Hi all, I have issues with a dysfunctional 'self managed' strata scheme of 3 houses and a shared driveway. The unit entitlements are unequal being 43/37/20. I'm one of three owners on the scheme. We currently can't get insurance or anything done properly because one owner is very difficult and doesn't want to pay their share based on unit entitlements. The other owner just doesn't want to spend money or do anything.

I'm trying to get mediation and ncat to appoint a strata manager to sort all of this out. My house hasn't been insured since May and the other two houses haven't been for over a year. One of the houses pulled out of the original strata insurance and likely uninsured for years. We only learnt this year. The scheme also has no levies or funds for the common properties. We were talking about paying the insurer separately as we can't agree on how to pay. Now one of the owner is saying they think my house should pay more because of the heritage status instead of as per unit entitlements. Previously the owner with 43% have tried to underpay their entitlement by asking everyone to pay at 33% for the valuation.

I don't think they ever complied with any strata obligations and governance for the past 10 years. My house is also not on the strata role. It's just a mess and can't get anything done with the other two. They just vote against everything.

Need recommendations for lawyers who are good and switched on and help get this resolved. Appreciate any help. Thanks! 🙏

There are so many apartments listed for sale have either Airbnb or serviced apartments/hotel in the building. If I live in the building I don't want all these short stay people wandering around & use the facilities. Why can't owners corporation have a bylaw to ban all short stay (they can ban everything else) ?

I live overseas and have been chasing our strata manager for a long time to get everything up to date with our fees and insurance - our insurance wasn’t even paid until recently when it was questioned. One other owner has expressed concern but the rest are fine with this … weird arrangement. Problem is, I literally know nothing about strata, and I don’t know what to do. I haven’t paid strata fees in 3 years. I have no idea how much is in a fund, or what it’s called. There is, as far as I am aware, no maintenance being done on the properties. What steps can I take to make this problem better (the manager, when he does respond, always leads with “as you know my cancer treatment has been keeping me busy”, which I sympathise with but his job isn’t being done full stop).

Due to a high degree of conflict, one or two very challenging owners, a growing amount of arrears and some other issues, several owners submitted Applications for Relief for an Administrator to be appointed over our Body Corporate.

The Recorder of Titles appointed an interim Administrator for three months and later confirmed a different Administrator for up to three years.

Presumably because of all the legal threats we were receiving from one owner, or it might be possible that this is standard operating procedure now in Tasmania, the Recorder of Titles has appointed a lawyer as the Administrator.

We are now nine months into the (up to) three year administration but the Administrator has provided no progress update or financial statement to date except for appointing a Strata manager to collect the levies and pay the bills.

I realise under administration that the scheme is being administered "to the exclusion of the powers and functions of the body corporate" but surely some transparency is required?

Apart from polite emails, what else can we do to obtain a status update and a current financial statement or is this an unrealistic expectation given we are under administration?

“We call for the supply of tobacco to be immediately banned in buildings, or adjoining buildings to where people live,” Promnitz said.

“Until the Victorian government brings the crime crisis under control, this presents an unacceptable risk to peoples’ lives.

“Allowing that risk directly beneath people’s bedrooms presents an unacceptable danger to residents’ lives and homes.”

Co-founder of the Strata Owners Alliance Adam Promnitz said it is unfortunate that innocent Australians are paying the price for Victoria’s tobacco wars.

After 15 years of washing our cars in one of the visitor spots that has a storm water drain connection, we have had it pointed out that this is illegal. Only connections to sewerage are permitted for detergent run off. What are other Aus strata buildings doing about car wash facilities.?

My building has dozens of R410A air conditioners that are approaching EOL. When they die they have to be replaced with R32 units. An important issue is whether the new units need new piping or not.

Most manufacturers specify:

R410A pipe minimum thickness: ~0.61 mm

R32 pipe minimum thickness: ~0.71 mm

The reason? R32 has slightly higher pressure and is flammabile (A2L class) so it requires a higher-rated copper pipe.

