The Trustees increased our levies during the second month of our financial year; with 8% without consulting the owners. According to the Chairperson – that knows about these things – the Trustees have the right in terms of the STSM Act to increase the levies – as long as they don’t increase it with more than 10%.
Your Chairperson is on the right track but missed an important part of what the STSM Act stipulates:
PMR 21
(3) The body corporate may, on the authority of a written trustee resolution—
(b) increase the contributions due by the members by a maximum of 10 per cent at the end of a financial year to take account of the anticipated increased liabilities of the body corporate, which increase will remain effective until members receive notice of the contributions due by them for the next financial year; provided that the trustees must give members notice of such increased contributions by notice in terms of rule 25, with such changes as are required by the context;
So yes the Trustees have the right to increase the levies by less than 10% without consulting the owners, but they can only do so at the end of the financial year – not anywhere during the year when they feel that it is necessary.