Question; Our building manager uses a drone to carry out ‘balcony audits’. Would Committee approval be required for this type of inspection?
Our building manager uses a drone to carry out ‘balcony audits’.
They are checking on balcony furniture, pot plants etc.
This seems like a gross invasion of privacy. Would Committee approval be required for this type of inspection?
Aswer: You could potentially put a motion to a general meeting to prohibit use of drones, although I’d urge caution on that.
‘Invasion of privacy’ is not something covered under strata legislation. If you are suggesting a privacy concern, you would need to make enquiries with the Office of the Information Commissioner for further information. There are also specific rules around the use of drones in Australia: take a look at Drone rules for further information.
If your enquiries reveal that the body corporate has potentially not done the right thing, you can then take it up with the committee to rectify. It’s the committee that has the direct engagement with the body corporate manager. After that you might have the ability to make a complaint with either of those agencies listed above.
You could potentially put a motion to a general meeting to prohibit use of drones, although I’d urge caution on that. If you are in a multi-storey building, drone surveillance might actually be the most cost effective outcome and doing it a different way may impact upon your levies.
This post appears in the February 2023 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.
Chris Irons Strata Solve E: chris@stratasolve.com.au P: 0419 805 898