminate it?

By admin,

Under the latest revision of the STA 1985, is there a limit on the term of a building management contract?

Our building manager was engaged by the strata company. They have five years left on a ten year contract. The CoO wants to revisit this contract.

The original 10+10 contract was executed 15 years ago and assigned to the current manager two and a half years ago.

If the current contract exceeds the term limitations, can a change in term be enforced under the Act?

Who's accountable when an EGM may not be required and costs aren't disclosed?

By admin,

In our over 55's complex, approval was required for a roof to replace an existing approved roof on lot property. The new roof was to be paid by the owner at no cost to the sinking fund. It was unlikely that an EGM would be held for months, so the body corporate volunteered to cover the EGM costs to initiate the approval process. The strata manager provided no paperwork for arranging the meeting, nor was there a schedule of fees. The chairman verbally estimated costs of $500, which was approved and paid.

Insurance Implications of having a Working Bee

By admin,

The executive committee at our complex recently approved a voluntary working bee to spread mulch in the common area garden.

The executive committee asked participants to identify themselves to the committee for the record so they would be covered by the voluntary workers insurance covering personal injury and liability to others. The participants took exception to the request and went ahead with the working bee with no one having informed the EC that they would be taking part.

Are we expected to pay the huge fire call out fee?

By admin,

Recently the building’s fire alarm siren went off in our apartment building. I was working from home and quickly grabbed my bag and keys and evacuated outside. By the time I got to the bottom of the steps, it stopped so I went back and started working again. This happened AGAIN a few moments later. I assumed after that, the fire alarms were just being tested.

Should residents be told when alarm testing is occurring? I was quite concerned and also annoyed that I evacuated twice and wasn’t advised.

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