At ESM, we assist many strata companies with disputes between residents commonly arising over issues including unauthorised parking of vehicles on common property, general maintenance issues, unauthorised pets which are causing a nuisance, loud noise complaints (including construction noise), and other issues.
It is important to realise that the situation in most circumstances is not personal and that it is vital to have good communication with your neighbours. The best avenue to take is to take a few minutes to sit down together at a mutual location and discuss both sides of the matter calmly and come to an amicable solution that would suit you both. Try to reach a resolution before the problem escalates into something it should not. If you believe an issue can not be resolved in this manner, or if the issue persists, then you should write a formal complaint to the strata company, so that the strata company can assess and if need be attempt to rectify the issue.
The Strata Titles Act Schedule 2 Conduct by-laws are in place to help determine what behaviour is acceptable, and what isn't. To minimise these issues it is a requirement for each proprietor and resident to adhere to these by-laws. The elected Council of the Stata Company have a duty to manage these by-laws and the compliance of the residence. If you believe that a by-law is being breached, you should contact your Strata Manager or council member to discuss the matter further. If necessary, the Council of the Strata Company can send a letter to the party in breach, outlining the breach and seeking compliance with the relevant by-law(s). In most cases the party in breach is not aware that the by-law existed or that they were in breach of it. If they continue to breach the by-law then the Council of the Strata Company can act to send a formal breach notice.
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