Claiming costs of strata committee efforts on tax

[eastside]

Dear All,
Does anyone here have an idea of how much one can claim on one's tax return for being on a strata committee? I am the treasurer of mine, and this year have done so much, and I'm just wondering what is a reasonable amount to claim.
I have been busy with it constantly, organising tradesman's quotes, meeting with new managing agents to try and find a decent one (so I don't have to get the quotes anymore next year!), finding an auditor to see why the funds are in the negative, inspecting the property (we had a drama with a plumber we had not approved breaking a pipe and damaging the property) and organising/informing the other owners. I haven't claimed for it before, but this year I really need to reduce my income as much as possible and my bank won't let me prepay interest for the next financial year. It's been like a part-time job, getting the strata organised, so I am just wondering whether I can claim more then like $30 in phone calls and stamps which is what my accountant ususally does.
Many thnaks in advance!

 

[travelbug]

Why are you doing everything? I would have thought the strata manager would organise auditors etc.

I know it can be time consuming with the other stuff though. I'm on 2 committees. But being treasurer is more demanding.

Good luck with it.

 

[jaycee]

Dear All,
Does anyone here have an idea of how much one can claim on one's tax return for being on a strata committee? I am the treasurer of mine, and this year have done so much, and I'm just wondering what is a reasonable amount to claim.
I have been busy with it constantly, organising tradesman's quotes, meeting with new managing agents to try and find a decent one (so I don't have to get the quotes anymore next year!), finding an auditor to see why the funds are in the negative, inspecting the property (we had a drama with a plumber we had not approved breaking a pipe and damaging the property) and organising/informing the other owners. I haven't claimed for it before, but this year I really need to reduce my income as much as possible and my bank won't let me prepay interest for the next financial year. It's been like a part-time job, getting the strata organised, so I am just wondering whether I can claim more then like $30 in phone calls and stamps which is what my accountant ususally does.
Many thnaks in advance!

Wow, youre what is missing from our complex - wanna move in ?

 

[eastside]

The strata manager does hardly anything, I personally think we have enough to take him to fair trading, that is why I am involved, but we are now about to vote on changing managers. The block is full of old people who have no idea and never get involved and appear scared of strata manager. All they do is whine about the strata levies, but make no effort to help or change things. I either had to get involved, or sell it. For 6 years I have watched the levies tripling, and the sinking fund depleting, and the building getting run down. I have spend so much time on it and am just wondering whether I can claim some of it. If I could have sold and bought into another block without paying stamp duty again, I would have! But I don't want to contribute more money to NSW state government either, so now I do most of it, which is why I am going to set up the meeting to change agents.

 

[jaycee]

sorry eastside, not too sure about that....

Do you live there or is it an IP ? If an IP then travel costs at least is one thing you can claim


the Strata titles Institute Wa got back to me on a query.complaint I made aobut our strata manager when I ofnd our reserve fund was $000's less than what it should have been and the explanatioin I got was it was used on 'bills'.. they suggested that whislt nothing wrong was done the way we are setu pmeans whoever the manager is we would have problems and lathough not their normal course action, invited me to meet withhim & the strata manager about it.. I sugessted the council of owners also attend.