House Rules

Click HERE for the Observatory Living House Rules

A key element is the Complex's House Rules. House Rules are made to facilitate administration and harmony – the smooth running of a strata scheme. They generally cover the use of common property and the behaviour of residents but also deal with many other aspects of the scheme. The default rules of the Unit Titles (Management) Act 2011 form the basis for the Observatory Living House Rules. [1] These default rules have been added to, and broadened, by decision at Annual General Meetings (AGMs) to further assist in maintaining and improving our Complex.

Our Complex’s House Rules have been registered with the ACT Government under ‘Rule 13’ of the Owners Corporation Rules and so have the force of law. It is an offence under ACT law to fail to comply with a Rule Infringement Notice. The maximum penalty is $750, with further enforcement action also possible under the purview of the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal. For Owners with tenants you may be liable under the law for their tenants failing to comply with House Rules and Rule Infringement Notices.

Without House Rules, our Complex, as any other Strata based Scheme, would basically operate as a ‘free-for-all’ situation where anyone could essentially do whatever they pleased to their property, the common property and each other without regard to the overall common good, our investments and standards of behaviour. Just imagine the sort of chaos that situation would create over time. It is important that all residents living in our Complex understand the what, the why and the how of the House Rules, and more importantly, how they will be managed within the Complex.

Our House Rules are both a code of conduct and an operational guide. With so many people in the one large complex, disputes do sometimes arise in our community. Certain issues are more prevalent than others and will be handled according to our House Rules. The elected Executive Committee considers all issues in accordance with the Complex’s House Rules, with advice from our Strata Managers and other independent advice as necessary. The Executive Committee reviews our House Rules every year and brings any proposed changes to the Complex’s Annual General Meeting where they will be put to a special resolution vote of the Owner’s Corporation.

Our House Rules cover:

Parking restrictions and use of allocated areas
Keeping of pets
Garbage disposal
Specific building works and renovations guidelines
Use and Damage to common property
Use and provision of facilities, common property and other services
Ownership and maintenance responsibilities of some common property
Behaviour of residents and their guests, noise, cleaning, Unit appearance, offensive behaviour
Security, access and safety measures
Architectural and landscaping requirements and guidelines
Installation and use of floor coverings, air conditioners, fixtures on balconies, television aerials and satellite dishes.

Specific Policies:

Further information regarding:

House Rules are an essential document for the Owners Corporation and everyone who owns or occupies a Unit in our Complex. A copy of Observatory Living's House Rules is freely available from the link above, or from our Strata Manager (Grady’s Strata - office@gradystrata.com.au).

[1]Note, that in all other states of Australia these are called By-Laws, however in the ACT they are known, legally, as Rules

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