Most issues that strata managers deal with come down to three things; People, Pets, and Parking. They may sound like trivial issues, but all three can contribute to conflict when it comes to strata living.  

People 

When it comes to the people factor, most complaints are about noise. We all know that noise can travel; through walls, hallways, balconies, and across the car park. Noise complaints tend to peak around Christmas and school holidays, but some people are just noisy no matter the time of the day.  

Here are our suggestions for dealing with noise in your strata scheme: 

• Decide whether the noise is an issue or not. Is it ongoing? Is this just a one-off for a birthday party or celebration? 
• If you are familiar with your neighbour we suggest knocking on their door or giving them a text and kindly ask ‘if they can please turn down the noise.’ 
• If you don’t know your neighbours well, and there is a residential manager living on-site, contact them to go through the noise complaint process.  
• If the environment is not friendly or the noise isn’t friendly, we suggest making a noise complaint with the police.  

Pets

Pets are a great company and can benefit our health and well-being but unfortunately, they are also a common complaint in Strata living. The most common complaints about pets is whether they have been approved to live within the Strata scheme, the noise they make and whether they are being cleaned up after or not. All pets within a strata scheme need to be approved, and there is a set of conditions owners are required to adhere to. 

There are a few things you can do if a pet in your scheme is disturbing you; 

• If a dog is barking, consider why. Have a chat with the owner (if you feel comfortable doing so) and offer to help if appropriate. Perhaps you could take the dog for a walk, to the beach or park. If the barking is excessive, keep records of times and frequency. This allows the complaint to be managed through the by-laws and the local council.  
• If you are the owner of a pet, be considerate of other residents. They don’t want to listen to your dog bark or have your cat walking through their property. Ensure you are cleaning up any mess from your pet and disposing of the waste correctly.  

• Lastly, pets don’t belong in common property including pools, gyms, BBQ areas.  

Parking

Most strata schemes have one or two allocated car bays per lot. Issues arise when there are more than two car owners per lot and residents use the visitor bays to park in. 

Visitor car bays are strictly for short term guests and are required by the city council when the property is developed. These car parks are not for residents to use, those with more cars than carparks need to find additional parking outside of strata property.  

Parking issues can also occur when residents park in other residents’ allocated car bays. This can get quite contentious especially when it prevents them from using their allocated car bay or blocks access to other residents’ car bays. 

Car parking is one of the hardest areas to manage, and we do rely on people parking with common sense.  

Managing a strata property brings about numerous issues from day to day, however, if everyone is respectful and considerate of other residents it will make for a pleasant Strata living experience.  

If someone within your strata scheme isn’t parking correctly, or not following the by–laws on pets and noise, chat with your strata manager to ensure you understand the right process to follow.