REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

6o4__boi · 03-24-2015, 07:53 AM

So I've decided to run for council and i was elected recently. I'm responsible for overseeing private information and doubling as a secretary if/when needed. As a first-time homeowner I thought it'd be a good idea to get to know the units around me, get to know what's going on around the complex and pretty much to learn more about strata. It's a 26 unit townhouse complex so it's fairly small.

I've also got no idea what to expect. Anyone here on their Strata Council? Any advice for a noob? I'm looking around for reference materials and if you can post links, it'd be much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

yray · 03-24-2015, 08:24 AM

read the minutes from previous years

melloman · 03-24-2015, 08:40 AM

Just be ready to put in time..

kross9 · 03-24-2015, 09:23 AM

1) fuck everyone over by using the strata fees for stupid ass shit they'll love you for that!

But really , Ive been quite disappointed with my strata for saying they do what they say they will and never following through with it.

So I would say if the council decides to do something and motion is passed follow through with it within the timeframe!

Traum · 03-24-2015, 10:09 AM

OMG... Strata council... where do I even begin...

I've had my share of good and bad ones. The single biggest piece of advice I can offer is, be prepared to really build up your EQ. The 2 types of people that I absolutely can't stand in a strata are:

1) the cheapa$$es
2) the idiots

I've had an experience where the contingency fund is thinning, and the building is in need of some major maintenance work a year or two down the road. But the short sighted idiots just refused to pass a vote on chipping in more $$$ into the contingency fund beyond the minimum amount required by the law.

You will come across multiple idiots that asks you the same thing that you have just told them minutes ago at the AGM (or any general meeting, for that matter). You will come across idiots that have no idea how to read a budget / financial statement. You will come across idiots that seem like they can read, but can't really read shxt if their lives depend on it.

In a newer building that I've had, one of the tenants has a seriously vengeful vendetta with the developer, and at every single meeting, he would repeatedly derail the meeting into a pissing show against the developer.

It never fails to impress me how much EQ you need, and how diplomatic you need to be when you are working at a strata council.

Another common occurrence that I've heard from friends, but not experience myself is, with a lot of the smaller strata lots, at times there would be a majority owner that owns multiple units, meaning that he would have a lot of say in the outcomes of any voting that might take place. More often than not, these investment type of owners are the biggest and cheapest bastards that refuses to spend money on building maintenance. It seems to me that you might run into a situation like this at your strata, so keep an eye out for it.

I wish you good luck with your work at the Strata Council. I hope you will have a better experience than I did.

6o4__boi · 03-24-2015, 10:49 AM

thanks for the insight so far.

Doesn't seem like there is a majority owner in the complex, seems like each unit is individually owned at this point. They all seem nice and fairly knowledgeable with regards to upcoming repairs and how the money should be spent.

I spent quite a bit of time going over the minutes and previous AGMs before we bought the place so i'm kind of caught up there.

I'm preparing myself for dealing with idiots and impatient people, i'm expecting it but i'm hoping they don't show up. Hopefully it turns out to be a good learning experience and not a nightmare lol.

Soundy · 03-24-2015, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6o4__boi

I'm preparing myself for dealing with idiots and impatient people...

Life training by Revscene. You're welcome.

Spoon · 03-24-2015, 02:24 PM

Strata Council

Grats on being one step closer to the rental market or freehold ownership.

tiger_handheld · 03-24-2015, 08:26 PM

Get everything in writing.
Be transparent.
Have good relationships with neighbors.
Be organized - google doc will be your friend!

It's like running a family - wife needs attention , 5yr old need to go soccer, car needs service, you have work during day time, teenage daughter dating a 30 year old

meme405 · 03-25-2015, 01:52 PM

Traum hit the nail on the head. My current building is older, with older citizens, and many of the council members have been on the board for a long time.

And I don't know if it's complacency, or sheer stupidity, or corruption, but they quite simply are not doing their due diligence, and it is costing the rest of the owners money.

For example our building has excess storage lockers, and parking stalls, which are owned by the strata, these are rented out to the owners in the building. Except that the price for the rental's haven't been raised for 10 years, and because of that you rent a parking stall for like 25 bucks a month. In reality renting a parking stall in this area should be about 100+ dollars a month, so that's lost revenue for the rest of the building. And there is a wait list to get one of those stalls, because why would you ever relinquish it, it costs you nothing to keep it even if it is just for your guests to use once a week.

The corruption part of this comes in because it is strata council members who are the ones renting the majority of the stalls, and the storage lockers, I have now been battling them for two years about raising the rental price of these units, and they just keep pushing the agenda item because it isn't in their own best interest. Other owners in the building just don't seem to care. It's extremely frustrating.

