Forum: Unelected despot bullying tenants
There is a malaise that must be unique to strata buildings – an ordinary owner awards themselves extraordinary powers and appoints themselves de facto building or strata manager. It’s not…
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Podcast: Cheap shots and affordability under fire
A slightly shorter but more pointed podcast this week as Sue reports on plans to demolish two affordable-rent apartment blocks and replace them with one luxury block with fewer presumably…
Fake news clickbait over ‘neighbour from Hell’
It’s rare that we are inspired to quote Shakespeare, even as we strut and fret upon the strata stage. But there’s a story in Domain in the Sydney Morning Herald…
Show me the missing strata money
You’d think that strata buildings would notice if money is missing, given how frugal they are. But, in NSW there’s more than half a million dollars of uncollected strata money…
New Chandler video exposes ‘another Mascot’
Building Commissioner David Chandler believes another Mascot Towers may have been avoided thanks to his department’s intervention in a high-rise development in Wollongong. “The nightmare at Crown View in Wollongong…
Back to the future with company title flats
Before strata titles existed, most apartments were company title schemes. Many survive today despite the generally perceived advantages of strata title. Why? And are they a genuine alternative way to…
Micro apartments are a big deal for renters
A build-to-rent micro-apartment block is getting rave reviews from its first residents and catching the attention of politicians desperate to find solutions for the dire lack of affordable housing in…
Renters: How the other half (just about) lives
Half of all Australian strata apartments are investment properties that are tenanted. Strata renters must follow all the strata laws, by laws and rules but they have almost no strata…
Top thinkers at strata-fest, with added JimmyT
Ever wondered if there’s a better way of managing dysfunctional committees or disruptive committee members? Would an organisational psychologists’ advice help? How about keeping up with changes to strata law,…
Chandler’s parting words: message is the mission
Last week NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler rocked Strataland when he announced he will be retiring in August. But he’s not going away – in fact, he has given himself…
How to speak strata insurance like a native
This week we introduce a new voice to Flat Chat. Our old friend Francesco Andreone, former strata lawyer, now consultant, has his own website which produces a couple of insightful…
Forum: Who can and can’t stand for election?
Who can be elected to your strata committee? More to the point, who can’t? The answer to the first question, in NSW at least, is just about anybody, including non-owners…