Useless managers pick and choose who to breach and who to ignore

QUEENSLAND

I am reaching out as a last resort after being ignored—and treated unfairly—by my body corporate for the past 10 years. I know I’m not the only person in Brisbane experiencing body corporate-related grievances, but I am sick of nothing been done about it. 

My complex’s body corporate manager has a 2.3-star rating on Google based on 64 reviews (this rating and amount of reviews seem to go up and down each day?). It’s evident others, too, are less than thrilled with the subpar service, but no-one takes our concerns seriously. Emails go ignored and phone calls unanswered yet they continue to take our money (and want us to sign on for another 12 months). 

Our complex’s AGM is coming up this weekend and one resident has decided to nominate himself for a position on the committee. His frustrations (as you can tell) are similar to mine and this has prompted him to take action.

He has been bullied, talked down to, palmed off and at the same time ignored by the committee. He feels he has no other way of being heard unless he secures enough votes to get a position on the body corporate committee. It is ridiculous that this is the lengths body corporate-paying residents must go to for someone  to acknowledge a structural concern associated with their property. This is despite the strata manager website claiming they ‘deliver on their promise of service excellence’. 

The only time I am worthy of the SM’s attention is when they have issues with me. For instance, I had to erect a cat enclosure after my cat was accused of leaving white fur on a previous resident’s outdoor setting. My cat is now confined to my property while other long term residents are allowed to have their cat(s) roam the complex without so much as a contravention notice.  

I was then taken to the BCCM for my daughter parking her car in the visitor’s car park. No consideration was given to the shorter driveway we—and one or two others in a complex of 60+ units—have. The committee is now able to tow my daughter’s car if she is ever parked there, but this is where the policing of tenant cars in visitor spaces stops.

Repeat offenders can do as they please without being reprimanded. Bona fide visitors can partially block my neighbour’s driveway and no-one in a position of power speaks up or has that other person’s car towed. 

The committee members do as they please—they are happy to turn a blind eye to certain ‘rule breakers’ and don’t want to acknowledge the myriad other problems residents bring to their attention. A recent request for a fencing contractor to rectify his work has, not surprisingly, fallen on deaf ears. Another resident, the one running for (new) chairperson, was asked to source an engineer to quote on the stormwater drain that overflows into his property.  

What can we do to correct these systemic flaws in the management of our block.  Any advice welcome.