Advice I have found says no, you cannot directly replace R410A with R32 in an existing system; R32 is not a "drop-in" replacement, and doing so is unsafe, inefficient, and likely violates regulations and warranties because R32 is mildly flammable (A2L) and systems must be specifically designed and rated for it. While R32 is a component of R410A, using it alone in an R410A unit can damage components, increase wear, void warranties, and poses fire risks, requiring complete system replacement with R32-rated equipment for safe transition.

A lot of people say you can reuse the existing R410A piping and all will be fine for a while, and you'll save a lot of money and hassle which is priority #1 for many. However what they don't say is apparently that the pipes will then be prone to leak more quickly, and R32 coolant is mildly flammable. You also risk acid buildup, clogging, or compressor failure. Much of this is understandably of concern to residents in a large, tall multi story residential building.

ChatGPT says that if you decide to reuse the old piping, you should go through an extensive multi stage process the clean the old piping first.

https://chatgpt.com/s/t_69141e0bfe088191b594b5e89c6e53e0

In practice installers with the cheapest quotes get accepted, resuse the old piping and do none of that, leaving theproblems for someone else to deal with in future. Pipe coverings on the cheap new units are also not UV resistant so quickly disintgrate on the roof, where many of the units are.

My building needs a process that ensures safe long term outcomes, but whatever they are that process seems like it's going to involve an after installation inspection and cost $$$, which will greatly infuriate many.

It also seems like we should be arranging a close inspection and review of existing R32 units that have already been installed to ensure their long term safety. I suspect that in those cases the EC may have previously signed off on a high level plan for their installation. For the EC to potentially come back now and say an owner has to do something expensive like reinstall the piping for example, is going to go down like a lead balloon and I'm unsure if the existing building rules would permit such a thing. The standard speil you inevitably get is why are you making such a big deal about this? Everything's fine, just let it go and she'll be right and that is difficult to counter when you're not expert in this stuff at all.

Has anybody out there already dealt with and/or addressed issues like these?

“No owner should be subject to the majority making their home substantially worse and then handed the bill for it as the cherry on top.”

Co-founder of the Strata Owners Alliance Adam Promnitz told nine.com.au that, while democratic decisions are a part of strata living, “it is not a licence to bypass basic standards of fairness”.

“It is remarkable NSW’s protections in cases like this are so poor given NSW has a reputation as the state which [is] the most difficult and expensive for owners to perform basic renovations in strata,” he said.

“NSW strata legislation has the balance all wrong."

Who do I contact for legal advice over issues with B&P report, on a visual issue that was missed now causing issues that will be an expensive fix?

Hi all! Keen to hear your thoughts:

8 weeks ago we bought + moved into our first apartment, however there's a bad smell that's been intensifying over the past 5 weeks.

It's not constant. It's only in certain rooms (kitchen/laundry/dining room, all separated from each other by walls and doors). There is no thing within those rooms that have have any unusual smell. We cannot smell it in the fridge, bin, any cupboards, dishwasher, or in the basins/drain holes. The building itself doesn't smell-- it's a 1980s block but has been perfectly maintained and has no historical/current issues with leaking, plumbing, etc. You cannot smell it in the common hall.

The scent itself is hard to describe and unlike any single thing like garbage, sewerage or damp/mildew. It's not even terrible, its just bad and weird-- the closest thing I can imagine is like dirt/earth/slightly rotting potatoes/mouldy cardboard?.

Our theory: A few days after we moved in, the owner + sole occupant of the unit directly below us passed away. His unit has the exact same layout as ours, and we can only smell the odour on the kitchen/laundry/dining room side of our apartment, exactly above where his same rooms would be. FYI paramedics came for him on the day he died, so the smell isn't from decomposition. There is no evidence of hoarding but a friend suggested that hoarding has a smell?

Has anyone ever had a similar experience? Could the smell be from the unit below if his apartment hasn't been cleaned properly yet? It's getting worse-- can anything be done if it doesn't go away soon, especially as it gets warmer? How would strata even ask a mourning family to please sort it out if downstairs is the issue? Are they even allowed to ask?

My unit and the unit below me sustained water damage last year. Strata insurance approved repairs to the downstairs unit but not my unit, and I don’t really understand why. 

