I’ve been writing a lot about short-stay lets this week.  The government inquiry into the “adequacy of the laws” is about to report and, as you’ll find in the story linked in this newsletter, owners in buildings that don’t want short-term lets in any way shape or form have been somewhat undermined by City of Sydney council.

We’ll have to see if that’s what comes out in the proposals but it’s not looking good.  There may be limits on the number of nights per year but, in simple terms, if one person in your block wants to run holiday lets, everyone else will just have to cop it sweet.

Think about it: it takes only 75 percent of owners to sell your apartment from under you but it would need a unanimous agreement to stop holiday rentals in your apartment block.

Meanwhile, there’s another parade of human folly and frailty in the Forum, starting with the strata manager who won’t pursue owners for breaches, he’s now being sacked so he’s got the misbehaving owners to vote to keep him.  That’s HERE.

How much notice do you have to give for an AGM – 14 days or seven?  Actually, it depends.  That’s HERE.

A security camera has been installed on common property to protect a woman with a violent ex-partner.  But how does her neighbour protect his privacy?  That’s HERE.

Who has responsibility for windows in old buildings (pre-74)?  Jimmy got it wrong. Whale got it right.  That’s HERE.

Remember the question about whether an unfinancial owner could be elected to the EC? You’ll never guess what happened at the AGM.  That’s HERE.

We have found a small strata scheme where the end of proxy farming will mean a major shift in power. That’s HERE.

And finally, to accompany the article on reviews of the strata by-laws here are links to the new compulsory by-laws for pre-96 schemes and the optional model by-laws for new schemes (and the rest of us).

Happy Flatting,

JimmyT