Strata Chat With Joey

Yesterday an angry Committee member called me to complain the I had not taken a step in a matter when he was the only Committee member to have instructed me. I realised he thought his one instruction was sufficient. But in a Committee situation it wasn’t.

Today I explore those options open to the Committee who have received a Workplace Health and Safety report with a long laundry list of items to be attended to. It’s not all bad news and with good management those items can be dealt with.

In this episode I talk about dealing with neighbours and how to go about seeking access to their lot where that might be needed to put up a ladder and clean gutters or wash windows.

Now that my friend has exited his former firm I’ve started researching and reading cases about secret commissions to get a handle on the important issues and hurdles.

It’s a difficult time of year when contractors are on holidays. I am struggling to get meaningful information from various contractors to pass on to my Committees and it’s quite frustrating. Having a bit of a vent.

A quick rundown of the standard 11 steps involved in a fencing project.

Even though you have the right as an SFP owner to maintain your roof, you should consider getting approval and having your solar panels noted on the records as being on the roof for your scheme.

Not all buildings are built the same, some require very specific fire protection assets to be installed like fire pumps and back to base monitoring. These requirements are set by the Council and Certifier’s involved in getting the building ready for human habitation.

Make sure you seek permission for the For Sale sign to be erected, email your body corporate manager to find out how to seek permission.

Today I describe what a building Format Plan is and why that plan type will determine to a large extent what is a body corporate maintenance responsibility and what is a lot owner maintenance responsibility.

The first question we ask as Body corporate managers whenever a maintenance issue arises is what type of plan the scheme was registered under. Today I talk about the Standard Format Plan scheme and common owner maintenance issues.

There are certain decisions that a Committee has no “jurisdiction” to make. This episode is an overview of that.

Today I talk about the standard motions which body corporate owners are required to vote on at each AGM.

In this episode I talk about the 5 most common mistakes/issues a Committee might mis-handle and how to manage that better.

An overview of shortfalls in my day to day role that I am confident can be cured by advances in artificial intelligence, software programs that will help me to better support Committees and get onto their queries with a timely response.

As we plunge in to Stage 2 of the Cladding compliance project it seems the QBCC are expanding their scope to consider what attachments to the common property of the building are or might be flammable. It’s possible the QBCC might want to make it a requirement for things like an air conditioner to now be certified or for plantation shutters to now be certified but we don’t have enough information just yet.

A bit of background to the by-law drafting process as a former property lawyer to explain why you might have a set of by-laws that don’t really work for your scheme.

Water leaks are a bitch, but it’s not always the case that a random contractor who touched one aspect of your building is forever responsible for every single other water leak problem that arises after they have visited your scheme. Today I discuss an ongoing water leak issue I’ve been grappling with.

What options are open to a Committee if they notice vacant land next door is being built on? What if a crane shows up and building material is being sailed in the body corporate’s air space? This is a very niche area but yes there are options. More importantly the body corporate could get money out of that neighbour.

I’ve not seen a sinking fund forecast that includes waterproofing even though the body corporate is often responsible for replacing it over time. In this episode I talk about why it’s not included and what a Committee can do about that.