Who’s really got your back in strata battles?
Everybody’s got somebody out there on the barricades or in the trenches, fighting the good fight on their behalf. Drivers have the motoring organisations while cyclists and pedestrians have their…
Past Posts
These posts go all the way back to the raw versions of my Flat Chat columns for the Sydney Morning Herald’s Domain section over th e past 15 years. Some of the issues are specific to New South Wales, some are universal. There will almost certainly be differences in strata law between NSW and other states and countries and the laws have changed over that timespan too.
If you have a serious problem, contact the agencies (in Australia) listed in our contacts sections. Or contact a properly qualified and experienced strata lawyer. These columns should not be regarded as a substitute for professional legal advice.
Roundup: Time we took a closer look … at us
There are lies, damned lies and then statistics, the old saying goes. And then, to compound the mendacity, there’s what politicians and journalists do with them. I love stats. My…
Defects bond? Jail the dodgy developers!
This post, an expanded version of last week’s roundup intro, appeared in this form in the Australian Financial Review. Happy New Year! Two pieces of legislation came into force as…
ROUNDUP: New laws – the good news and the bad
Happy New Year! Two pieces of legislation come into play today. The first sees the long-awaited defects bond for new apartment blocks come into effect. The other sees what seems…
Party on … without making your neighbours hate you
It’s probably a little late in the day for this – it appeared in the Flat Chat slot in the Australian Financial Review last week – but it applies to…
Time to chuck another Aussie tradition on the barbie
Here’s a question for everyone who is getting their teeshirts in a twist over flammable cladding: Would you give up having barbecues on your balconies if it meant you didn’t…
Roundup: Legal action launched over Bankstown fire tragedy
The family of the student who died in the Bankstown fire five years ago, as well as the surviving victim, are suing everybody and anybody who may have contributed to…
The gift of knowing how much to give at Christmas
Christmas is a dangerous time for the concierges and door-persons of our big city apartment blocks – they risk being buried alive under an avalanche of goodies. The problem for…
Strata strife: The not-so gentle art of complaining
If you live in an apartment, sooner or later you are going to want to complain. Whether it’s about the noise from next door, or the smoke from the barbie…
ROUNDUP: We are flat-dwellers – hear us roar!
Did you know we are a whole new tribe, we flat-dwellers? According to this story in the Sydney Morning Herald we, as a group, have different attitudes from the rest…
ROUNDUP: Fun and games in mad rush to rebuild stadium
The NSW Government has been running around like mad things for the past couple of weeks. Every day, my inbox is clogged with press releases about things in which…
Knotted no more – but are by-law fines enough?
Finally, I get it. Yes, there is no longer a financial penalty for ignoring an NCAT order relating to a by-law breach. However, that doesn’t mean that repeat offenders are free…