But according to Archers the Strata Professionals partner, Grant Mifsud, there is another P that can cause headaches for bodies corporate and for residents: pests – also known as serial complainers.

Mr Mifsud said while the vast majority of residents in strata communities were good to deal with, serial complainers constantly challenged bodies corporate.

“It’s a fact of life that we have to deal with serial complainers, constant whiners and people who are just angry at the world,” he said.

“Bodies corporate are like a fourth layer of Government except it’s the unit owners and not public servants that make up the Committee who make the majority of decisions. These decisions deal with situations that affect people’s living arrangements, making even the smallest of issues seem very personal to the resident.

“Some people find bodies corporate to be a perfect place to complain. Unfortunately, too often there are no repercussions for people behaving badly, except for causing higher administrative costs for the body corporate which includes themselves.”

Mr Mifsud said there had been cases where residents had breached body corporate by-laws for causing a ‘nuisance’ for repeated and lengthy complaint correspondence.

“There have been instances where serial complainants have had to have restrictions imposed on the number of times they can write to the body corporate and the length of the individuals correspondence, with one complainant restricted to 1,000 words per week,” he said.

Mr Mifsud said “dealing with difficult people” was the most daunting aspect of the job for all strata managers.

“When dealing with a difficult person, you must remain detached and calm, knowing your response can either exacerbate or diffuse the problem,” he said.

“While a vocal minority can make life difficult for bodies corporate, usually by the proven method of death by a thousand keystrokes, most residents in strata communities are pleasant people.

“Thankfully most residents are amenable and if they have any issues, they are usually straightforward to accommodate.

“Unfortunately many volunteer Committee members get worn down and decide they no longer want to deal with the local village idiot who makes life hell for everyone including the strata manager, so they simply resign.”

Tips for dealing with difficult people in strata schemes:

• Stay impartial and calm. Although the complainant appears to be upset with YOU, it is usually they are frustrated with the situation.
• Listen and take notes. This is a necessary step not only to demonstrate your concern but to keep a record in case of formal dispute.
• Empathise. If the complainant sees you are paying attention and empathising with them, their emotion will tend to diffuse.
• Set boundaries. Let them know what your role is in the situation and the limit of your assistance with THEIR problem.
• Solve the problem. Educate the complainant of a step forward in the dispute resolution process.

Related reading: 

Women In Strata, connecting women in strata management

‘Long overdue’ WA strata title reform welcomed by industry leaders

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