As the introduction of the new strata laws fast approaches, now is the perfect time to reflect on the culture of your strata scheme. At Netstrata, we realise that many strata communities may not have ever considered the “culture” of their scheme but given the vast amount of legislative changes that are about to hit this would be an opportune moment to do so.
Perhaps your scheme has lots of communal gardens and adjoins many public parks – in which a culture of pet lovers would be appropriate. On the flipside, maybe your property is in the middle of a commercial district and doesn’t have balconies – in which case maybe pets aren’t suited to your community.
Perhaps the owners in your scheme relish peace and quiet, and you’d be looking to restrict noise and disturbance. Or the building is situated in a thriving entertainment district and the owners enjoy hosting parties; therefore a more relaxed approach to music would be appreciated.
The culture of a scheme is determined by the particular approach to communal living for the owners – the preferred lifestyle. A clearly defined strata culture is important for future owners also, so that they’re comfortable buying into a strata scheme of like-minded individuals.
Once the owners in your property have thought about what type of environment you’d like to have for your scheme, the next step is to look at your current by-laws and the new model by-laws that come into effect in November. Its then up to the owners to enact by-laws that reflect the type of culture you’d like as a community.
This process doesn’t have to be immediate. It’s something that you can reflect on and consider – but its good start thinking about it now. You can make the changes to your by-laws slowly and over time – adjusting them as your scheme feels most appropriate.
If you decide to make changes to the current by-laws of your scheme, the Strata Committee should engage the services of a lawyer who’s an expert in this field to draft the by-laws for your particular circumstances. You then need to table the change at an owners corporation meeting so that they can be voted on by the owners.
If you have any questions about by-laws, contact your Strata Manager at Netstrata.
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