At this time of the year, I visit a number of strata management companies across Sydney to deliver workshops to managers on interesting legal topics. I am currently in the throes of delivering a workshop titled “Dealing with Difficult Residents”.
For the purposes of the workshop, I categorise “difficult residents” generally as:
- the criminal
- the know-it-all
- the domineering committee
- the rebel
- the bully lawyer
- the mentally ill resident
Not only does “the criminal” breach the by-laws, he or she engages in some seriously anti-social and illegal behaviour, including drug dealing, property damage and theft.
The “know-it-all” is the newly graduated university student (usually with a law degree in hand) who “just wants to make this a great place to live”, upsetting the status quo and criticising an already overworked and under-appreciated committee.
The “domineering committee” challenges the strata manager at every turn, ignores advice and, by its micro-managing, increases costs for the building all round.
The “rebel” parks whoever they want to, leaves their personal items on common property, installs floorboards without approval doesn’t turn up to NCAT hearings.
The “bully lawyer” usually acts for a lot owner in dispute with the owners corporation. He or she catches the strata manager off guard and later quotes ‘admissions’ the manager had made over the phone about the liability of the owners corporation.
The “mentally ill resident” is a particularly difficult case which requires a balance between understanding and empathy and confident enforcement measures, often involving the police and health-workers.
What I try to sheet home to the participants of this workshop is that there are means available to effectively deal with each of these categories of people. There are legal processes, but there are also some very practical, common-sense measures. In my experience, these practical measures are grounded in clear communication, consistent approaches to enforcement, and the confident assertion of rights and obligations. Where these three elements are present, a committed strata manager, with the support of appropriate advisors, can deal effectively with difficult residents.
As I continue to collect the experiences of many hard working managers across Sydney, I am interested in hearing about how you deal with difficult residents day to day. Have you experienced residents falling into one of the above categories? Maybe you are dealing with one now and need some guidance, or just a place to unburden.
Let’s share, learn and grow.
Hi Amanda, the other big part of this is supporting your staff when they are faced with these situations and recognising the stress and anxiety this can cause. So important to have a supportive environment or network to assist.
As a Melbourne based operator would love to hear more on the outcomes from your workshops in Sydney.
Regards Sharon Michell
Trawling the internet for info and advice I found your site. We are a small strata of 10 units, all owner occupied. We also have a profssional strata manager, and the e.c. works closely with him. The building is 8 years old. 9 out of 10 owners 100% support the executive committee, who are dealing with a fire order from council. One owner wants to ‘do things his way’ contacting professional bodies and having meetings. He has been asked not to contact any professional bodies unilaterally, as this may prejudice our case if we decide to take legal action at a later date. He refuses to accept that he can be ‘governed’ by the e.c. in this matter. What more can we do? Any suggestions or advice would be so gratfully received.
Hi Amanda, nice article.
I have experienced a mixture of these six traits. There is the:
a) bully Chair so fewer and fewer owners attend meetings as they know they won’t get much of a say,
b) busy-body Mrs Jessup (ie The Sullivans TV show from 1970s),
c) mentally ill who rings at 8am Sunday mornings or dinner time any day,
d) the know-it-all who likes to trick the strata manager on facts of law.
How to deal with them depends on one’s personality.
With a) I talk to individual owners outside of the meeting and encourage participation and election of a more congenial chair.
With b) I ask Mrs Jessup to ensure that her ‘valuable’input is made via the Secretary, and in writing.
With c) my husband tells me not to answer the phone at those times – can’t do that, as it could be an emergency about my 93 yo father. I usually listen politely (10min+) and then thank her for calling and reassure her than everything will be OK. Another call suddenly comes in – gotta go!
With d) I just know my stuff and quieten him/her with knowledge.