Hot topic, cold facts
Even if you believe there is no such thing as Global Warming (and the earth must be flat or the Nile would flow uphill, right?) saving energy and other resources…
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.
Suite and sour
“You treat this place like a hotel,” is a common cry from parents as their teenage kids come and go at will. But what if someone actually did run your…
How you’ll manage
I get into so much trouble when I take a pop at strata managers in this column that I try really hard to remind myself that most strata managers are…
Choice cuts
I got an email the other week from a reader whose building has been effectively taken over by a nuisance couple who are abrasive and abusive. Things have got so…
The art of compromise
If you ever have the misfortune to be in a serious dispute with a neighbour – or all your neighbours, for that matter – and one party takes it to…
State of emergency
Long-time readers of this column will be amazed at this week’s question. For once, a strata manager isn’t accused of doing too little; the complaint is they are doing too…
Strata horror scope
This is the time of year when everybody’s doing horoscopes for the coming 12 months so we should have our own predictions, our Strata-scope, if you like. Firstly, there’s a…
Timber and tile floors
TIMBER, tiled and even polished concrete floors have become possibly the most consistently heated issue in the 15 years that Flat Chat has been in existence. In an old apartment…
It’s a crying shame
Are apartments appropriate places for small children? They’ll have to be if we’re going to accommodate Sydney’s swelling masses. But do the rest of us have to put up with…
Shiver me timbers
There has been a huge response to our column a couple of weeks ago about timber floors. But it wasn’t all bad news. One loyal reader had a hard-fought win…
Battling for a fair go
So Premier Rees has finally put an end the corrupting cancer of developer donations to the Labor party. With about a million Sydney residents living in strata, Mr Rees may…
Beware the tap dance
The past few weeks has seen a spate of emails to this column about wooden floors, with questions ranging from what can be done to force neighbours to reinstate carpet,…