Strata Chat With Joey

Second part of my chat about AirBnB and what owners can do if they have concerns.

Body corporate’s cannot change by laws to stop air bnb. Common issues that go along with AirBnB include noise, additional parking problems, public drunkenness and additional wear and tear on common property assets.

Your scheme may have a nature strip or it may have extensive gardens, owners may live on site and want to spend additional $$$$ or the owners might all be investors. There is no standard cost - it is dependant upon each scheme’s idiosyncrasies.

Replace it. Now. It will fail and when it does the water may destroy the cupboard as well. Don’t risk it.

Defamation is a common problem in body corporate schemes and it is easy for a keyboard warrior hit send on an email to a caretaker or a fellow committee member alleging that they have failed to do X or accusing them of having done X when in reality the accuser has no access to the emails or telephone calls of the accused party. It’s a dangerous game and as a committee member the body corporate’s insurance may not cover you for defamation because it is often excluded.

Quick segment on courtyards today. General speaking if it’s attached to your lot and you are getting enjoyment out of it, it’s your job to look after it. So get out there, pull some weeds, keep you trees trimmed and keep that courtyard looking nice.

I am a property nerd as we know from previous episodes. PD Online is a great resource for those who want to know about approvals granted or being considered by council. Even if you just want to have a sticky beak it’s free and worth a look.

Depending on the location of your scheme, it might be possible to get rent out of the common property by entering into a lease with a telecommunications company. It’s worth exploring and even though the income is taxed in owners hands it may help with the burden of levies.

If your building is more than 6 months old it may have copper wire as the phone line connecting the lift to the outside world. With the arrival of the NBN that copper line may cease to be operational and it is important to start thinking now about what to do about that and what options are out there.

Pretty self explanatory the NBN is here and strata buildings are not immune.

Traditionally your lawyer will do a land tax search as part of the purchasing process and whether land tax is payable or not will depend upon many factors including the value of the land you already own. In my experience most people who are looking to buy their first apartment will not be liable for land tax due to its likely value and the exemptions applicable. With all things legal ask your lawyer and also land tax is not a body corporate expense. There is no ability to ask the body corporate to pay it, if you are liable then you as the owner must pay it.

A quick overview of my thought process when budgeting levies for a sinking fund which is based on a completely out of date forecast.

Every year owners are required to vote upon whether the financial records for the scheme should be audited or not. Some schemes see this as a waste of money while others think of it as piece of mind.

Still angry that today I received not one but two quotes from two different fire contractors who perhaps had not even looked in the secure fire box before they sent the quote off. It pissed me off because committee members have limited time and now I have to send them a quote and copies of recent reports to show that work was already done. What are the fire contractors thinking? Are they just trawling for work? Are they sending out quotes in the hope that the committee will just throw money at the issue??? Still mad.

Today I talk about the importance of a quorum and how, when combined with notice it lends validity to the decisions made at a meeting, whether that meeting be for the #committee or at a general meeting of #strata owners.

First day back at work is under my belt. Was expecting 200+ emails but came back to maybe 120 and many of those wishing me a happy New Year. This year will be lit. Looking forward to diving in to it.

Today’s rant is about fire contractors and the types of issues I have seen come across my desk as a body corporate manager. It is not uncommon to see bait pricing, to see quotes still being issued when work has been completed or to see a second quote for work which was completed months ago. If you are sitting on a committee, take a good hard look at what you are being charged for. Are you getting bang for buck? Do not be afraid to sack a bad contractor and do not sign a contract for a year or anything.

Is there an abandoned garden your your unit complex that you would like to adopt? How to get committee permission and what to expect. Also consider a verge garden - council regulate that but you can plant there and make it beautiful.

Really important to think about having the gutters on your building cleaned at least once a year to stop the breakdown of debris which can cause those gutters to rust. Gutters are not cheap to replace.

Today I talk about painting and the usual challenges and issues a committee should consider as part of the quoting process. Get a good contractor and get a proper scope done.