Can the Body Corporate charge a lot owner for not using a DEFT number when making levy payments? – Dayan, QLD

Q: Can the Body Corporate charge a lot owner for not using a DEFT number when making levy payments? The charge of $10 will be from the financial institution receiving the funds to return the payment to the institution remitting the funds……because the payment could not be traced to the lot owner (inadequate payment reference)

 

A: There may be cases where processing fees are charged for using payment methods that defer from what is preferred/recommended.

It could be that the $10 fee covers extra admin work required for payments made outside of DEFT.

It may be best to discuss the fee with your body corporate committee or strata manager to see if something else can be worked out for future payments.