A NSW committee member would like to know how to improve communications within the strata committee. Rod Smith, The Strata Collective provides the following response.
Question: I’m secretary of our strata committee and the chairperson refuses to communicate about upcoming structural changes. How can we improve communications?
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I am the secretary of a strata committee and the chairperson has been in charge of structural change required to comply with a fire upgrade. He is not answering my calls or texts in relation to obtaining more information about the changes.
There has been very little communication within the committee and I’ve found out by accidentally stumbling across a builder on-site, that decisions have been made about material choices.
What can I do?
Answer: Call a Meeting to discuss these issues with the entire committee to make sure that all members are in agreement regarding the course of action.
This is an excellent question. The Secretary should call a Strata Committee Meeting to discuss these issues with the entire committee to make sure that all Strata Committee members are in agreement regarding the course of action.
I would suggest that the scope of works, quotations and any council orders be provided to all members of the strata committee prior to the meeting. The builder should also attend the meeting to discuss any questions.
I would suggest that you engage both the chairperson and the strata manager to put together the agenda. This will ensure that they are also informed of the requirement of the other members of the strata committee to improve communications and transparency.
It is likely that a strata manager will have experience with dealing with fire matters and they would likely be a good resource for your strata committee moving forward.
Related Articles
- Changes in Legislation to Annual Fire Safety Statements NSW
- NSW: Taming Keyboard Warriors – How to Deal With Unreasonable Strata Communications
- Decisions of the Strata Committee
This post appears in Strata News #272.
Rod Smith
The Strata Collective
T: 02 9879 3547
E: [email protected]
This article is for reference purposes only and is not intended to be a comprehensive review of the developments in the law and practice or to cover all aspect of the subject matter. It does not constitute legal or other advice and should not be relied upon this way. Readers should take legal or other advice before applying the information containing in this publication.
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I have been “instructed” by our strata manager that I must send any request directly to her and that she will then decide whether to send on. This has now added another layer for communications with our SC.