Forum: Outvoted by other blocks in scheme
Strata democracy is an odd beast. Whether by apathy, ignorance or sheer bloody-mindedness, a majority who don’t care about an issue, can go against the wishes of a minority who…
Forum
Ask a question, get an answer or just voice an opinion.
Forum: Would you own up to an unapproved reno?
There are a couple of questions about bathroom renovations in this week’s forum, mainly about whether it’s necessary to have permission, especially long after the work is done and dusted.…
Forum: On the offensive over fixing a fence
We have a real mixed bag of questions and answers this week so we’ll get straight into it. An owner’s dispute with the owners corp over replacement of a shared…
Forum: Neighbour blocks approved repairs
There’s a real breakthrough on the Forum this week a complex question from Victoria has been pulled apart and answered by our new Vic correspondent (don’t worry, there’s plenty of…
Forum: Spat over rooftop spa and hot tub
Here’s a tricky one from Queensland – with a strong whiff of penthouse-envy motivating actions. The owner of the top floor apartment in his block has a spa pool and…
Forum: Storage space that no one else can use
My, you have been busy bees over the Easter break. And among the welter of new questions and ongoing discussions is one about a little corner of common property that…
Forum: Whose electric cable is it anyway?
Easter is upon us and the furious deluge of questions and answers has been reduced to an irritated trickle. One reader wants to know why his strata manger has said…
Forum: SM says ‘my way or I take the highway’
You have to sympathise with strata managers sometimes. They go to a meeting, armed with all the information required to know what the best course of action is, plus the…
Forum: Why doesn’t strata manager get defects fixed?
We’ve been giving Victoria such a hard time of late that we should point out that other states aren’t without their problems too. For instance, there’s a long and quite…
Forum: Can owners corp back resident in dispute?
At the risk of infuriating mental health professionals and family members of sufferers, I have to say there are few things worse in strata than having a “crazy” neighbour. I’m…
Forum: Can we share power to save money?
There has been a trend over the past few years for blocks that had one electricity supply, who then shared the costs according to unit entitlements, to install separate meters.…
Forum: Blindsided by a sneaky committee coup
It’s a classic strata committee coup: on the TV show Survivor, it would be called a blindside. Obviously, someone in our Flatchatter’s strata scheme didn’t like the way things were…