Strata Chat with Joey

Today I discuss the committees option to replace a retired committee member by voting at committee level and appointing a new committee member.

I recently had to oversee a Dektites replacement project. This episode discusses what Dektites are and why you might need to get them replaced.

Today I tackle a reported water leak and give an outline of the steps I will take to assist the committee get on with finding and fixing the source of the leak. It starts with more evidence.

Today I talk about how we’ve been able to cure a lot of ongoing maintenance issues by having access to the information and resources provided by occupiers working from home.

As a body corporate manager we are often forced into the role of project manager and today I highlight the ups and downs of that.

I’m having fun and games with a building full of tenants who cannot connect to the NBN. Is NBN in the building? Is it on every level? If it’s on every level why does it not work in the units? Why don’t the NBN plans match with what is actually wired into the building? Wait is that cabling for security cameras or does it house NBN infrastructure? This episode is about my attempts to solve this problem for owners.

Solar panels can be a great way to defray rising electricity costs for a body corporate but they come with their own issues. For example the committee needs to think about budgeting for ongoing cleaning of the Panels each year. Debris and nesting material left by birds can be a fire hazard so regular maintenance is important.

In Episode 198 I talked about a Scheme with a split committee in which no agreement could be reached and the in fighting was preventing the committee with getting on with important decisions that needed to be made. Well with the AGM came a new committee and now we get to press on with more important issues than petty point scoring. Expected fire works at the AGM and was not disappointed.

Development approvals can be tricky and today I explain problems with a bin enclosure being in each units courtyard.

A commonly failing little known piece of infrastructure is the tempering valve. As a body corporate manager I often do not know what is or is not working when it comes to hot water. Today I talk about tempering valves and the purpose they serve.

Following an interesting call from an owner about a bush Turkey that has moved in to her complex I have decided to share my bush turkey secrets. It is not a body corporate issue, bush turkeys are protected.

Do you or someone you know have a ventilator, respirator or kidney dialysis machine at their home? Have they registered that life support system with Energex? Today’s chat is about the importance of registering and government concessions available.

I have a Scheme with a split committee which has made it hard to get agreement on anything really and when it comes to the AGM agreement is kind of critical. So this is how I managed that.

I had a 20 minute phone all with a Committee member on Friday who was disappointed other members of the Committee continued to disagree with him and he is wallowing in that disappointment. But that’s not the end of it. If your project is reasonable, if it’s genuinely going to positively impact the scheme then keep putting your point forward. People change, opinions change. Be the positive change you want to see.

We never get all the docs we need for a building and I have a scheme that is getting rendering repaired and we did not have the paint specs. Contacted the original builder and they sent the paint specs right over. I call that a win.

I have managed to smash out 4 sets of minutes and got my emails down to 105. I’ve had no major maintenance issues which is great. Have spent quite a bit of time training a new assistant. Would like to be further in front but not there yet.

I’ve got one budget done, that fishing water leak resolved itself and I am down to 117 emails. I am getting work done but it’s very slow. The good news is no further meetings today.

I am down to 127 emails, I I have one gushing water leak, I have 12 agendas to go out this month, 7 sets of minutes. I’ve had one 40 minute meeting already and it’s 10.30. On my way to grab coffee.

Welcome to an overview of how I spend my days. This is waking up and getting to the gym.

I manage a scheme where one Committee member is alleged to be making other owners uncomfortable to the point of bullying. All of those allegations aside, there are options open to the committee members and today I provide a quick overview of those options.

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.

I have a Committee that can not agree to pay a contractor and following a recent vote change the majority Committee now want to allow payment. It’s not straight forward as I can’t just authorise payment as a body corporate manager. In today’s episode I talk about how I will manage the situation moving forward.

A Committee member who was a bit of a handful has passed on. I feel conflicted because we didn’t always agree and projects at the scheme were not completed. Today I talk about the paperwork side of death and your body corporate. We are always the last to know.

Sometimes as a body corporate manager we will fail to meet committee expectations and they will press the owners to sack us. It’s a fact of life that I cannot please everyone. When a scheme exercises their right to go elsewhere my job is to work with them to ensure a smooth transfer of their records to the new company.

I have a scheme full of older ladies very keen not to spend any money on the place and their fire compliance was woeful until the most recent AGM where they finally agreed to get their fire doors tested and appoint a fire contractor.

As we approach the end of Stage 1 for Cladding compliance it turns out the QBCC has very unhelpfully written to some owners directly, causing alarm and concern. Doing the best we can to manage that but it’s not easy when owners often don’t read what has been sent to them at first instance.

How I usually prepare a draft sinking fund budget where there is no sinking fund forecast or it is completely out of date.

Sometimes individual Committee members will disagree with each other and it’s not always a bad thing. If Committee members can remain respectful and reasonable in their dealing with each other it can mean outside the box solutions are uncovered.

A scheme I manage was presented with a sewer pipe issue and two contractors with different points of view on how to deal with the issues. These are both good firms with experience and so I called both to get an explanation on the difference between relining a sewer pipe as opposed to replacing it.

A quick overview of what a WH&S report covers and why a body corporate would consider getting one to protect itself.

I’ve previously talked about secret commissions a body corporate manager might be taking and today I wanted to talk about the types of secret commissions a caretaker might take.