Missing Mascot papers prove value of the Hub
As if the former residents of Mascot Towers in Sydney weren’t doing it tough enough, last month they received another blow and it’s one that smacks of local government incompetence,…
Issues
The main politics and trends in strata living
Still seeing that damned barking chihuaua?
Are you getting frustrated because every time you log on to Flat Chat you just go to the same page with the same old stories, including one about an incessantly…
Different strata strokes for different states’ folks
As we frequently remind readers, strata laws are different across the different states in Australia. Sometimes the differences are minor but occasionally they are glaring and speak to the culture…
Podcast: When what you see is not what you’ll get
This week, we delve into the dark arts employed by real estate agents and property stylists to persuade you that an absolute lemon is, in fact, your dream “forever home.”…
How styling can mask a pile of property problems
A cooling property market has led to estate agents having to work just a bit harder to move apartments and houses. And, as Sue Williams reports, that has meant some…
Architect anger, developer delight at planning backflip
NSW architects have slammed the state government’s backflip on proposals to compel developers to include sustainable elements in new designs and steer clear of flood and bush-fire susceptible areas, labelling…
SM contracts to be fixed but not set in stone
Contracts between strata managers and owners corporations have been accused of being one-sided, rigid and unfair, but they are unlikely to be replaced by standard statutory contracts any time soon…
Forum: Time to rewrite strata manager contracts?
The standard strata management agreement – as issued by Strata Community Australia – is a brute of a document. And while it’s not an mandatory form as, for instance, the…
States play catch-up with strata law proposals
Anyone keeping even just half an eye on events in StrataLand for the past week or so would be forgiven for thinking our state bodies – Better Regulation in NSW…
Hi-viz commish kicking butt and naming names
To some, he’s a knight in shining armour, a hero in a hi-viz. To others, he’s the devil incarnate. But wherever anyone might stand on the subject of rampaging NSW…