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Our large scheme in NSW emails out Strata Committee meeting agendas to owners, but not the business papers, which are often extensive.
I attend the committee meetings as an observer, but without the business papers it’s sometimes difficult to be clear on what is being discussed. Meeting minutes sometimes verge on the cryptic.
I’m aware that I can attend the Strata Manager’s office to view documents, but that would be fairly tedious to do on a monthly basis.
Do other strata schemes make their business papers available to owners prior to a committee meeting – either by email or via a website?
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Could you get to chat with a few other owners or committee members to see what they do about seeing the papers. Otherwise, in my experience, accounts have to be shown on an annual general meeting agenda; However, the more involved you are, the more you may get to know.
@Waratah said:
Do other strata schemes make their business papers available to owners prior to a committee meeting – either by email or via a website?Not sure what you mean by ‘business papers” but as an owner you are entitled to see all correspondence to, from and on behalf of the owners corporation.
However, to send copies of everything out to everyone with every agenda would be time-consuming, expensive and wasteful.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
Have you asked to be included in the mail-out?
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
@Waratah said:
I’ve seen mention of websites that some strata schemes use to communicate with owners and residents (though couldn’t name one without doing a search) and wonder whether some of them might use them to post business papers routinely.I’m sure our sponsors Stratabox will be all over this.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
Our committee has set up a dedicated forum – software is free, secure and does not require ‘high-tech’ IT skills to administer.
All business papers, discussions and reasonings are kept for future reference and for access by owners if needs be.
Thanks Jimmy!
At Stratabox, we promote transparency in the administration and communications, but also continuity of the records, so when the SC is renewed or the Strata Manager changes, all the history remains intact.
Happy to discuss scheme specific situations and requirements, just get in touch, contact@stratabox.com.au
Insofar as our Strata Committee Meetings are concerned, we instructed our SM to give interested owners whatever papers , including contracts, quotes ( usually monthly accounts, levies outstanding, any contracts to be approved ) they give SC. They do and there are no complaints on this count.
Bof, even when one pays for a strata search (under the SSMA) one is refused access to a whole range of correspondence.
We’ve been told that the Committee Members never correspond in writing, nor do any owners/residents ever write to the Strata Manager, so “there’s nothing to see”.
Never, in the 19-odd years that our Strata has been in existence has anyone had access to the full accounts, except for the Treasurere (should he care to ask for them). Access to Owners is downright refused.
Complaints to Fair Trading, the CTTT and NCAT see Owners’ request for Orders fail time and again, resulting in complete marginalisation and attacks from Committee Members against said owners. The Strata Agent supports the Committee completely – their contract is automatically renewed without any performance reviews or market comparisons. The Strata Agent has assured Committee Members in writing (one piece of correspondence that we did manage to find!) that Owners questions will not be answered.
We’ve even degenerated to the point where Committee Meetings are held and no Minutes are circulated. Committee Meetings are scheduled and we don’t receive Agendas(?)
Thanks NSW Fair Trading. Thanks also to the Ministers who oversee this Department. Nothing is working.
Hi Millie
We are in the same boat. When we ask for information we are given the response you must come in to the office and pay for an hour and then search through the papers. I believe in this day and age of emails this rule is obsolete. It was more than likely put in place when snail mail was the only way to communicate. This rule is also punishing the many for the sins of the few . Yes there are people who would take advantage and ring up every second day for info. But most people don’t do that. The reality of going in and searching paperwork of a large apartment block is ridiculous. We have many issues and much paper work it would take someone far more than an hour to work out where anything is and usually the paper work is in a dishevelled mess!
Recently our committee made a financial settlement in a dispute with an owner of over $100,00. No minutes recorded this, nor were any owners informed in writing. When I emailed asking for the information and how much did the owners have to pay all up I was refused.
I also went to the council for information on a contract my building has with another party through “freedom of information” (ain’t that a contradiction in terms). Even though I am a member of the owners corporation I was not allowed a copy of the contract as it was only accessible to the secretary of the owners corporation. Yet when this contract goes pear shaped, as it is about to, I will be asked to put in for a special levy. Our committee are just putting their heads in the sand and hoping it will go away. So basically they have access to your money and we have access to nothing!
We have asked to be included in the mail out and they always say yes of course, then they stop sending the emails. We have an online access but it is never updated we have not seen any financial information since last year.
Things really do need to change, Committees and managers are working together to keep owners in the dark. VOTE 1 for transparency.
Hi Waratah, you’re welcome, and thank you for the compliment!
Most management companies have some form of web portal, yet the feedback I received was that they are very limited and as a result most customers don’t use them.
We aim to develop a product that is both pleasant, useful and under the control of the OC.
I am in accord with JT’s comments. In my experience, owners must get agendas, minutes, and a full set of accounts at least once a year at AGM; also owners I understand must be consulted if a one-time cost proposal overreaches a certain amount which, in my experience, is a limit determined by all the owners in the first place. Fair Trading may also have an opinion on your options. It’s something I would chase up with them, or, irksome as it sounds, be prepared to search the files at random in own interests. Be ‘pro-active’, in other words. Good luck
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