QLD: Q&A Meth Labs and Other Illegal Acts in Apartments

This article is about what to do if you suspect a meth lab or other illegal acts occurring in an apartment in Queensland.

Table of Contents:

• QUESTION: One resident hit another resident on common property, resulting in Police involvement. Apart from actions by external parties, can the resident be issued a breach of by-laws?
• QUESTION: A neighbour in our scheme is carrying out acts of minor annoyance and interference. If we are able to identify the culprit, can the committee get involved to stop this harassment?
• QUESTION: Thieves have entered our building through the carpark and managed to steal a number of items. What safety measures should we look into to stop this from happening?
• QUESTION: Are the body corporate responsible for making the building as secure as reasonably possible?
• QUESTION: I purchased a property that settled last month. Yesterday I was informed that the previous owners daughter was living in the unit and “cooking ice”. I’ve ordered meth tests, if it comes back as positive what are my options? Who is responsible?
• QUESTION: A lot owner’s visitors vandalise the common property pool by ‘pooing’ in the garden. What recourse does Committee have?
• ARTICLE: What to do About A Meth Lab or Other Illegal Acts in Apartments

Question: One resident hit another resident on common property, resulting in Police involvement. Apart from actions by external parties, can the resident be issued a breach of by-laws?

An incident occurred on the common property regarding one resident hitting another resident. This resulted in an ambulance and police report etc.

Regardless of any follow-up action with external authorities, could an owner lodge a complaint regarding a breach of by-laws (health and safety)? Would it be reasonable to expect that the complaint and response of the committee be tabled at the AGM with ongoing concerns of continued breach of the by-law?

Answer: If you believe a by-law has been contravened out of this incident, then yes, you can seek to have it enforced. But what would it achieve?

It is impossible to comment on the specifics, especially given the by-laws for each scheme can greatly differ. I don’t know what by-laws apply in your instance.

Generally speaking, if you believe a by-law has been contravened out of this incident, then yes, you can seek to have it enforced. Refer to this excellent flowchart from the Commissioner’s Office about how that gets done. Perhaps you also consider there has been a contravention of the legislation in relation to nuisance and hazard arising out of this incident. You could therefore consider pursuing that contravention.

My question to you though: what benefit is there out of either? If the Police attended, there will, I assume, be a process around that. Perhaps including charges and a conviction. It isn’t as though a by-law or nuisance contravention will add anything to the situation. For example, it’s not going to result in the individual being evicted, prevent them from nominating for the committee, using common property, voting at meetings or otherwise exercising their strata rights. Nor is it likely, in my experience, to change the behaviour. If anything, it may inflame an already volatile situation.

This is general information only and not legal advice.

Chris Irons
Strata Solve
E: [email protected]
P: 0419 805 898

This post appears in the June 2023 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.

Question: A neighbour in our scheme is carrying out acts of minor annoyance and interference. If we are able to identify the culprit, can the committee get involved to stop this harassment?

A neighbour in our scheme is carrying out acts of minor annoyance and interference such as ”eggs in the mailbox” (not kidding!), eggs over the fence, anonymous notes etc. What can be done if I have witnesses to identify the culprit?

I’ve spoken to the Police and they have indicated this is not an issue for them (yet) but my worry is that the person may escalate their perceived grievance and do something more radical. Can the committee become involved and send a note or something similar?

Answer: This is a police issue.

From my perspective this is a police issue. It may be difficult for them to act without concrete evidence or until there is an overt threat however they are the best placed authority to regulate anti-social behaviour. If there is a mental health issue at play, they would also be able to engage with the relevant authority over that.

Body Corporate’s aren’t really in a position to control social issues like this. You could find ways to argue that the individual here is in breach of the by-laws but those by-laws are broadly designed around regulating the use and protection of common property. The legal structure around them is built around that purpose. It’s set up to control issues such as meeting procedures and building repairs. It can’t control serious anti-social behaviour like this and the danger in getting body corporates involved is that they may only make things worse.

Is there anything else you can do?

Well, if the individual is a tenant it may be worth informing the owner and agent. They at least have some power to move the person on at some stage.

There are also resources such as neighbour mediation facilities set up by the Queensland government: Neighbourhood mediation | Your rights, crime and the law | Queensland Government.

However, they tend to be more based around resolving a specific dispute rather than controlling threatening behaviour like this.

You can also look at getting legal advice. This could be through the Body Corporate if the behaviour was affecting multiple lots at the scheme. Legal Aid Queensland has a good page on how to starting dealing with stalking/threatening behaviour:

Threats, abuse and harassment – Legal Aid Queensland.

William Marquand
Tower Body Corporate
E: [email protected]
P: 07 5609 4924

This post appears in Strata News #618.

Question: Thieves have entered our building through the carpark and managed to steal a number of items. What safety measures should we look into to stop this from happening?

On a few occasions, thieves have entered our building through the carpark entry doors. They hide and come in behind cars. They have managed to steal a number of items.

