Getting in touch with owner's corp or strata manager?

I'm the brand new owner of an apartrment, without an awful amount of personal experience in dealing with strata or the owners corporation (have previously rented apartments and always went through the agent instead).

There are currently two things which I need sorted: missing letterbox key, and access to the switchboard room as required by the electricity provider I am signing up with.

From what I have read it seems the majority of boring day-to-day issues like these go to the strata manager to sort out +/- pass on to the owner's corp for bigger decisions - which got me wondering: when, if ever, would an apartment owner need to contact the owner's corp directly?

Comments

  • missing letterbox key

    Get through your REA.

    access to the switchboard room

    Ask your building manager.

    • +1

      As above. REA will either request keys from previous owner, or charge them for changing the locks.

      For the switchboard, contact Building manager. Some buildings will use locks that energex etc can open (They don't want to be bothered everytime someone needs access)

  • +1

    when, if ever, would an apartment owner need to contact the owner's corp directly?

    If you want some buy ins for your AGM motions, Like changing your strata manager, you would talk to the owners before hand. Strata committee can't approve certain things without AGM/EGM approval

  • +1

    Which real estate agent are you both suggesting the OP contact? They just bought the apartment, they are not renting it. Also not every apartment complex has a building manager.

    The strata manager manages the owners' corporation. Technically when you are contacting the strata manager you are contacting the owners corp's representative.

    As your research indicated, you deal with them for everything.

    • +2

      OK, maybe better to say conveyencer they purchased through. It's their responsibility to deal with things around the sale. For example if you get an unpaid electricity bill which covers time before the purchase they deal with it.

      It's the sellers responsibility to provide all the keys, so it's up to them to contact the sellers conveyencer.

      • Conveyancers don't generally deal with missing letterbox keys discovered seemingly some time well after settlement, and electricity bills don't attach to properties so conveyancers don't deal with them either.

        Also the seller's conveyancer is not going to talk to a buyer directly.

  • Building manager first.

    Strata contacts will be on your strata invoices but they're just going to direct you to the BM.

  • "when, if ever, would an apartment owner need to contact the owner's corp directly?"

    The the building manager or body corp manager/treasurer throws what you're asking in the 'too hard' basket.

    A lot of insurance claims (dependable on your state) the building manager/body corp manager won't ever want to deal with such issues, and will palm you off to your insurance company for your contents. It's usually a point here you would go above and beyond the body corp/strata and deal directly with the body corp/strata's insurance company.

    You're paying a body corp fee for the services from the body corp manager. They may drag their legs so putting pressure on them (to get the keys sorted for the mail box and acces to the switchboard room) to get your stuff sorted.

  • I was looking at buying a strata building car space once so purchased a copy of the strata report. It gave details of contacts etc and upcoming projects. I ended up not buying because of the report, they were going to be spending lot of money

  • If you are in Victoria, access to electricity meter is not required. The meter needs to be switched off. The distributor takes a remote reading of the meter. Switching off allows them to get the last reading. Although, gas and water meters are still read manually. Again, if there are access issues, they might allow you to upload meter readings.

  • There are currently two things which I need sorted: missing letterbox key,

    Not 100% sure, as I've never had to deal with what's essentially a lost key scenario, but I'm fairly sure that's a "your problem" kind of thing. It should have been dealt with by the previous owner. Call a locksmith.

    and access to the switchboard room as required by the electricity provider I am signing up with.

    As previously mentioned, these are usually locked with special locks that the electricity supplier already has a master key.

    If that isn't the case, there's usually a representative on site that holds a key (it can be 2 people). Contact your body corporate/owners corporation and ask who might have it and do a little digging.

  • -1

    Another poster, looking for free advice. Has contributed nothing else accept the original post.

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