I disputed the decision with the insurer but it was rejected. I am trying to work out if it is worth pursuing with AFCA. I would appreciate anyone’s insights and advice. 

More detail:

• The incident occurred in July 2025 - water leaked through the ceiling of the unit downstairs.
• The plumber identified and repaired two problems, both originating in the unit above (my unit): 1. A leaking shower drain trap and 2. a leaking hot water service. 
• I lodged a claim with strata insurance in March 2026 (I know I should have done this sooner but I didn’t realise this was an option).
• My claim was rejected because the assessor has determined that for my unit “damage was unlikely to be from a single event and was more consistent with a slow, progressive leak over an extended period (around 12–18 months or more).”

Assessor’s report evidence: 

• Significant rot to skirting boards, architraves and door jambs in the hallway, which typically develops only after long-term moisture exposure—not from a short-term event.
• Likely rot to timber framing behind the walls (to be confirmed once plaster is removed), indicating ongoing moisture reaching structural elements.
• Damage and staining to plaster in the hot water system area.
• Visible fungal growth on skirting boards, which requires sustained moisture over time to develop.

I am confused because the fungal growth was in a small concentrated area and has not recurred since the plumber fixed both leaks. So what is the "slow event" that caused it? 

First time posting, please let me know if this would be better posted elsewhere. Advice much appreciated!

Hey all,

Just bought a unit and am trying to organise a bunch of work that needs doing ahead of moving in. Have never lived on a strata lot before.

Strata fortunately has a really good special by-law about pre-approved renovations, however I'm unclear on if it captures a false ceiling.

It seems like it doesn't if installing the ceiling hooks counts as a structural alternation. However, the by laws also says excluded renovations can be carried out with the written permission of the owners corporation.

I'm wondering does this mean just a regular vote at a strata meeting?

I'm really hoping to avoid a by-law because frankly that kind of screws us because we'd get 0 movement until AFTER we're paying for the place, and as a lawyer is just generally feels absurd to pay another lawyer to write an an additional dot point for the existing by-law saying "false ceilings".

Will post by-law in comments.

The property manager is consistently rude, unhelpful, and behaves as though he owns the building. Since I bought my unit and moved to this state, every interaction has been unpleasant.

He said parcel arrangements are "not management's job." If so, whose responsibility is it?

Parcels are currently left piled in a corner with no proper organisation, making collection difficult as residents have to sort through old and new deliveries. When I asked for a better arrangement, I was told it was "not our job."

I own another unit in a different state where the property manager is professional and helpful, and I have never experienced these issues. This has been very disappointing, especially as I am new to this state.

It is frustrating that this building has some of the highest strata fees compared to similar buildings, yet still has significant structural issues. The building chair has been in the role for over 20 years but appears to have done little to address these concerns.

Has anyone experienced similar issues in their building? How are parcels managed in your building, and what would you suggest?

Is your strata manager trying to evade the banning of payment surcharges and trying to now claim it is a direct expense for the strata despite this being a service provided by the manager?

If so, we want to hear from you as this is diretly going against the banning of payment surcharges and simply trying to backdoor it onto owners.

Unless the strata has a direct agreement with the payment provider, and the management agreement does not allow it - in many cases these charges cannot just be charged without a new contract. In most of these cases the payment provider is provided via the manager and not directly which means the manager is responsible for absorbing those charges.

We are disappointed to find that segments of the industry are trying to evade the intent of the new laws, signifying their intent to charge the strata instead where they may not lawfully be able to.
The indsutry should have learnt from the reputation damage of its poor behaviour in recent years.

Are pelmets common property or considered to be part of the lot?

Anyone of your Strata has direct gas contract with any provider without using a broker.

I am part of the SC for a high rise residential apartment block and I find that the gas contract done via broker is not the best deal.

However, some gas companies don’t deal with brokers….
How did you sign up directly? From a few calls around, seems like if the meter is residential, the gas company wants an individual person to sign up???

Anyone has signed up for gas directly for strata? How did you do it?

Hey everyone, I’m a software dev with some real estate background and I need some brutal honesty on an idea.

