How to bounce a brothel from your block
How do you get rid of a brothel from your block? That’s the question facing owners in at least one residential apartment block in Sydney according to THIS STORY in…
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.
Nude not naughty, just potty
This tale of neighbour annoyance comes directly from the Department of Be Careful What You Wish For. Take a happy little row of modern townhouses where most of the neighbours…
Pool Safety Crackdown Delayed
You probably didn’t realise it but until a couple of weeks ago, a huge number of unit blocks in NSW faced having their swimming pools locked up and even drained …
Lost clauses as strata law reform dances on
It’s not exactly Strictly Ballroom but the slow…slow…quick-quick…slow progress of NSW strata law reform dances on, albeit with a few shimmies and sidesteps as the details are fine-tuned. And that…
Poo and pee from a dangerous dog upstairs
It’s the perfect strata storm – a duplex where the two owners have already fallen out and tenants who introduce a dog which then proceeds to spray poo and pee…
Am I paying my landlord’s bills?
The question of granny flats and who pays the power bills has been turned on its head by a Flat Chat reader who lives in the main house while the…
Strata reforms back on track
The strata reform first promised for July and then delayed until later this year is back on track, according to Fair Trading sources. “We’ve managed to get draft Bills quicker…
New window on an ageing issue
QUESTION: I live in a building built in 1965. What differences are there for buildings if the strata plan had been formed under the 1973 act in terms of the…
When is a lover no longer a visitor?
When is a someone who’s not a resident, seeping over in strata, not a visitor? When a building’s by-laws say so, is the simple answer. “I have started a relationship…
What a waste – but who pays?
A version of this article has also appeared on the Sydney Morning Herald’s online pages and in the print edition of Domain. QUESTION: Tenants broke a waste pipe which is…
EC member junks the by-laws
There aren’t many privileges that come with being a member of an executive committee – unless you actually enjoy being shouted at by angry owners – but there are EC…
Low-rent landlord in 20 percent hike
QUESTION: I wrote to the landlord asking to renew our lease, as the term was up in eight weeks. Instead he handed me a 30-day notice of termination of the…