Your Strata Property With Amanda Farmer

This week, Reena and I are covering: vexatious litigants: what are they and what can be done about them?the ‘stop valve’ question once more: does Fair Trading agree that the stop valve is lot property?how to resolve a BMC cost-share disputewhy simply talking to your neighbours about a problem is the best first step towards…

This week, Natalie Fitzgerald and I are talking about a few things that don’t often get talked about in the context of strata living, including how residents might help a neighbour who is the victim of family violenceexercising discretion when it comes to the enforcement of by-laws anddealing more compassionately with those suffering from mental…

This week, Reena and I are answering these questions:  can a strata manager propose their own motion for reappointment at a general meeting? do committee office bearers need to be appointed within a particular time after the committee election?  We also celebrate a win which involved putting a mediation application ‘on hold’ while owners found a creative…

One of the most common complaints I hear from owners is that they cannot access their building’s books and records (properly, or at all). This week, I’m talking to professional records inspector Michael Ferrier about this problem, which he says has serious ramifications for apartment purchasers, vendors and owners generally. Michael shares with us the substandard…

In this episode, Reena and I are tackling these tough questions: does the owners corporation have to respond to a claim for damages when a leak from one lot has damaged another, but there has been no common property failure? how to stand up to a strata manager who double-charges for records inspections…what does it…

In this ‘mixed bag’ episode I’m sharing my answers to these 3 questions, recently asked inside our member-Forum: who is responsible for replacing water isolation valves (stop valves) at a lot?is it better to use a lease or a by-law when granting exclusive use of common property? why is my strata manager refusing to give…

In this particularly packed episode, Reena and I cover: the practical problems with completing Annual Fire Safety Statementswhat happens when a by-law is accidentally left out of the consolidated (and registered) by-law bundle?a reminder that the strata manager is not the owners corporationthe latest Tribunal case on the ‘nuisance’ of smoking   Links mentioned: Get...

This week, Associate Professor Hazel Easthope is on the show, sharing insights from her new book The Politics and Practices of Apartment Living. Hazel shares why she thinks the Aussie system of strata regulation is pretty good, though we fall down when it comes to compliance and enforcement. We also discuss how purchasers can make better buying…

This week, I’m coming to you all the way from Paris, France (actually, from inside a wardrobe in Paris, but you’ll have to tune in to find out more about that one…) I’m giving you the TOP FIVE by-laws I recommend all buildings have in place. These are the by-laws that quality strata managers are recommending…

This week, Reena and I get stuck into these curly questions: how do we deal with a committee member who does not turn up to meetings and contributes nothing to the running of the committee?why is there a motion on the AGM agenda to restrict the power of the committee? Should we impose any restrictions?how…

This week, I’m bringing you the recording of the LIVE QandA session, held at the end of my July presentation for City of Sydney Council. I give my answers to audience questions such as: are we responsible for relocating residents when the lifts are out of action?why does my strata manager say we don’t need…

This week, Reena shares both a win and a challenge around her recent dealings with insurance brokers; I clarify the rules around general meeting notice periods, including the legislation you need to refer to for the ‘7 clear days notice’ rule (hint: it’s not the strata legislation). Plus, we discuss the very first collective sale…

This week, we have our first “fire guy” on the show – Rob Broadhead of 2020 Fire Protection. I ask Rob to demystify the fire protection game for us, including letting us know what kind of qualifications a ‘competent fire safety professional’ is supposed to have (apparently, ‘breathing’ is about as high as the bar…

This week, Reena and I cover: the tax ruling that requires lot owners to declare income received by their owners corporation on their individual tax returnswhy every building really should have a notice boardhow an owners corporation can assist owners with the rectification of lot property defects, andthe first court-ordered collective sale under the new…

This week, I’m chatting to Cat Carmichael, the current president of the Community Associations Institute in the U.S. We discuss an important paradigm shift in strata management, and why managers can no longer focus on achieving a series of tasks but instead must look to the outcomes desired by their clients.  Cat shares the single most…

This week, Reena shares an unusual challenge: what happens when the developer sets aside your car space for disability parking in order to meet a DA condition? I question the meaning of “financial year” in the strata context, and we both celebrate client wins relevant to successful insurance claims.       Links mentioned: Get…

  This week, I’m joined by Chris Irons: Queensland’s Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management. In a wide-ranging discussion, we cover:   the unique nature of his role why his office is partnering with the likes of QLD police to deliver the right messages to residents creative responses to the increased demand for good…

This week, Reena raises an interesting provision in our NSW legislation which apparently means a chairperson need not be financial in order to chair a meeting, but a substitute chairperson must be financial. I provide some important guidance around motions to consider ‘general business’ and we celebrate an unusually amicable parting of ways between a building…

This week, I’m speaking with Dr Nicole Johnston, the lead researcher on the June 2019 report: An Examination of Building Defects in Multi-Owned Properties. Published the week of the Mascot Towers evacuation, this report has formed the basis of many discussions since about how we might fix this current crisis – which has finally been recognised as…

This week, Reena and I are tackling some tricky topics:   whether an owners corporation is responsible for paying the excess on a resident’s contents insurance claim can motions resolved at a meeting that is later adjourned be actioned? the interpretation of a strata management statement and how to determine the lot boundaries in pre-1974…

This week, we have our first New Zealand practitioner on the show: Thomas Gibbons of McCaw Lewis Lawyers. Thomas shares with us the issues currently troubling those living in NZ “unit titles” schemes, and explains why he thinks the NZ courts have been getting a few things wrong lately. Even if you’re not in NZ…

This week, Reena and I cover:   how to explain the “restricted matters” statutory motion to a disbelieving owner when, precisely, the strata committee members vacate their positions at the AGM the by-law template that just didn’t cut it, and the clever owner purchasing the common property rooftop   Plus, here’s the link to the free City…

This week, I’m joined by Tim Sara, a licensed senior strata manager at Strata Choice in Sydney. Tim is well known for his clever ‘hacks’ to ensure he gets the most out of every working day, and he’s sharing them with us in this episode. We cover: – why you need to ‘set and forget’…

This week, Reena and I cover:   best practice for renovation works by-laws what happens to the budget when AGMs are held 18 months apart the notice requirement for agency agreements reaching expiry, and THAT defamation case: when one email costs you $130,000… Links mentioned: Get the transcript here! Section 50 – Strata Schemes Management…

This week, I’m flying solo, answering one of the more ‘frequently asked questions’ in recent times: what are the must-know items when it comes to community schemes? How are they different to strata schemes and where are the traps for inexperienced players?  I cover: the purpose of community plans who are the ‘members’ of a…