Travels etc.

It's been a while since  the last post In January 2016 the owner lodged an application to NCAT against owners corporation to fix three major defects: - waterproofing of large windows in the living room and bedroom which led to windows full replacement - bathroom drain fix - planterbox fix The owners corporation didn't come to mediation and tribunal ordered to fix all defects within 2 months (the deadline was 8th July 2016). The owners corporation as usual didn't rush to comply with the order regarding two items: bathroom and planterbox. The windows works started end of April 2016. At the same time owners corporation decided to check whether it's a warranty and original builder should fix the issues. That was also related to the fact that the variation was submitted by the current contractor who started fixing the defect. So the owners corporation stopped all works in the middle and went off for a month to "make decision". The decision was mad...

A story from one user of  http://strataboss.com.au A strata unit owner has got a problem with exhaust fan in the bathroom and requested a strata manager to send someone to fix it. An electrician came and fixed the issue. Next day the strata manager sent an invoice to the unit owner and requested a payment or proposed adding that amount to the levies bill. The owner went to  http://strataboss.com.au , chose the problem location (bathroom) and the problem (exhaust fan) and got a c omplete information about who is responsible: If it is inside the lot it is the Owners responsibility. If it is mounted within "Structural cubic space" e.g. communal ducting or a false ceiling which is designed to carry communal pipes etc or outside the lot, then it is the responsibility of the Owners Corporation. In that case the fan is not inside the lot and therefore is Owners Corporation's responsibility. Instant savings of $100!

Almost 8 months passed from the time of previous post and here's how the owners corporations activities looked like to "resolve" the defects/problems: 1. Independent inspection report was ordered and completed 1st June 2015. The report confirmed the defects that were known to owners corporation already. It should be noted that in the period between December 2014 and June 2015 the only attempts by owners corporation to resolve the issues were to convince the lot owner that it's the owner's personal responsibility. Therefore half a year gone with a couple of meetings only, because people were "on holidays", "busy" etc. 2. Between 3rd July 2015 and end of July 2015 the strata manager spent "contacting the builders for quotes". Until owner called the strata manager nothing have happend. 3. By the end of August 2015 all quotes were in place. The meeting of all owners was set up for the 7th October! Because as usual "holid...

Reducing costs of strata unit ownership: start with identifying who is responsible for maintenance and rectifications of the common property that affects the unit at http://strataboss.com.au

When dealing with strata living and issues related to a unit or common property it is crucial to identify the responsible party as soon as possible! Having ceiling falling on your tenants or your beloved cat and dog? Need to paint the door to your unit? Waterproofing is not functioning? Other major or minor issues with the unit? Regardless of the severity of the problem, you can spend months before you realize that the reponsibility is not yours, but either a builder or owners corporation. In addition to that you may spend some money on investigation and/or fixing the problem which is not yours. Fortunately there is a tool which can help you out identifying who is responsible and where you can start your claims and/or fixes: http://strataboss.com.au The tool is simple - choose where the problem is located, what is the problem and see who is responsible - you as an owner or owners corporation as a whole (which will potentially save you a lot of money in some cases). Enjoy!

On the 24th February 2015 (six months ago) the Owners Corporation of an apartment block lodged an application to NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) seeking orders to appoint compulsory manager of a strata scheme and to refund the fees paid to the former strata manager. The application caused by negligent and inacceptable behaviour by strata manager and included the following concerns: -        No proper service for two years -        Breaching of the rules and not following the orders of Owners Corporation -        Spending money on items that were not agreed or ordered by Owners Corporation -        Not servicing fire safety inspections and insurance for the building appropriately -        Other issues   All the documentation related to the above-mentioned problems has been submitted to the ...

This post is a continuation of the long process that started in December 2011 and is still going. Here’s the link to the whole story: http://traveloga.blogspot.com/p/home-building-issues-sydney-experience.html An idea of this publication is to draw attention of people who are interested or involved in the building industry, property market, construction, property development and property management and ownership. That should help to raise awareness and to ignite conversations with relevant people in law making, business and other communities who could take this information to account when they dealing with relevant matters and think about quality of the work and of research and education. This matter is about building defects that are covered by statutory warranty, but in reality are covered by rather a joke. Well to be fair to all parties some minor defects (that are similar to paint a crack or to replace broken toilet paper roll holder) were brilliantly rectified by the resp...

If you talk to people who own apartments/units in NSW 99% of them will say something like "our strata is totally dysfunctional" and some of them might say "our strata management is quite good". Below I will explain what they mean by saying that, because what they are referring to may be quite different from what they say. Term "strata" is used by majority as something that relevant to ownership, management and ongoing maintenance of a block of units. The concept of strata title was introduced in 1961 in Australia to deal with property rights of apartment blocks. Strata title allows individual ownership of "a lot" which is part of the building (apartment, unit, townhouse) together with shared ownership in the "Common Property" which is the remainder of the building that is not included in the individual lots (i.e. walls, roofs, foyers, planters, pathways, parking etc.). This is a type of communal ownership and living. The keyword...