New Model By-law Series #3 – Kids

Over the next 10 weeks we’ll be looking at the revisions to NSW’s model by-laws, which come into force on November 30 2016. They won’t automatically affect existing owners, but it’s a great time to consider updating your strata scheme’s by-laws to take advantage of the changes.

This week we looked at the vexed issue of kids on common property; and how changes will make it easier for the children of owners to make use of common property.

What tenants need to know about discrimination in strata

Domain recently highlighted a struggle that tenants face; discrimination more often takes place against them because they’re seen as being impermanent and unreliable. Why bother to assist them with their needs if they’re bound to leave anyway?

Discrimination due to age, like the author faced with her children, or for disability needs such as ramps or companion animals is indeed illegal. People often wrongly try to use by-laws to do this, with some requesting by-laws that prevent the use of certain common property by tenants, or by limiting the types of people that can become tenants.

With this in mind tenants should know their rights:

Keeping kids safe should concern all strata members

Hopefully strata schemes and their managers never have to deal with the painful issue of children hurting themselves on common property. Being curious and unaware of dangers makes everyday features such as windows and pools particularly dangerous for kids. For owners corporations they struggle with the desire to protect children, but also the fear of costs both in protecting them or if something goes wrong.

Chasing off children isn’t child’s play

It’s both a shame and a blessing that the bulk of the talk about by-laws as they apply to children is when their safety is at risk. But sometimes it’s not just the children’s safety but the wellbeing of other owners and property gets people riled up.

You tell yourself you’ll never be the person shouting at the kids, telling them to get off the lawn. But after a broken vase and an afternoon of water bomb fights, before you know it you’re lobbying a strata manager to look into a by-law to keep them quiet and keep them away.