Residential Strata schemes are effectively small communities.

The key features of living in a strata scheme are:

• you own your unit or apartment as well as sharing ownership and responsibility for ‘common property’
• if you own your unit, you are automatically a member of the ‘owners corporation’ which has responsibility for common property and key decisions affecting the strata scheme (see The Structure of Kings Bay Community Association)
• you contribute to the cost of running the building through paying quarterly levies
• you also have to pay money into a capital works fund, for future long term expenses such as painting the building or replacing guttering
• compared to living in a freestanding house, there will be lifestyle restrictions in a strata scheme. For example, there are rules (by-laws) that may affect you doing renovations to your unit, that state where you can and cannot park your car, where you can dry washing or whether or not you can keep pets.

Strata Living is a go to guide about strata in NSW and provides simple and easy to read information such as how a strata scheme operates, what a strata managing agent does, what a building manager does, owners corporation responsibilities and more.

There is also a section about living in a strata scheme which looks closely at by-laws as well as the many other aspects of strata living.

Download the pdf from www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au here

All strata schemes have a set of by-laws (rules) that owners, occupiers and, in some cases, visitors must follow. By-laws cover issues such as whether or not pets are permitted on the scheme, how smoking is regulated, parking, noise, and the conduct of residents and visitors. The owners corporation can enforce these rules through the Tribunal, which may penalise a person who breaches a by-law

All residents, including tenants, must follow a strata scheme’s by-laws. If someone is breaching a by-law, tenants can inform the secretary of the owners corporation or strata managing agent of the strata scheme. The tenant can ask for a ‘notice to comply’ to be served on the person responsible for the breach.

Landlords, or the property manager acting on their behalf, must provide their tenants with a copy of the by-laws within 14 days of renting out the property.

Other responsibilities

Besides by-laws, other responsibilities for owners include to:

• not interfere with or impact another person’s lot, including services provided to them or the common property. This includes doing anything to affect another lot owner’s water, sewage, drainage, gas, electricity, garbage, air conditioning, heating or telecommunications services
• not causing a nuisance or hazard to another resident, such as playing loud music
• not using the common property in a way that interferes unreasonably with others in the scheme using and enjoying it.

Short-term (holiday) letting

The owner or occupier of a lot must ensure that it is not used for any purpose that is prohibited by council planning regulations and other laws. They must also ensure that the lot is not occupied by more people than are allowed, and that the use of the lot does not create a nuisance or hazard to others in the strata scheme.

Souce: http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/Tenants_and_home_owners/Strata_schemes.page 

Note: It is against council planning regulations and Community Scheme by-laws to short term let at Kings Bay Estate.

Contact details for Estate Manager and Strata Manager as well as their areas of responsibility are listed here.