Question: The committee is not taking action on known termite risks. As a lot owner, what can I do to quickly get a termite baiting system installed and prevention carried out?
No pest inspections or treatments had been carried out in our 8 lot, 40 year old scheme for the past two years. In 2022, the committee voted to approve a pest and termite inspection quote. The pest inspection/treatment has just been completed. Concerned, I requested from the body corporate manager reports dating back to 2019 when I purchased my unit. All reports identified many water leaks, timber rot and termite risk factors, with strong recommendations for termite baiting or chemical barrier. The committee has taken no action to address any of the reported risks apart from a quick termite dusting on my lot. As a lot owner, what can I do to quickly get a termite baiting system installed and prevention carried out?
Answer: Work with your fellow owners on a solution.
To get things moving quickly, you need to work with your fellow owners on a solution. If you are on the committee, work within that group. Communicate with the other members, discuss the issue with them and see if they agree. Do you have a quote for a termite barrier? If not, contact the pest inspector and ask them for one. Ask for a vote to approve the quote if it is within the committee’s limit. If it is above the limit, an EGM might have to be called.
If you are not on the committee, you can still communicate with members and ask them to take action. Again, get a quote a submit that. Maybe get a copy of the roll and correspond with all owners so they are aware of the reports and the risk. See if it is possible to be a consensus for action.
If you can get a discussion going, hopefully, you can get to the point where a decision can be made. If you can’t get people to engage with you, you’ll have to go down the formal paths. Submit a committee motion or motion to be included in the next AGM/EGM notice. If necessary, file a claim via a commissioner’s office. These solutions aren’t quick, but they are the avenues available.
If you thought it was serious enough and the evidence from the pest controller was damning, you could perhaps seek an urgent adjudication. That’s fairly extreme, so you would need good evidence calling for immediate action.
Remember, in these situations, other owners might not be reacting simply because they are unsure of what to do. It is important to keep your communication clear and logical. Sometimes owners are afraid to spend money and you need to remind them that they are obliged to maintain body corporate property. It can be hard to get people onside so demonstrate that you are reasonable in your communication and open to working with people. Think about the owners at your site and what will work with them. Is an informal meeting via Zoom or onsite more likely to produce a positive outcome than calling an EGM? If yes, then follow that path. Maybe start by bringing one or two other owners on board and then discuss with the rest. Think through the pathways of resolution to try and determine the best course of action.
This post appears in Strata News #646.
William Marquand Tower Body Corporate E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au P: 07 5609 4924