Baby on board – but not on lease
QUESTION: When a baby is a new addition to a rented property, is there a legal requirement to notify the owner or property manager? Also is there a legal “duty…
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Pro pets by-law a life-saver
I was buttonholed recently by Richard Holloway, one of the doyens of strata management, who hustled me into a quiet corner and said he wanted to talk to me about…
Are commissions such a sin?
The strata management industry is split over an issue that some claim could be the death of the small local operators across Australia. The question keenly debated at the Strata…
Party flats ban overturned
The war against party flats took a turn for the worse last week when the Supreme Court in Melbourne overturned a decision by the Victorian Buildings Appeals Board that short-term…
When tenants can’t take it any more
A few weeks ago I wrote about the options available to owners to take action when things go wrong in their strata scheme. When it comes to tenants, there is…
Yes, you can curb proxy harvesting
“Are there any limits on how many proxies can one person hold to vote in a meeting?” writes Chak in the Flat Chat Forum. “If one person holds 10 proxies,…
Chorus of approval – but is it legal?
QUESTION: We have ten apartments in our block and an Executive Committee of five. I am Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary as none of the other committee members has taken much…
Tenants driven out by building work
If work on common property means reduction or loss of rent in a tenanted property, should the Owners Corporation – that’s all the other owners – compensate the landlord? The…
Give and take on direct debits
QUESTION: I received a letter from my letting agent telling me I must give them permission to Direct Debit my account to pay the rent. I do not use Direct…
Tenant dogged by the power of one
A couple of weeks ago we brought you the tale of the tenant who had it written into her lease that she could have her dog in her home, only…
Heavy levies Vs the loan arrangers
Stories of unit blocks having no money in the bank when they need repairs are legion. There has long been a culture in strata of leaving repairs to “the next…
Confusion reigns in scramble parking
Should parking be less of a scramble for owners than tenants? A Flat Chat reader has written to us about his unit block where he parks his car in an…