Question: An owner will only communicate with the committee via the strata manager. Can we instruct the manager to record all costs from this owner and advise the owner to communicate with the committee?
Our committee is very functional. Most members work hard to keep up with repairs and maintenance, volunteering extensive time to improve the complex. Most owners are grateful, approachable, and support the committee.
Our body corporate manager (BCM) is very good, but was not happy when the committee communicated that they are in control, running the body corporate. We only outsource tasks to the manager and see them as supporting and assisting the committee.
An owner involved in a common property repair/replacement project will only communicate with the committee via the BCM, costing us $20 every 6 minutes of the BCM’s time. The BCM forwards the email to the committee, we respond and send it back to the BCM, who forwards it to the owner.
We are unsure if the BCM encouraged the owner to only communicate with the committee via them. Can we instruct the BCM to record all costs from this owner and advise the owner to communicate with the committee?
Answer: Advise the owner that the issue will only progress if they contact the committee directly.
The committee are the appointed delegates of the site, and the body corporate manager is appointed to assist them. It’s fine if you only want the manager to provide minimal assistance per their contract. If the manager is not happy with that, take your business elsewhere.
The troublesome owner is dealing with the committee, whether they like it or not – you are the ones who are making the decisions. You can’t stop them from contacting the BCM, but you could advise the manager to simply forward the correspondence to you, and then you can respond directly to the owner. Or maybe you could advise the owner that the issue will only progress if they contact the committee directly. Think about what outcome you want and apply your strategy on that basis.
William Marquand Tower Body Corporate E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au P: 07 5609 4924