The other thing that kills me is the fact that the Strata council people in my building don't know fuck all about construction, we just re-did the piping systems, and we are now re-doing the paint, light fixtures, and all that stuff, and they simply do not have the knowledge to evaluate the bids they receive or to manage the work. Even just looking into the explanations on some of the cost overruns and stuff I have gotten my hands on, it seems to me like their lack of knowledge is allowing the contractors to take advantage of us and bill us for extra work which should have been handled at their own expense.

Also I don't even want to get started on their process of getting bids in the first place, some of the people who come in for our maintenance and stuff I swear give kick backs to he council members for giving them the work, the prices for simple things like our landscaping are outrageous.

Like I said it's frustrating especially given construction and this type of management is my line of work. I've tried to get on the council, but given the age of the building, and the members, and how long many of the council members have served, it's tough to get in, and I am being held back because they already know that I oppose some of their views.

Overall I've had good experiences with some strata councils, the ones that follow the rules, and are truly impartial, and for the best of the building. BUT I have also had very bad experiences such as my current scenario, where I simply don't trust those who control my best interest in this investment.

It's sad really, cause I truly do love my apartment, and the building. I like where I live, and I would love to stay, but this strata is really making me think about selling and moving.

6o4__boi · 03-26-2015, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiger_handheld

Get everything in writing.
Be transparent.
Have good relationships with neighbors.
Be organized - google doc will be your friend!

It's like running a family - wife needs attention , 5yr old need to go soccer, car needs service, you have work during day time, teenage daughter dating a 30 year old

lolwut,

i'd beat the pedo to a pulp if that ever happens.

yeah the council is set up with google docs so that's nice, everything seems like its in an orderly manner. I'm the newest person but pretty much everyone has been on the council at some point since the place was built in 06. I've been reviewing the past documents and so far it looks like everything's been done responsibly to this point.

I get the sense that not a lot of people want the extra responsibility and a good chunk of the owners don't give too much of a shit. The AGM was near bare minimum in terms of attendance. But it seems like those with responsibilities have been fulfilling them to this point. Hopefully that keeps up.

Traum · 03-26-2015, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6o4__boi

yeah the council is set up with google docs so that's nice, everything seems like its in an orderly manner. I'm the newest person but pretty much everyone has been on the council at some point since the place was built in 06. I've been reviewing the past documents and so far it looks like everything's been done responsibly to this point.

I get the sense that not a lot of people want the extra responsibility and a good chunk of the owners don't give too much of a shit. The AGM was near bare minimum in terms of attendance. But it seems like those with responsibilities have been fulfilling them to this point. Hopefully that keeps up.

Good to see that your strata council seems to be a good one. IMO, the sparsely attended AGM is also preferable to the ones I've been to where the idiots drive up the noise & bs-to-signal ratio.

frandaddy · 04-11-2015, 01:06 AM

Good for you for taking part on how your strata is run. Owners usually do sit back and let others do the heavy lifting and then complain when they don't like how something is done. It is a thankless job.

If your council isn't part of CHOA, here's the link and there's useful info to help keep you up to date. CHOA

If you want more Strata Act info and more common questions/situations that have come up in the past, Clark Wilson has a good site resource.
Strata FAQs

Good luck!

SumAznGuy · 04-11-2015, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meme405

I have now been battling them for two years about raising the rental price of these units, and they just keep pushing the agenda item because it isn't in their own best interest. Other owners in the building just don't seem to care. It's extremely frustrating.

The other thing that kills me is the fact that the Strata council people in my building don't know fuck all about construction.

This is a double edged sword.
My condo has an issue with people illegally parking in visitor's parking. You see the same cars parked in their own spots in the day time and then they park in visitors at night when no care taker is around to give them warnings.
I've asked strata to patrol the parking at night and hand out warnings but as it turns out, one of the people illegally parking is the tenant of one of the strata members.

Traum is absolutely correct. There are a lot of cheapasses who can't afford anything more or come into communal living with the wrong attitude/expectations. They want to live in a place and have it be as cheap as possible. Roof replacement. Why should I care, the water doesn't drip onto me since I am on the first floor.... etc....
Then you have the slumlords. Higher strata fees = less profit for them.

I am starting to see 3 or 4 people cramming into a 1 bedroom unit. $1200 a month in rent = $300 per person and more money for them to spend on material goods.

As far as strata members not knowing anything about construction, most strata members do not know anything about construction. This is why it is critical to have a good property manager/company that can help the strata.