Hi All,
I've made an offer on a strata-titled apartment and spoke to someone at the strata company to ask a couple of questions. I found out that, 6 months ago, the vendor had enquired about some type of building works or renovation and was told that it would require approval. The vendor was then apparently told by a neighbour that they didn't need approval for that particular work. My new friend at the strata company couldn't remember exactly what the work involved but seemed to remember something about moving or removing a wall or doorway. She tried to chase this up with the owner but has since since heard that the flat is up for sale.
The bathroom and kitchen both look newly renovated. The agent says they were done 3 and 4 years ago. When asked about what was done, he says that no approval was needed is it was just cosmetic- just replacing what was there. So I don't expect to find anything in the strata report.
What do you guys think of this? Without having spoken to this particular lady, I would be none the wiser. There is nothing to suggest that the vendor did, in fact, do anything within the last 6 months. The reno may have been done 3 and 4 years ago, as the agents suggests (although it does look very clean) and could have been a simple cosmetic job with no structural work.
If renovations look new, do buyers need to look into when they were done and if they required strata approval etc? I would be planning to do the strata report in the cooling off period, but don't fancy losing my 0.25% by backing out if there is an issue. Is there a way of covering myself?
Thanks,
Jaz
I've made an offer on a strata-titled apartment and spoke to someone at the strata company to ask a couple of questions. I found out that, 6 months ago, the vendor had enquired about some type of building works or renovation and was told that it would require approval. The vendor was then apparently told by a neighbour that they didn't need approval for that particular work. My new friend at the strata company couldn't remember exactly what the work involved but seemed to remember something about moving or removing a wall or doorway. She tried to chase this up with the owner but has since since heard that the flat is up for sale.
The bathroom and kitchen both look newly renovated. The agent says they were done 3 and 4 years ago. When asked about what was done, he says that no approval was needed is it was just cosmetic- just replacing what was there. So I don't expect to find anything in the strata report.
What do you guys think of this? Without having spoken to this particular lady, I would be none the wiser. There is nothing to suggest that the vendor did, in fact, do anything within the last 6 months. The reno may have been done 3 and 4 years ago, as the agents suggests (although it does look very clean) and could have been a simple cosmetic job with no structural work.
If renovations look new, do buyers need to look into when they were done and if they required strata approval etc? I would be planning to do the strata report in the cooling off period, but don't fancy losing my 0.25% by backing out if there is an issue. Is there a way of covering myself?
Thanks,
Jaz