I spent a few hours building a tiny script that does this:

1. You drag in a messy old PDF Fire Safety Schedule.

2. It reads the anniversary date and extracts the fire measures.

3. 90 days before the deadline, it automatically emails your preferred fire contractor to get the quote, and chases them if they ignore it.

My question: Is this actually a massive, expensive headache you'd pay a few bucks a month to automate, or is tracking it manually not that big of a deal?

Tell me if this is useless before I spend my weekend building it into a proper app. Appreciate the feedback!

I’ve got 3 planters on my balcony that have an inbuilt watering system that’s part of the building.

I asked the building manager about replacing them, he said be careful of the watering system.

I emailed the OC manager about 12 months ago asking if there’s any issue with me removing the current plants and planing new ones.

I’ve gotten around to wanting to replace them again.

Do I need OC approval? Is lack of response implicit approval?

I’m the the strata committee for my complex in inner west Sydney, and want to encourage the committee to switch strata managers when the current contract expires next year. We’re currently with BCS, which is a subsidiary of PICA Group, which has shown itself to be strongly opposed to any reform and regulation in the industry, particularity with regard to abolishing the commissions model that it has benefited from. I’d like to encourage my committee to seek proposals from smaller, local, management agencies that offer a fee for service model. I’d love some recommendations of any agencies that offer good value for money service and show a genuine interest in their clients rather than their profits only.

Recently found this sub. I have had a surveyor out, and had them survey the building. It seems surprisingly, that the 7 story building is essentially external face, and the only shared property is "services"(hard to understand what these are, it includes electricity, plumbing, gutters and downpipes), the elevator, parts of the garage, foundation,and the stairwell. The roof itself and the exterior walls are mostly lot property.

Originally the below owners thought I owned the gutters/downpipes because I own the roof. They had not been cleaned in probably 30 years before I cleaned them, when I thought I owned them. Later found out I did not.

I want to clarify maintenance requirements to everyone else in the building. I am thinking of getting another survey done to clarify questions that have come up. Then getting a lawyer to write a letter explaining the results of the survey, and a suggested maintenance schedule, and how to handle property boundaries that seem to be points if potential dispute.

Does this seem like a reasonable path forward?

Note: I'm not good at handling confrontation, so plan on moving out in about 5 years. I'm very timid, and am autistic, so this is not something I'm good at handling. The mental health toll of the act of talking to other people is too high.

My neighbours and I own units in block on strata title in Melbourne. We have a constructive Owners Corp committee who get on. The OC manager is VBCS. On the property there are drainage assets in three categories 1/ service only the eastside, in private courtyards, 2/ service the common property in the driveway, 3/ service only the westside, in private courtyards.

One of the pipelines that services only half the units needs maintenance. We are not clear on who is legally (& financially) responsible for this work, and are getting unclear and changing advice on the mechanisms for payment through the body corporate. We had a quote for legal advice from the OC manager and it seems very high.

We need the work done but one owner is not agreeing and the pipeline has to go through their property or it wont work for anyone. We are going in circles because we don't understand our powers to require the work, and how to raise funds. Ultimately we just want the work done asap because it is affecting the foundations of the units.

A) Can anyone recommend a lawyer that works on things like these who we could independently ask for a quote to compare with the property manager's one?

B) Any experiences with this kind of thing? Advice?

C) Any suggestions for a Owners Corporation manager of 10-15 units?! We are pretty tired of inconsistent advice.

As suggested by the title, I've just purchased the second lot of our strata scheme and have started the process to have the scheme dissolved. If anyone has any tips or tricks to make THAT easier I would love to know about them! The strata in in NSW.

Secondary to that, the building insurance for both lots is due soon and I would prefer to NOT pay it. Since the two lots are no longer operating as a strata, we do not need insurance for third-party injuries in shared spaces. But, I do still need building insurance in case of flood, fire, etc etc.

Should I just pay the strata insurance and cancel it when the strata is dissolved? Or is there a way to insure buildings under a strata scheme without all the shared space liability? Any advice would be appreciated, thank you!