Owner selling – requesting urgent repairs. NSW

ugghhh – we thought that this pesky owner was out of our hair and moving on. But – no. it’s Friday night, after 9pm and I get a regular complaint email about this time. The owner is now demanding that the owner’s corporation make urgent repairs to guttering that is overflowing in recent heavy rains claiming that this is “affecting my sale”. 

We have discussed the guttering at recent AGMs and know it will need replacing sometime in the next few years. We decided against raising a special levy immediately because we had already had a special levy in the previous financial year. 

Can an owner force “urgent repairs” if they deem the issue affecting their sale price? Is the OC responsible for the sale price of units? We have met many previous demands of this owner. This is not a small urgent repair; it would require a special levy, scaffolding and new materials would be in the realm of $15-20000. Fascia boards will also be needing replacement and so the jpb could be up to $30000.

Would it be wise to get quotes at this stage of the sale, which would add a record of “special levy required” to the strata records and possibly also “affect” the sale?

Where do we draw the line here?

Many thanks in advance.