Things that go bump, ping, thump … in the day
Noise in general is a big issue in apartments – usually it’s your half-deaf neighbour channeling their inner Fat Boy Slim at two in the morning – but sometimes the…
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Tenant wants to pay more for dog
QUESTION: I recently bought an apartment which has a by-law to exclude dogs. Apparently they had issues with a previous dog and decided all dogs should be banned. I don’t…
High-rise defects: Who cares?
A decision handed down by the Supreme Court last week (Oct 10) that a builder had no ‘duty of care’ to an Owners Corporation throws yet another spanner in the…
Help the people who help you
Ever since we started Rental Rants, I’ve had the link to the TenantsNSW websiteon a hotkey. It’s where I go for definitive information about renting and is invaluable for both…
Time to tow parking twits
As this is the 400th Flat Chat column (whoo-hoo!) I’ve been thinking about the topics that come up consistently and wondering if we are anywhere closer to an answer than…
Tenant tackles noisy EC member
QUESTION: I’m a tenant and my neighbour is a member of the Executive Committee. Several times a week he and his girlfriend have parties with very loud music which starts…
Hot-bunking a fire risk
QUESTION: We have been turning a blind eye to one of the units in our complex where the owner, (who also lives there) rents out bunk beds. I would estimate…
Grease, mould and a slippery agent
QUESTION: During inspection the agent said mould and grease would be cleaned, but when we moved in, nothing has been done about it. Can I put it into a repair…
Dirty looks for nude cleaner
QUESTION: I have a weird one. I work from home and where I sit at my desk I can see into a flat across the courtyard from me. Now I’m…
Fatal flaws in floating floors
QUESTION: We are looking to replace our badly worn 20-year-old carpet and are considering a floating bamboo floor, but I’m very much aware of the possible noise issues. I have…
Votes for tenants
In the many, many possible changes mooted in the proposed revamp of the strata laws, one is the idea of giving long-term tenants a say in the running of the…
It’s showtime as Flat Chat goes live
In three weeks time we will be publishing the 400th Flat Chat column and we’ve been trying to think of a way of celebrating the event (and commiserating collectively with…