How do we solve double water charging caused by a mix of shared and individual meters?

By admin,

I live in a strata plan with twelve units and four townhouses. We all share the same lot liability and equal levy payments. The building has a shared water meter for all units, while the townhouses have separate meters. The owners corporation covers the water charges for the units, but townhouse residents pay for their water.

Therefore, townhouse owners are charged for water twice. What steps can townhouse owners take to address and rectify this situation?

Is a strata manager's contract valid if signed by only one owner?

By admin,

I live in a three-unit strata complex. When we engaged a strata manager, only one lot owner and the manager were present to formalise the contract. They decided on a three-year term without consulting the other owners, and the contract was signed only by that one lot owner with the manager. Does this make the contract invalid?

Can an off-the-plan purchaser request accurate levy information from the developer before settlement?

By admin,

I expect to settle on an apartment mid-2026 which was purchased off-the-plan in December 2021.

I am aware of circumstances where conflict arose after developers underestimated levies, resulting in increases. Can owners request that the developer provide details about the determination of levies?

How can I increase the likelihood of receiving an accurate levy figure at settlement?

Can the committee remove owner's stored items from the car park?

By admin,

The committee would like to clean up the common property parking area. Our building has high turnover of tenanted lots. Residents and past residents stored their items outside of their lot car park spaces against common property walls. Can the committee remove these items?

AirBnB nuisance issues in a community title property — where do owners stand?

By admin,

I am the secretary of a NSW community title property. Someone from out of the state owns one home. They sub-lets the entire home as an AirBnB.

We are having issues with noise, use of common property (pool, BBQs), etc. I'm aware that under strata title, a by-law can be created to address this behaviour, but I can't find anything of that kind for our community title complex.

Can the owners corporation call in a strata loan without consulting lot owners?

By admin,

Our owners corporation decided to call in the loan taken out about 24 months ago, without consulting lot owners. This amount was added to a quarterly invoice without explanation and, upon querying the additional fee, we were advised that some owners wanted to pay the loan off to save on interest.

Does the owners corporation have the authority to call this loan in without consulting the owners or raising it at the AGM?

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