Where will the tenants go?
Where will tenants go when we kick them out? The proposed changes to strata law due to hit parliament later this year are apparently going to allow us to control…
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.
Big stink over varnish fumes
No sooner has the lingering aroma of Christmas dinners evaporated than we are off and running with a dispute over smells that has neighbours fuming. Ambrosis wrote to the Flat…
No stars for un-Green landlords
Here’s a conundrum for both tenants and landlords – would you pay more to have energy efficient appliances in your rented apartment? The answer for tenants is easy. Energy efficient…
Big Brother deters dumpers
QUESTION: We have a recurring problem of residents (including departing tenants) leaving rubbish on the street verge and on common property rather than putting it in the bins. We really…
Have yourself a very strata Christmas
It’s party time again – deck the (lift) halls with boughs of holly, call the cops when next door gets too jolly. But seriously you can and should have a…
By-law change leads to heavy petting
QUESTION: My building has voted in a whole new set of by-laws, one of which says pets are OK so long as permission is sought and granted in writing. This…
Hot and bothered over kit-off Christmases
Summer is a-coming in, so it’s ‘kit-off’ time in Strataland, leading to potential source of Christmas holiday conflict … the standard by-law requiring residents to be ‘appropriately dressed’ on common…
Mystery of the missing car
A wedding dress, a missing car and a paper trail leading back to an overzealous strata manager feature in this week’s saga. It all started when Dallan gave his daughter…
Ignorance not bliss
One of the recurring themes in both this column and the Flat Chat Forum is that tenants often don’t know that there are by-laws they’re supposed to observe, mainly because…
Rental Agents: Bridges or barriers?
In the past this column has been accused of being too hard on landlords and, to be fair, when things go wrong in rental units it’s often the man or…
A pox on your proxies
QUESTION: I am not quite sure what “Proxy Farming” is. I think that I am experiencing the effects – Dudley, via the Flat Chat Forum. ANSWER: We’ve addressed this in…
Golden oldies get a going over
All the talk recently has been about strata newbies rushing into the off-the-plan market with their first-time buyers grant in one hand and their stamp duty exemption in the other.…