Noisy lifts get me down
QUESTION: I’ve been renting this apartment for about a year now and recently the lifts in the building have become very noisy, mainly because they’re not well maintained. Also they…
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Plugged into a power struggle
QUESTION: I rent an apartment in inner-west Sydney with shared laundries on the landings. Each apartment has its own electricity socket in which to plug your own washing machine/dryer but…
Fire safety gets the finger
We’re all getting very safety conscious these days, but what happens when safety measures cause injuries? QUESTION: We recently had our annual fire safety check and the inspector altered the…
Smart talk ends rent rejection
A few weeks ago we ran a question from a serial rentals reject calling herself Furryball who couldn’t understand how she and her partner – both with good jobs and…
Rational to go national
There’s a wind of change blowing through strata, not just in NSW but the whole country. And despite Australia’s disparate strata laws, there’s a sense of a real opportunity to…
In hot water over leaks
QUESTION: I own and let a ground floor unit that had a leak in a hot water pipe in the backyard. The rental manager arranged for a plumber and we…
Getting towey over parking
There’s nothing quite like a parking issue to get flatters chatting and a question a couple of weeks ago got a pretty hot and heavy response in the Online Herald.…
Anarchy rules with ‘optional’ by-laws
Anybody who’s lived in strata for any length of time with have come across control-freak executive committee members who seem to have swallowed the strata Act for breakfast, washed down…
Laundry policy won’t wash
QUESTION: My unit block has a policy of not allowing laundry on the communal line overnight. Recently two jumpers left overnight by a tenant were bagged with a note saying,…
Builders crack in parking by-law
QUESTION: I rent in a unit block that’s about to undergo major work and the executive committee have put up signs telling us the builders need 24-hour access and any…
The sound of silence
Freedom of speech is a right we pretty much take for granted – but does it even exist in strata? QUESTION: The strata Act seems to be silent on speaking…
Rejected and dejected
QUESTION: I’m originally from the UK and my partner is Aussie. We are in good jobs and can easily afford the rent but whenever we apply for a property it…