‘Shoestring tourism’ killing cities, says top crime writer
From Venice to Reykjavik, shoestring tourism, encouraged by online holiday letting agencies such as Airbnb, Stayz and their ilk, is destroying the things that make us want to visit in…
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Noise annoys – but what can you do about it?
It is generally accepted that you will occasionally hear your neighbours in an apartment block, but how much noise should we be expected to put up with? The occasional tap…
Roundup: And the answer is … the Forum
Usually on the weekly Roundup, I start with a story that’s caught my eye or piqued my curiosity and then lead into the best of the questions on the Forum.…
Help! What do we do about our no-pets by-laws?
Reports that the NSW Tribunal has once again overturned a no-pets by-law has sent a ripple of concern through Strataland – especially among blocks that in the past decided the…
Unleashed: Tribunal overturns another blanket pet ban
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) has confirmed that it will invalidate strata by-laws that are effectively blanket bans on pets. In an as-yet unreported decision, a Senior Member…
Beware the ratchet effect of bad by-laws
A ratchet is a brilliantly simple piece of engineering: easy to turn in one direction – almost impossible to go the other way. The “ratchet effect” when applied to by-laws,…
‘Legal trailblazer’ appointed new boss of NCAT
It would be nice to be able to take credit for a shake-up at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), but rest assured our reporting of the latest weirdness…
Back to the bad old days as by-laws balked
I hate to say it, but it seems we’re heading back to the bad old days of the CTTT when it comes to our strata tribunal (NCAT). According to an…
Roundup: The buck doesn’t stop here … or there
I should really call this week’s roundup the “runaroundup”, considering the way various government departments have had me pinging around like a pinball. A couple of weeks ago, I asked…
Pets and apartments – an interview
A couple of weeks ago our friends at Pet Insurance Australia sent us some questions about pet ownership in strata schemes, to form the basis for a feature they’ll be…
Strata challenges get residents talking votes
It has been said in many ways, many times, but there is a fundamental truth in politics: if you want people to unite, give them a common enemy. So it…
Power play as shocking contracts unlocked
In what can only be described as a solid win for strata residents, home owners and tenants living in strata schemes will no longer be locked into uncompetitive long term…