Strata Chat With Joey

If you are yelling and screaming at your AGM, expect to be asked to leave. Raised voices will not be tolerated, you can be thrown out or the meeting may be closed. There is no rule that says motions have to be discussed or debated prior to a vote, The Chairperson can just call for a vote. If that does not work for you, find out the costs of calling an EGM and put your grievances to the vote.

Committee members are entitled to have peace of mind which means that instead of using their personal address they use a generic committee email which is only checked periodically. We all deserve our privacy and mental bandwidth and this is one way to reclaim that.

A lot owner has agreed to take a position on the committee and has concerns about the barrage of emails and contact. My advice to her in today’s episode.

A scheme I manage had a burst water main which was a body corporate issue but that is not always the case. If the problem is before the water meter often the council or water authority have the job of fixing it. A gods plumber will investigate that before jumping into the work, a great plumber will call the water authority for you and report the fault.

It’s Tuesday one of my favourite days of the week. I am totally positive it will be a great day and I get to meet committee members at a building I have recently started managing. #winning #strata

A quick overview of entitlements and where to find them just in case you didn’t read all of the information your lawyer sent you when you bought your unit or apartment or townhouse.

An interesting question about who fixes an intercom and what needs to happen to determine maintenance responsibilities. It may not always be the body corporate’s job to fix it.

I’ve had two good interactions with an online clothesline company who have helped out committees with an old clothesline that needed replacing. Committee we’re happy and job done reasonably cheaply and quickly. #strata #bodycorporate

Top five indicators of a good tenant: 1. Pays rent on time. 2. Brings maintenance issues up. 3. RESPECT. 4. Gets along with neighbours. 5. Prepared to be flexible.

All committees have a spending limit. It may be $200 per lot of that amount might be greater than that if the amount has been varied in a general meeting. The committee spending limit is a handbrake on committee spending and it can make the committee stop and consider getting a second quote. Sometimes in the interests of practicality the committee will spend more than the spending limit if an issue needs to be attended to quickly. They may ask owners to ratify this spend at the next general meeting.

If you want to bring your building into the 21st century by changing the colours on the outside of the scheme then all owners need to vote on that and the resolution is “special” meaning this is not a decision the committee can make. The owners can consider a change of paint colour at the AGM or an EGM can be called.

Check today whether your body corporate manager has the correct details for you. It’s just a one line email to get them updated if you have moved or appointed an agent.

Sometimes it happens - you vote “no” to a motion but everyone else votes “yes” and now you are stuck with something you didn’t want. I’m sorry it’s not the answer you want and today I talk about what happened to an owner I talked to.

A quick overview of what I am doing to get answers for a scheme that has suffered tremendous water flow, my interactions with Council and a small win.

Are your common property lights slow to come in in the morning when you are leaving your complex, maybe lights are night are not turning in until it is well and truly dark. It might be time for you to find your body corporate manager and investigate whether the lighting timer needs adjustment. You may not need an electrician for this, but you might need someone over 5feet talk, imho.

Yeah. I really do. I hate the feeling of people being disappointed by having to wait on me for a response to various items.

Today a discuss a committee’s ability to over rule the vote of owners at a general meeting #strata #bodycorporate

This follows up an earlier episode featuring painting and a body corporate. In today’s update I talk about the painter’s second attempt to set himself up a claim for additional cash in the form of adding another coat of paint to the job. Be aware guys, these contractors are out there and you need to be on your guard to make sure they do not take advantage.

Owners need to be aware that bait pricing is a practice certain contractors use to get the work. At some stage they find a way to either weasel out of the job or try and tack on additional charges for what is no longer included.

My experience is that owner occupiers and investor owners have different needs/wants and therefore opinions on how the owners money should be spent on issues at the scheme. There is an opportunity there to draw on the experience of both for the betterment of the scheme.