Sound measuring phone apps
For all you sleepless strata dwellers, kept awake by the defeaning noises of your neighbours who insist their CD player/surround sound/drumkit is only too loud because you are too sensitive,…
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.
Fair trading – friends not foes
One upon a time – round about 10 years ago – this website and the newspaper column from which it sprung would trash the CTTT and Fair Trading on a…
Time for more discrimination?
This isan update of a column I wrote in May this year Back in May (2013) I was asked to comment on radio about the A Current Affair TV exposé…
NBN coming to your block – like it or not
In about a month we will know whether we are going to get the gee-whiz, super dooper National Broadband Network favoured by Mr Rudd, or the state-of-the-art (until it becomes…
Backyard blitz on granny flats
What if you discovered that your cheap-as-chips rented home in the backyard of someone else’s house, wasn’t just “unofficial’ but was unsafe and technically unfit for human habitation? We are…
Granny Flats – Some Background
Granny flats Dependent Person Units (DPUs) seemed like a great way to ease the rental shortage and fit more people into our bulging suburbs. But this aspect of the affordable…
NBN – a no-brainer for apartments
The National Broadband Network may be a bit of a political football right now but it is a reality for a lot of Australian residents, with more getting connected very…
Deaths lead to gas heater safety alert
Landlords and homeowners have been urged to have their gas heaters professionally serviced regularly, following an inquest into the deaths of two small boys in Victoria. Meanwhile tenants should ask…
Most tenants mostly happy
Prepare to smack your smartphone, laptop or phablet in shock: the vast majority of tenants are happy with their landlords. This is deeply disturbing news to a column whose stock…
Press Release: Landlords do the right thing
Three out of four Aussie tenants are happy with their landlords Wednesday, 31 July 2013: Contradicting the common stereotype of the nightmare landlord, a recent survey* by domain.com.au has found that…
Call to dob in dodgy floor sellers
Strata owners given false information on timber or tiled floors – which can lead to them having to rip up or re-carpet their new floors – are being urged to…
Agent’s hot air over mouldy flat
When Flat Chat reader Melissaimee told her rental agent that there was terrible mould in her flat, he had a brilliant idea … she and her partner should leave a…