398. Open Books: Unpacking the Privacy Myth in Strata
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I’m taking you inside last Friday’s CPD Education Day, for a quick listen to part of my session on the topic of “privacy” in strata.
Just as important for owners as they are for managers, the lessons of this session may surprise you.
Also, get the diary out, because I’m announcing the date for our 2025 CPD Education Day. Yep! We’re an organised bunch here at YSP.
Links mentioned:
- Get the transcript here!
- Section 22 | Notice to be given to owners corporation of right to cast vote at meeting | SSMA 2015 (NSW)
- Section 258 | Tenancy notice to be given to owners corporation of leases or subleases | SSMA 2015 (NSW)
- Privacy Act 1988
- Section 180 | Certain records to be retained for prescribed period | SSMA 2015 (NSW)
- Legge v Network Strata Services Pty Ltd (Strata and Community Schemes) [2013] NSWCTTT 45 (8 January 2013)
- Walker v The Owners – Strata Plan No 1992 [2020] NSWCATAP 192 (16 September 2020)
I am so pleased that your first ever CPD Education Day was a great success – and very well deserved too. I would totally be up for a similar event for owners in the future, so I’ll be watching this space keenly.
Thank you for sharing this very informative session on privacy with us. I found it very useful.
Strata agents “trade” in personal information?
I think that is a stretch that the OC’s employee is trading in personal information.
That the agent “provides services that allow people to access personal information and … are paid for providing that service”.
I believe the OC is required to allow the access and the OC is paid the fee which the agent then keeps for acting on behalf of the OC. Are they providing a service or meeting a (mandatory) legislative requirement for the principle?
I am not sold that agents collect anything; the owners are required to supply certain information to the OC.
I tend to look at a strata agent as a filing cabinet for the OC.
They don’t do much more than hold the information for the principle and handle it in accordance with the Act for the principle.
Has the world gone to pot or do we really need this level of protection from each other?
Privacy is an multi million dollar industry that never existed 50 years ago and the “people” we need protection from have access to all your information; but we are being asked to fear each other.
There was an article published on the SMH “The article was titled: “Low levy trap for strata unit buyers” published on 6/4/1994″ .Now it should read Rorts in Strata Living, Beware.
It informs us that; “I would avoid a building that is bagged and rendered (painted on the outside) because they are high maintenance involving huge levies every 4, 5 years.
Also it tells us that “traps lurk everywhere for the unsuspecting and naive buyer such as the chap who bought a garden flat in Glenmore Road. Paddington. in the late 1980s for $185,000……The Strata Hub was going to fix that problem.
We need governments who have the expertise and the powers to investigate to do something about the Rorts. Most people trusted the governments to protect us but at the moment it’s not the case”.
Also we know that, and if they get their way they get people on the stupid Hybrid loans and debt collectors making a killing. so they can spend strata funds and they do not have to be transparent because so far Fair Trading ask us to talk to the Strata Manager. Is more or less like asking a person to talk to the person who raped the person instead of them investigating our complaints. Also strata owners will have less property rights if the government gives them 50% for them to get our Homes.
We need governments to make sure that we have qualified people to do work in our buildings. They are our Homes.