We are a new building and have limited funds at present. When we are financial, we will purchase CCTV. At present, there are no cameras in the basement carparks.

What other safety measures should we look into to stop this from happening?

Answer: For starters, you can communicate the situation to all owners and occupants. Make sure they are aware and vigilant.

It’s hard for new buildings that start out with minimal amounts in the bank, but if you need a cash injection you might just have to accept that as a reality and raise extra funds through a special levy. If not, you might be waiting a long time until you can take real action.

In terms of what you might do from a lower cost point, it will probably depend on the set up of your building. For starters, you can communicate the situation to all owners and occupants. Make sure they are aware and vigilant. Tell them not to leave any valuables in their vehicles. Tell them to be on the lookout for anyone unusual accessing the building – particularly if driving in after other cars. Contact the police if they see anything suspicious. Maybe you could get a group of owners to do a sweep of the car park in the evenings together to see if you can see anything or anyone that shouldn’t be there.

You could also get a locksmith or security company out to do an assessment and see if there are any quick fixes. Perhaps adding strike plates to locks or changing the set-up of some access points. Perhaps some increased signage would help. We don’t usually recommend individual companies on this site, but if you ask your body corporate manager, they can assist.

In terms of CCTV, you shouldn’t think of this as being the magic bullet. Many thieves just don’t care if they are caught on camera. Others know to hide their face or move away from cameras. The reality is that all buildings need multi-layered security setups and cameras are just one part of that. Consider the whole set up as holistically as possible and look to improve every area you can.

William Marquand
Tower Body Corporate
E: [email protected]
P: 07 5609 4924

This post appears in the November 2022 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.

Question: Are the body corporate responsible for making the building as secure as reasonably possible?

What is the body corporate’s responsibility to provide security to building car parks? My building has 20-holiday lets and a total of 66 apartments and we have had a number of thefts and break-ins to sheds and vehicles in recent months.

That is not to say that the holidaymakers are doing the thieving. We know thieves will wait outside the garage until a car enters or leaves and take the opportunity to enter the car park. Holiday letting does mean there is a lot of car park activity at times. We have the usual notices stating that vehicles are parked at the owners responsibility, but I would have thought the body corporate also has a responsibility to make the building as secure as reasonably possible.

Answer: While there is no express requirement for a body corporate to provide security services, the requirement to ‘act reasonably’ might include ensuring the security of common property, such as car parks.

A body corporate in Queensland has a statutory responsibility to act reasonably. What does that mean? Well, it varies from case to case and is dependent on the situation. So while there is no express requirement for a body corporate to provide security services (and I stress, I’m speaking only from a body corporate perspective – there may be obligations under other legislation), you can see how ‘acting reasonably’ might include ensuring the security of common property, such as car parks.

If you are an owner, you have a right to put motions to both committee and general meetings. So it is open to you to put a motion to your next general meeting, providing a quote for security services (I suspect said quote would exceed committee spending limits at your building, although it may not of course) and have all owners vote on that.

Prior to that, you might want to get in touch with fellow owners to see if they share your views. No point seeking their endorsement of something if they are not interested or don’t see it as a priority.

You may also want to reach out to your local Police station to see if they have any advice for you in this situation, or you might like to request the committee do this. Police may have notices or information which can be shared amongst owners, to bring the issue to their attention.

Chris Irons
Strata Solve
E: [email protected]
P: 0419 805 898

This post appears in the July 2022 edition of The QLD Strata Magazine.

Question: I purchased a property that settled last month. Yesterday I was informed that the previous owners daughter was living in the unit and “cooking ice”. I’ve ordered meth tests, if it comes back as positive what are my options? Who is Responsible?

I purchased a property that settled last month. Yesterday I was informed that the previous owners daughter was living in the unit and “cooking ice”. The realtor says she was unaware, but the owners and body Corp were definitely aware as complaints had been lodged. I’ve ordered meth tests, if it comes back as positive what are my options? Does body Corp have a responsibility to ensure the property poses no health risks?

Any information or insight would be greatly appreciated. I am distraught to find that I purchased a property that might have serious contamination.

Answer: I recommend that you seek qualified legal advice about your options.

I can understand why you’d be distraught.

I’m interested to know how you’ve become aware of complaints. Did you find that out by looking at body corporate records? If not, then I’d suggest you do that anyway as there might be other matters of interest to you in them.

In Queensland, real estate transactions are generally based on the ‘buyer beware’ concept. That said, there are definitely obligations on both real estate agents and owners. From the body corporate perspective, there is a right to what’s known as an ‘implied warranty’ under section 223 of the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997. This section provides, amongst other things, that the seller warrants that there ‘are no latent or patent defects…’ and that, to the seller’s knowledge, ‘there are no actual, contingent or expected liabilities…’. Both of these obligations are framed in terms of body corporate responsibilities.

So, while it’s impossible to say to you at this stage that you definitely have a case in this regard, or in any other context, I do recommend that you seek qualified legal advice about your options, bearing in mind the above.

