Question: The owners corporation has arranged repairs within my lot. I’m not being kept informed. It’s my lot so shouldn’t I be kept in the loop?
My property is damaged. During the repair process, my strata’s contracted tradesperson and the strata manager do not keep me informed about what is being proposed. My strata manager insists that any information is the Committee’s business, not mine.
I was under the impression I owned my own home and had the right to know what was happening and when.
Answer: Simple matters such as what is happening and when should be communicated to any resident to ensure the success of the job.
In a strata scheme, the owners corporation is responsible for the repair and maintenance of “common property”.
Common property can exist within the home – some common examples are the ceiling, the boundary walls, the floor (beneath the floor coverings), bathroom tiles and waterproofing (affixed to the floor and any boundary walls). I won’t delve into what is or is not common property in this response, as there are plenty of resources for that.
The important thing to remember is that in a strata scheme, you can have common property inside your home that does not belong to you.
With the owners corporation being responsible for it, the owners corporation decides how it must be repaired/maintained, such as which tradespeople to use or their scope of works.
An owners corporation would not repair/maintain anything that is not common property. There might be an insurance claim that covers damage to an owners property (e.g. kitchen cabinetry) however in this instance it is the insurer who is in control of the works.
Putting all of this aside, the controller of any works is not prevented from the simple courtesy of keeping you as an owner and/or occupant informed of the works being done within your home or investment. Simple matters such as what is happening and when should be communicated to any resident to ensure the success of the job. After all, that resident has to be available to provide access.
It doesn’t necessarily give the resident the right to control the job, but it does promote harmony in community living and makes everyone’s lives easier.
Tim Sara Sara Strata E: tim@sarastrata.com.au P: 04 8500 7960