The claim game – detecting defects is just the beginning
You’ve just bought into a new apartment block and cracks have started to appear, or the roof leaks when it rains, or the fire safety measures wouldn’t stop a tea…
Strata Defects
They range from minor issues with finishes to major structural and fire safety problems – and when repairs are rwuired , the buck stops with the owners. Hers are hundreds of posts that track the failures of the past and the current efforts to create a less defective future.
Building expert: defects plan is deeply flawed
The NSW government’s plans to construct our apartment buildings better in the future, released last week, were met with a universal outpouring of … well … whatever the opposite of…
Ticking clocks and closing windows – time to deal with defects
Towards the end of last century, around about the time state governments started allowing apartment block developers to appoint their preferred certifiers, launching the self-certification scandal, HIH Insurance collapsed. HIH…
Defects and maintenance on OCN meeting agenda
Members of strata committees concerned about defects or maintenance, or owners aspiring to join their committees, or even ordinary owners just hoping to keep their committees honest, should keep a…
New apartments: How to select your defects detectives
Between flammable panel-clad high-rises, and crumbling apartment blocks, surveyors and certifiers have had a rough trot in the media in recent months. But if you are in a brand new…
Flat Chat Wrap #37 – Defects loans, Airbnb rules and sex in the spa
It’s a real mixed bag in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap podcast – finance, Airbnb and sneaky sex. Sue Williams and I start our dissection of the week’s strata news…
Flat Chat Wrap #37 – Defects loans, Airbnb rules and sex in the spa
It’s a real mixed bag in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap podcast – finance, Airbnb and sneaky sex. Sue Williams and I start our dissection of the week’s strata news…
Why low-cost defects loans are not enough
Despite the first rumblings of discontent among some commentators, NSW seems likely to offer strata owners interest-free loans to rectify defects in apartment buildings. And so they should. In fact,…
Flat Chat Wrap #31 – Tip of the defects iceberg and why it’s such a massive problem
In this week’s episode of the Flat Chat Wrap we look at the revelation that the Opal and Mascot towers “disasters” are just the tip of a very large apartment…
PODCAST: Mascot Tower crisis brings defects closer to home
For obvious reasons, our podcast this week is about the Mascot Tower crisis. We recorded the podcast before we were aware of the story in today’s Financial Review revealing that…
Strata insurance and the effects of defects
We all know that building defects aren’t covered by strata insurance. You didn’t? Well, now you do. Your strata insurance covers the scheme for accidents and incidents, not wear and…
NSW Labor promises strata commissioner to tackle defects
EXCLUSIVE: By Sue Williams and Jimmy Thomson A dedicated Strata Commissioner to protect apartment owners and residents and restore confidence in the strata sector will be introduced by the Labor…