Chris Irons
Strata Solve
E: [email protected]
P: 0419 805 898

This post appears in Strata News #444.

Question: A lot owner’s visitors vandalise the common property pool by ‘pooing’ in the garden. What recourse does Committee have?

Resident teenager of Owner regularly brings in “friends” to swim. The resident goes home & leaves his “friends” to play in the pool. “friends” then vandalise pool by “pooing” in garden.

What recourse does Committee have?

Answer: The recourse is to call the Police. Not everything which occurs in a body corporate is a body corporate problem to deal with.

The recourse is to call the Police. Not everything which occurs in a body corporate is a body corporate problem to deal with.

If you want to make it a body corporate problem, I’d suggest speaking to the owners to make sure they know what is going on. If the teenager lives there with the owner then you can enforce by-laws or nuisance provisions against them as an occupier.

Chris Irons
Strata Solve
E: [email protected]
P: 0419 805 898

This post appears in Strata News #402.

What to do About A Meth Lab or Other Illegal Acts in Apartments

Meth Labs in Apartments

In strata world, there is a lot of prescriptive legislation about what to do in given situations. Even so, there are still plenty of circumstances in which the best course of action isn’t immediately clear – or comes with some undesirable consequences.

Case in point: a lot (or common property, for that matter) being used to do something illegal, such as running a meth lab.

This isn’t meant to be an article about chemistry and illicit drugs per se, so I won’t delve into what meth is. For strata, the issue is more about detection and management. This link provides an overview of some of the tell-tale signs of meth production and, while I don’t want to alarm anyone, this article describes what the very real, physical impacts might be. It isn’t just the immediate impacts either. The ABC reports that there may be long-term health issues from meth use and production in a lot.

Bearing all this in mind, if you are an owner, occupier, committee member, manager, caretaker or indeed, anyone else for that matter, it raises the issue of what to do if you suspect meth use or production is occurring. Anyone who has ever heard me speak at a seminar or read one of my articles would know that I am a big proponent of getting in and resolving problems early and preferably in person. For example, knocking on the door to another lot and having a discussion with that occupier.

In this case, though, I would definitely not be recommending that. As you’d see from the links above, there are some significant and dangerous risks involved with meth labs and meth use. Your role in a body corporate should never extend to putting your personal safety at risk. Nor should it ever involve things which are (or potentially are) criminal. Those are matters for the police and they are the ones who should be contacted if there’s a concern about meth use or production.

Another example I can cite from my time as Queensland’s Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management is people allegedly smoking pot and particularly so if they’re smoking it on a balcony. This type of enquiry would come to the 1800 free call number of the Commissioner’s Office on a semi-regular basis, with the caller asking what they could (or should) do about it. The answer is more or less the same as my discussion about meth above – if something illegal seems to be happening, it’s a police matter. Or, put in more blunt terms, just because something is happening in a body corporate doesn’t make it something for the body corporate to address. Nor does it necessarily make it a problem to be addressed through body corporate processes. In the pot-smoking example, while it is possible that that could be addressed through the nuisance provisions of the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 in a similar way to disputes about smoking in general, it’s still something best directed to police in the first instance. Particularly if the pot use comes with other undesirable activity, such as violence or the threat of violence.

Sometimes the question arises of who should report matters to the Police. It doesn’t take a body corporate decision (such as a resolution at committee) to make a police report. An owner, occupier or caretaker, for example, is perfectly able to do this themselves without reference to the committee.

I know that there is sometimes a reluctance to get involved in situations where there might be something illegal going on and that’s understandable. Then again, if the body corporate committee is aware, or at least reasonably suspicious, that something is going on which shouldn’t be and they don’t do anything about it, this could raise some issues further down the track. There might be implications for insurance, for example. Or, if the illegal activity is having an impact on common property, the body corporate would have to deal with that eventually.

When it comes to tenants, in particular, there is a requirement that if a lease of six months or more takes place that the details of this tenancy must be provided to the body corporate. This is a means by which a body corporate can exercise some oversight about what is going on at a scheme and particularly if there is a situation involving a tenant and some potentially illegal activity. There is also the option of using the body corporate roll to contact the owner of that lot to get them aware of what is going on. If the owner resides interstate or overseas, it’s quite possible they would have no idea but would, if notified, be very motivated to do something about the situation.

If there is a suspicion of illegal activity the temptation might be there to install CCTV. Before doing so, either an owner or a body corporate should take the time to read a fact sheet prepared by the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management and with the input of the Queensland Police Service. The fact sheet lists some of the considerations and obligations which go with CCTV. Another issue to be aware of is that if CCTV is installed on common property then any footage from that may be a body corporate record and thus, able to be accessed by an ‘interested person’.

Chris Irons
Strata Solve
E: [email protected]
P: 0419 805 898

This post appears in Strata News #325.

If you have a question about illegal acts occurring in your apartment or something to add about meth labs in apartments, please leave a comment below.

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Read more:

• QLD: Top Tips To Improve Security in Your Apartment Building
• QLD: Rights of Access to Lots

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