Strata bullies and how to shut them up
How do you stop a loud-mouthed bully from dominating a strata committee? You know the type; they assume their way is the only way and shout and scream like a…
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.
Are these the right rules for your committee?
You can’t expect people to play by the rules if they don’t know what the rules are. So we have devised a code of conduct for anyone that might want…
Roundup: Doing it tough in the Old Dart too
On a working trip to the UK, I am struck by a story that featured on the TV news this morning about housing affordability. Yep, it’s happening over here too.…
Strata squatters and illegal land grabs
Of all the twisted skeins of flawed logic that wind through Strataland, the land grab is one of the most popular, applying ‘common sense’ to common property and coming up…
Roundup: Do a flatting friend a favour
We all know someone who lives in strata and who is wrestling with some issue or another. And the chances are that, like the good friend that you are, you…
What’s welcome when shoes get the boot from lift lobbies?
When a couple of friends moved into their brand new apartment for the first time, they were appalled at what they found outside the other doors in their lift…
Seminar to reveal how maintenance adds value
One of the changes built into the new NSW strata laws is a requirement to set up a 10-year maintenance plan, to be reviewed every five years. So, do you…
Roundup: Rogue renovators and your Stratabox answer
We got a doozy of a post this week from a reader worried that an unauthorised rogue renovator in her block is removing walls and ceilings, which has disconnected the fire…
Website offers Asian investors Airbnb ghost tax get-out
Overseas investors are being urged to circumvent the proposed “ghost tax” on empty properties … by listing them as Airbnb lets. The short-term letting management website andchill.com.au this week launched…
Roundup: Radio chat finds flaw in holiday let logic
If you are as tired of reading about Airbnb as I am of writing about them you won’t get past the end of this sentence. However, this week I was…
WIN! Online strata tool that ticks all the boxes
The secret to successfully running a strata scheme is remarkably simple – just know everything that’s going on, all the time. Of course, anyone who has ever been involved in…
Flat Chat: ‘Ghost’ flats proposal running on empty
As much as we are appalled at the thought of brand new apartments lying empty for years, the proposal to tax ‘ghost’ investments – first touted by Labor then slotted…