I am the owner of one side of a Townhouse, the other side is being rented out to a women and a man with 6 children under 10 years. The screaming and the noise daily is very bad and thump through there side of the house and up the stairs constantly. – Carole, QLD

I am the owner of one side of a Townhouse, the other side is being rented out to a women and a man with 6 children under 10 years. The screaming and the noise daily is very bad and thump through there side of the house and up the stairs constantly. I have put in several complaints to the real estate agent that handles that side. The woman got abusive toward me after this and threaten my life and to smash my cars that are parked on my driveway. I did go to the police but they will do nothing unless i make a statement and then they will charge her and it goes to court. The noise has only gotten worse. Also she has flooded or down something in her laundry that caused damage in my unit and insurance doesn’t cover it apparently. I requested Suncorp insurance to ask the owner of the other side to be in touch with me about repairing the damages to my side but no contact has been make by him. Is there nothing I can do about all of this and just have to repair the damages myself?

 – Tina, NSW

Hi Carole, If you have a dispute (such as yours) with another owner or occupier you must try to resolve it with the other party first. Reasonable steps should be taken by you to resolve the issue before a formal dispute resolution application.

• You may wish to communicate with the neighbour personally (preferably in writing, as this may be needed as evidence of self resolution later on)

• Present a motion to the committee

• Present a motion to a general meeting.

Approach the committee to write to the owner.

The benefits of self resolution assist with stopping the issue from getting more serious, is faster and cheaper, leads to better relationships and stops further disputes.

If self resolution fails you can apply for dispute resolution with the Commission of Body Corporate and Community Management. In most cases you must attempt conciliation as a the compulsory first step in dispute resolution.

Read about this process on the government page:
https://www.qld.gov.au/law/housing-and-neighbours/body-corporate/disputes/conciliation