Slammed by soaring rent
QUESTION: I have been renting my apartment for five years from people who left me alone and never put the rent up. However, they recently got a managing agent who’s…
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.
Whinge and win
It’s not often you get rewarded for speaking your mind but the City Futures Research Centre at the University of NSW is offering $250 Coles Myer gift cards to four…
Swept away by new broom
The most common complaint about small apartment blocks is that nothing ever gets done. Then along comes somebody who’s determined to shake things up … whether they are allowed to…
Rough with the smooth
QUESTION: I asked my letting agent for a new carpet because the current one is old and worn – I think it was the original one they put down when…
Send in more clowns
One of the longer-running sagas in this column a couple of years ago was about a selfish owner in a strata block who wanted to enclose their car space, meaning…
Pet by-law bites
QUESTION: My building has just passed a new by-law that says all tenants must have the written permission of their landlords before they can have a pet. However it also…
Putting the @ in strata
Isn’t it odd how people will queue all night for the latest i-thingy, can’t wait to reveal their personal details on antisocial networking sites and can’ t bear to spend…
No first dibs for renters
QUESTION: We have heard a rumour that our landlord is thinking of selling and we love this apartment so much that we are thinking of buying it. Is there any…
Over inspections
Over-tenanting flats is a huge and growing problem and Owners Corporations, hamstrung by hopeless laws, are having to resort to fairly dubious tactics to curb it. Sometimes, it seems, they…
Renters: Right to silence
QUESTION: My neighbour comes home late at night and plays loud music until the early hours of the morning, keeping me awake. When I complained to the building committee they…
Floors in the too-hard basket
While everybody is getting their tumble-dried knickers in a twist over the proposed changes to by-laws “allowing” laundry to be dried on balconies (provided it can’t be seen from the…
Doing the right thing
QUESTION: I’m buying my first investment property and I would like to be a good landlord. Can you suggest books or websites that advise landlords of their rights and responsibilities.…