There’s been a lot of forum chat in the past week or so about whether or not it’s a good idea to set up an alt. committee – or strata committee in exile, as I like to call it – to counter a rusted-on group who do nothing much except hold grimly on to power.
I’m not in favour of change for change’s sake, but you do encounter a fair few committees who get themselves elected every year on no better platform than “better the devil you know”.
Given the general apathy among most apartment owners, who have neither the time nor the inclination to explore how much better their building could be run if someone else was in charge, it can be tough to initiate change.
Any individual who challenges the status quo is going to be branded a trouble-maker, sooner or later.
With that in mind, it’s surely better to have a collective approach with other owners than to be a lone voice, trying to convince your neighbours that everyone is out of step except you.
But then garnering support for a coup has its problems too. I recall one chair of a building I use to live in who dismissed individual criticisms as just one person’s point of view while a group approach was a conspiracy.
The answer, if you want to get the majority of owners behind you ready for the committee elections at your AGM, is to try to stay as positive as possible.
Rather than only pointing out the incumbents’ flaws to other owners, wherever possible you should be pointing to a better way forward.
That said, eventually you will have to be critical, but the way to get support is to target the policies rather than the personalities, especially if you can show how the current committee is costing money or harming the value of your properties.
So, yes, form your alt. committee, but make sure it’s about making thing better, rather than just getting rid of the old guard. You can join in that discussion HERE.
Meanwhile there are yet more topics on the Flat Chat Forum – here’s a quick sample:
- What do you do when illegal work on common property is accepted as the norm? That’s HERE.
- What are the limits on spending by an executive committee? That’s HERE.
- What happens when no one wants to be on the committee? That’s HERE.
- Shady tradies ripping off strata schemes? Surely not! That’s HERE.
- How much should you charge tenants for energy bills? That’s HERE.
There are a lot more questions and answers – and new posts on old issues – on the Flat Chat Forum.
