Sinking under water bills
QUESTION: My rental agent has just closed, leaving the water bill unpaid for six months – having pocketed my share along the way. He sold his rental roll to another…
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.
Breaking the mould
QUESTION: Our apartment has a mould problem that was not disclosed to us before signing the lease. We have complained about this several times since moving in 12 months ago…
Last gasp for state’s smokers
We know smoking is a filthy habit – as many tobacco addicts will concede – and most of us are enjoying having pubs and restaurants that exile smokers to the…
Party boy pays – but Dad’s on a warning
QUESTION: While we were away recently my son held a party in our unit. One of the guests was beyond stupid and did some damage to the common property. My…
Should you fight for the right to be untidy?
QUESTION: We recently had our routine landlord’s inspection and a letter was left saying that the premises were in an “unsatisfactory condition” and would need to be re-inspected. This was…
Things that go bump, ping, thump … in the day
Noise in general is a big issue in apartments – usually it’s your half-deaf neighbour channeling their inner Fat Boy Slim at two in the morning – but sometimes the…
Tenant wants to pay more for dog
QUESTION: I recently bought an apartment which has a by-law to exclude dogs. Apparently they had issues with a previous dog and decided all dogs should be banned. I don’t…
High-rise defects: Who cares?
A decision handed down by the Supreme Court last week (Oct 10) that a builder had no ‘duty of care’ to an Owners Corporation throws yet another spanner in the…
Help the people who help you
Ever since we started Rental Rants, I’ve had the link to the TenantsNSW websiteon a hotkey. It’s where I go for definitive information about renting and is invaluable for both…
Time to tow parking twits
As this is the 400th Flat Chat column (whoo-hoo!) I’ve been thinking about the topics that come up consistently and wondering if we are anywhere closer to an answer than…
Tenant tackles noisy EC member
QUESTION: I’m a tenant and my neighbour is a member of the Executive Committee. Several times a week he and his girlfriend have parties with very loud music which starts…
Hot-bunking a fire risk
QUESTION: We have been turning a blind eye to one of the units in our complex where the owner, (who also lives there) rents out bunk beds. I would estimate…