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Parents in apartment block threatened with huge fine over 'loud' children

A strata management company has threatened residents in an apartment building with a whopping fine if children make too much noise while playing.

The notice was posted on a reddit forum after a woman spotted it while visiting a friend’s apartment.

“Fun police are now infiltrating strata schemes where you can no longer talk and kids can't play,” she wrote along with an image of the notice.

The letter read that complaints had been made in the western Sydney apartment block about children riding scooters and bikes on the pathways of the complex.

A strata notice threatened to fine residents $1100 for having 'loud' children in common areas and within individual flats. Source: Reddit/normie123456
A strata notice threatened to fine residents $1100 for having 'loud' children in common areas and within individual flats. Source: Reddit/normie123456

“Not only is this obstructing common property and putting resident safety at risk, but is creating excess noise through loud conversations, screaming/yelling by both adults and children,” the letter by Norwest Strata Management read.

The strata group also stated that even within “individual flats” noise would not be tolerated, leaving some people baffled by what they were allowed to do in their own home.

The letter went on to advise that children may only play at the local park and if excessive noise continued on common property, fines of $1,100 were applicable.

Manager doing its duty

Through its lawyer, Norwest Strata Management defended its letter, saying that it was acting in accordance with its duty as managing agents.

They said the letter “did no more than remind lot owners of the by-laws applicable to that Strata Scheme” in accordance with the legislation.

Let kids be kids

“The problem is that people have a wildly varying definition of what ‘kids just playing’ is,” one person responded.

Some people suggested that noise restrictions were just the reality of living in close proximity to neighbours, such as in apartment blocks.

“If you live in a strata building you can’t live like your place is a free standing house. It’s that simple, you are living in close proximity to other people and it’s not really that difficult to be considerate,” one person wrote.

 Parents at Sydney apartment block threatened with $1100 fine for 'loud' children who ride bikes in common areas
Parents at the western Sydney apartment block have been threatened with a $1100 fine for 'loud' children riding bikes and scooters in the common areas. Source: Getty

Another sided with the strata group, saying they were fed up with children in their apartment blocks making too much noise.

“I live in a block of units which has a square shaped hole in the centre down to the car park, the woman downstairs leaves her kids down there screaming which echoes up and around the building,” a user commented.

While one person said, just lets kids be kids.

“Children need to be able to play outdoors and be loud. It's so important for their normal growth and development. I think as adults we need to learn to tune out kid noise to some degree, where reasonable,” one person said.

This article was amended on January 31, 2020 to include the response of Norwest Strata Management.

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