I bought my first apartment over 2 years ago. It was an unbelievable bargain - a totally dilapidated studio that had previously been used as a drug dealing premises in Kings Cross. I saw potential - beautiful, well kept old building, fantastic location, and a ceiling over 3m high. I put everything into it - designed a renovation that transformed the place, and worked with the builder.
The Owners' Corp knew I was renovating, and waited till it was finished and I moved in to tell me that had not, and would not give permission for the renovation. Over 6 months they literally harrassed the council building compliance investigator to get an Order to Restore. Even though everything was compliant, safe and legal, they refused to sign a Building Certificate. Eventually, though, the council passed it for me with their overriding powers. However, it was an incredibly stressful time for me because I faced bankruptcy and an apartment that would be rubble and not habitable.
On the day I moved in. I was confronted by an older woman and her adult son, both on the Owners' Corporation, who told me:
1. Nothing I asked permission for would be granted
2. I had no right to make a "palace" out of the tiniest, cheapest unit in the building, because apparently I had paid too little for it... ?
3. They would "get me out"
4. They would make me sorry I ever bought into the building.
The woman was actually screaming this at me, and I got spat on in her fury. I had not provoked this outbust.
Things got bad. Levy notices were withheld from me for over 6 months, in spite of my asking for them. The notice finally arrived, with the addition of an unexpected special levy for painting the building. It took numerous emails, and payment details were only given on the afternoon of the AGM, effectively barring my participation.
The building project was a mess, and because of inadequate initial assessments required a total of 3 calls for special levies. The initial quote of $400,000 became 1.5 million. The final amount was more than I could afford, but I was made aware that any application for terms would be rejected.
From the day I moved in I've been bullied and harrassed relentlessly with vexatious complaints, abuse, neglect of security for 9 months (I'm on the ground floor and accessible from the back lanes of King's Cross, and my iron security grille rusted and fell off), attempted forced entry by the chairman of the Owners' corp (10am Sunday morning), ignoring correspondence etc. Three of my windows were broken by the painters. They are still broken. My floor was flooded and damaged when an external pipe burst after the painters knocked it.
It's a pet friendly building, but they keep insisting I get rid of my female indoor cat. My pet is important to me, and I still have her.
I've now been through the courts, unrepresented, and have huge legal bills even though they were never given an order for costs. I have been prepared to sell my little place to pay the levies, but have been hammered by the lawyers.
I am not the first person to have been treated this way here. Previous owners have sold up and left. The place has been called "toxic". Unfortunately, I don't have the option now just to sell up and get another place. I couldn't get another mortgage, or even a rental, in my current circumstances.
When I moved in I was happy, confident, self employed with a good business and with a fantastic export opportunity in front of me. I now have nothing. I developed severe clinical depression, went onto benefits for the first time in my life, and face a future that is so bleak I can't even begin to know how to face it. I'm not a weak person, nor a victim, and have no idea how this has crept up on me. Depression and constant anxiety in the face of unrelenting bullying just wears you down bit by bit. My weight dropped from 56kgs to 42kgs during this time. If you don't know what real depression feels like, you can't imagine the actual pain that you feel with it. Mental and physical. It doesn't go away.
Solution - I have found a cash buyer for the value of my mortgage plus the levy and legal fees. The property itself now is worth heaps more, and I wish the best for my buyer. For me there is nothing more. I will not recover from depression, and can't live with this pain and blackness. I can't start again as I have nowhere to go. The gap is the most compelling option in front of me.
I hope that my story may have some good in highlighting the fact that there are cases where Owners' Corporation Committees abuse the power they have. Bullying and victimisation are not tolerated in the workplace or in schools, and are legislated against if occurring on the basis of gender, race, religion and other targeted minorities. Unfortunately, there is no protection from bullying in the home (and a home is meant to be a sanctuary from the world) by a malicious group that has power over an apartment and the residents.
Maybe, and hopefully, this will change in the future.
The Owners' Corp knew I was renovating, and waited till it was finished and I moved in to tell me that had not, and would not give permission for the renovation. Over 6 months they literally harrassed the council building compliance investigator to get an Order to Restore. Even though everything was compliant, safe and legal, they refused to sign a Building Certificate. Eventually, though, the council passed it for me with their overriding powers. However, it was an incredibly stressful time for me because I faced bankruptcy and an apartment that would be rubble and not habitable.
On the day I moved in. I was confronted by an older woman and her adult son, both on the Owners' Corporation, who told me:
1. Nothing I asked permission for would be granted
2. I had no right to make a "palace" out of the tiniest, cheapest unit in the building, because apparently I had paid too little for it... ?
3. They would "get me out"
4. They would make me sorry I ever bought into the building.
The woman was actually screaming this at me, and I got spat on in her fury. I had not provoked this outbust.
Things got bad. Levy notices were withheld from me for over 6 months, in spite of my asking for them. The notice finally arrived, with the addition of an unexpected special levy for painting the building. It took numerous emails, and payment details were only given on the afternoon of the AGM, effectively barring my participation.
The building project was a mess, and because of inadequate initial assessments required a total of 3 calls for special levies. The initial quote of $400,000 became 1.5 million. The final amount was more than I could afford, but I was made aware that any application for terms would be rejected.
From the day I moved in I've been bullied and harrassed relentlessly with vexatious complaints, abuse, neglect of security for 9 months (I'm on the ground floor and accessible from the back lanes of King's Cross, and my iron security grille rusted and fell off), attempted forced entry by the chairman of the Owners' corp (10am Sunday morning), ignoring correspondence etc. Three of my windows were broken by the painters. They are still broken. My floor was flooded and damaged when an external pipe burst after the painters knocked it.
It's a pet friendly building, but they keep insisting I get rid of my female indoor cat. My pet is important to me, and I still have her.
I've now been through the courts, unrepresented, and have huge legal bills even though they were never given an order for costs. I have been prepared to sell my little place to pay the levies, but have been hammered by the lawyers.
I am not the first person to have been treated this way here. Previous owners have sold up and left. The place has been called "toxic". Unfortunately, I don't have the option now just to sell up and get another place. I couldn't get another mortgage, or even a rental, in my current circumstances.
When I moved in I was happy, confident, self employed with a good business and with a fantastic export opportunity in front of me. I now have nothing. I developed severe clinical depression, went onto benefits for the first time in my life, and face a future that is so bleak I can't even begin to know how to face it. I'm not a weak person, nor a victim, and have no idea how this has crept up on me. Depression and constant anxiety in the face of unrelenting bullying just wears you down bit by bit. My weight dropped from 56kgs to 42kgs during this time. If you don't know what real depression feels like, you can't imagine the actual pain that you feel with it. Mental and physical. It doesn't go away.
Solution - I have found a cash buyer for the value of my mortgage plus the levy and legal fees. The property itself now is worth heaps more, and I wish the best for my buyer. For me there is nothing more. I will not recover from depression, and can't live with this pain and blackness. I can't start again as I have nowhere to go. The gap is the most compelling option in front of me.
I hope that my story may have some good in highlighting the fact that there are cases where Owners' Corporation Committees abuse the power they have. Bullying and victimisation are not tolerated in the workplace or in schools, and are legislated against if occurring on the basis of gender, race, religion and other targeted minorities. Unfortunately, there is no protection from bullying in the home (and a home is meant to be a sanctuary from the world) by a malicious group that has power over an apartment and the residents.
Maybe, and hopefully, this will change in the future.
