Why we’ll never see a ban on balcony barbies
With summer on the way, not to mention the proposed end to bans on having friends round for dinner, apartment residents all over Australia will be dragging their barbecues out…
By-laws & Rules
By-laws and rules (in Victoria) are the regulations that, generally speaking, we are allowed to set ourselves to moderate our behaviour in our communities.
But they are open to challenge. And what do you do if they are simply ignored?
NB: Some of these earlier posts may be out of date – please check – and the reference to by-laws may be in a longer post about another issue.
More Covid chaos on way as Freedom Day nears
We are still 10 weeks away from Freedom Day (“Don’t call it that!” – GB). All over NSW strata committees are trying to work out what to do with their…
Forum: Do food deliveries offer milk boxes new life?
Here’s a blast from the past – or is it just case of waiting long enough and a fashion will come round again? Anyone who has lived in or visited…
Holding out for a strata superhero (or heroine)
A couple of weeks ago we highlighted NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler’s heroic efforts to boost confidence in the construction of apartment buildings. But there’s another aspect of confidence in…
Forum: How do you put a serial pest back in his box?
In our many and varied strata laws in Australia, which we often feel intrude into our daily lives to an extent that makes the idea of a “nanny state” feel…
Forum: Considerate owner has carpet conflict
They say no good turn goes unpunished and one Flatchatter certainly has a dilemma because she wants to do the right thing. On the one hand, in between tenancies she…
Podcast: Defects detected and pets rejected
In this week’s podcast we chat about a report which reveals that one-third of 500 unit blocks inspected in a survey had serious defects, from leaking bathrooms, to fire safety…
Forum: Scooter boost, plant ban and free reno
There are two major movements in strata, regarding electric vehicles. One is related to the population getting older, the other is our belated rush to embrace electric vehicles. Both of…
Podcast: Pet regs, kid noise, renos and rants
There’s a lot to get through in this week’s podcast, not least the new regulations on pets in strata which replace the now defunct blanket bans on pets. Even so,…
Strata basics – who does what, when and why?
At times like these, when our worlds have been turned upside down and everything seems to be changing around us, it’s often a good idea to recentre, recalibrate and get…
New regulations shift onus to strata-friendly pets
It’s not too obvious at first, but the new strata scheme pet regulations published this week by NSW Fair Trading put the onus firmly on pet owners not to introduce…
Strata owners slam NSW Health ‘confused mess’
With yet another “tightening” of lockdown restrictions for greater Sydney, and once again the specific needs of apartment residents being ignored, the peak group for apartment owners in NSW has…