Hi guys, We have recently bought a 2 bed unit in Bondi on the ground floor of a 14 unit Art Deco building. We have noticed that the neighbouring building is almost identical and the owners of the same unit have purchased the little courtyard which is adjacent to the unit when you look outside the window. I was wondering what the process would be in doing this and how would you approach the strata in this situation. Has anyone had any experience doing something similar?
Is the area used by other occupants at all ? Better to apply to strata for an "exclusive use" agreement, the BC will save on maintenance of the area but you will probably have to pay a fee/rent (annually). It works out to be expensive to "buy" the land, everyone else wants to be compensated, then you will need a quantity surveyor to re apportion the block meaning your strata fee's will increase along with your rates probably.
How do you know that the neighbours purchased this area? Getting a portion of common property subdivided will trigger a DA and possible upgrades for the entire building - you will be real popular if you go down that route. An exclusive by-law is the way to go. The by-law will cover your responsibility to mow/maintain the area.
Hey Stoffo, Other occupants don’t really use it, one person parks his bike there but that’s about it. That makes sense rather than purchasing the land. Essentially the idea is to add an outdoor area to the unit because it doesn’t have a balcony, and add value to the property.
hey Scott, Sounds like the way to go is with exclusive use to this area. I’m not sure if the neighbours purchased the land or have exclusive use to the area on their property. I was planning on contacting them to find out how they went about it. To do this I would need to turn one external window into a door opening. Do you think this would trigger a DA as well?
You'll need to feel out the strata manager & executive committee whether it's worth getting a motion & a vote at an AGM. You'll need a Strata Lawyer to draw up a by-law. You may be able to get a certifier to approve the works rather than going through Council.
