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An ever-changing market

those in the vicinity and will fill the building very quickly. Thermal runaway is one of the primary risks related to lithium-ion batteries and is a phenomenon in which the lithium-ion cell enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state. Thermal runaway is associated with violent battery cell venting, explosive ejection of gas, shrapnel and/or particulates, extremely high temperatures, etc.

possibly the floor levels via the fire escape stairs within seconds, especially if no stairwell pressurisation is in the building.

Precautionary measures So, what can a residential strata committee do to minimise the fire risk associated with electric vehicle charging? •

This occurs when the toxic flammable fumes escape the battery under pressure and ignite like a jet engine flame. These escaping toxic fumes feed the fire which is almost impossible to extinguish. As mentioned, nearly 33 percent of all recorded LEV fires have been whilst charging. An EV fire cannot be put out with a fire hose or standard fire extinguisher. By way of comparison, a fire in a standard petrol car achieves temperatures of around 900 degrees Celsius and uses about 4,000 litres of water to extinguish successfully, which is slightly less than one fire brigade truck supply. A lithium battery fire heats up to over 2,000 degrees Celsius and uses 100,000 litres of water to extinguish. A LEV fire spreads very rapidly, burns hotter and burns longer up to three times hotter than a normal fuel fire. Some LEV fires include an explosion. There are approximately 100 highly toxic chemicals produced during a battery fire. One LEV battery fire would literally fill a carpark basement and ResortNews | October 2022

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Step 1: Ensure lot owners seek permission from the body corporate before installing car charging stations and ensure nobody is charging LEVs off common property power points in the basement carpark. Step 2: Engage a project manager to assist with the feasibility study around provisioning for future LEV charging stations.

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Step 3: Consult with the body corporate insurer if people are charging LEVs on common property.

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Step 4: Get your project manager to assist with revising the Emergency Evacuation Plan for the common property of the building to ensure it takes into account the LEV charging risk.

The current fire and evacuation plan for the common property of your apartment complex is unlikely to take into consideration LEV fires. This, and other useful information on this topic can be obtained from qfes.qld.gov.au

As a writer (no I don’t actually think of myself as a writer, I am just adding that for dramatic effect) you never want to retract something you have written. In an article that was published last year I was quoted saying that “even a monkey could sell Real Estate”. Now this isn’t a full retraction, more of an edit. In that particular market, a monkey probably could have sold residential real estate but in the market we are seeing at the moment, I don’t think they would have a chance. Although we are still seeing properties go up for sale, they are on the market a lot longer and the demand has certainly quietened down. This means knowing your market and the strategies to put in place to achieve the best results, understanding the art of negotiating and sometimes having the courage to have some tough conversations. If you are a manager that is confident in the sales process and feel comfortable listing and selling in any market, I applaud you. If you are new to sales as a manager but feel you are capable, that is great and well done. If you are a manager that thinks about doing sales and wants to run for the hills and hide, I celebrate you for knowing your strengths. In saying that I do suggest that you find yourself a friendly agent, no that isn’t me giving my new company a plug but yes that is what my company is called and yes that is what we provide. You as managers need to ensure that when you

MANAGEMENT

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Monkey business:

Kelley Rigby, Managing Director, Letts Rebuild

open your gates and let an agent into your community that they are working collaboratively with you, that they understand your business and the importance of the relationship they have with you.

Story time with Kelley… Find an agent that values you and knows the value of your relationship. We had a sale recently where there was a multiple offer situation. There was an owner occupier and an investor battling it out. Unfortunately, at the end of the negotiation the owner occupier was $5,000 above the investor’s offer and the investor had no intentions of increasing his price, believe me I tried. The agents and I had a conversation with the seller and explained the situation. We then offered the seller a reduction of $5,000 in our commission if they were willing to take the investor’s offer. It was a done deal, the seller was happy, the investor was happy, the tenant was over the moon and the managers, well do I even have to say how pleased they were. If you are a manager that feels nervous about selling or simply do not want to, find yourself an agent that values your relationship more than a single sale. Everybody wins when everybody wins.