Question: An owner wants to charge a battery on common power in the basement car park and pay $60 a year. Should the committee agree?
An owner wants to use common property power in our basement car park to run a battery charger (not lithium). The charger would run on a timer, 24/7, and be left unattended. They’ve offered to pay $60 a year to cover the electricity.
What’s the policy on this?
Answer: There’s no simple yes or no, but if the committee agrees, it should document the decision and sign an agreement covering the cost and terms of use.
There is a specific policy, but I can think of lots of questions you may want to ask.
- Are you confident that the agreed amount of usage will cover the cost? We don’t know what kind of battery it is, but you should be able to do some calculations to work this out.
- How will the usage be controlled?
- Who will monitor it?
- Will the charger interfere with other lots?
- Does it block any pathways or present any hazard?
- What is the reason the owner can’t charge the battery within their own lot?
- What will you do if other owners want similar utility? Say someone wanted to charge an electric vehicle. It’s a similar principle. Would you accept a proposal like that?
- What if the battery caused a fire?
- Have you checked with your insurer?
We don’t know anything about your scheme or the people in it. This could be a harmless request the body corporate agrees to, with no incident. There is nothing wrong with applying practical solutions and helping owners out.
On the other hand, simple requests like this can produce unintended consequences, and strata has a way of making even the most straightforward matters deeply complicated.
The marginal gain for the body corporate here is minor: $60 less electricity costs. Is it worth taking on additional risk for no real gain? From a hard-headed perspective, you would probably say no.
If the committee decides to say yes, it should carefully document what it is agreeing to. Make the decision at a committee meeting or via a vote outside the committee meeting (VOC) so there is an official record. Sign an agreement over the cost and terms of usage. Think through all the ways a problem or dispute could emerge and try to mitigate them in advance.
Sorry if this sounds a bit negative and complicated. I understand the frustration owners feel when strata thinking gets in the way of what seems like sensible decisions. However, scheme administrators have to think through all the options like this. The scheme is a legal entity with responsibility to multiple parties, and that structure doesn’t always lend itself to a practical framework.
This post appears in Strata News #814.
William Marquand Tower Body Corporate E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au P: 07 5609 4924
