Forum: Mystery of a bulge in a bathroom wall
It’s Easter and it’s not only the buns that are hot and cross. It’s bad enough when there is a problem in your block and you don’t know what’s causing…
strata managers
Podcast: EV doc block shock and green backflip
It’s another bumper podcast this week with some topics revisited, some from the Forum and others that are fresh out of the Flat Chat hot cross bunfight oven. First up,…
The good, the bad and the strata manager
A few weeks ago we looked at the role of the building facilities manager in a block and how a good one can enhance liveability and property values while a…
Forum: Roof built over yard without permission
QUESTION OF THE WEEK: An owner in a townhouse has built a roof over their courtyard without permission. A Flatchatter has asked whether the owners corporation should ask for this…
Tribunal rescinds pre-sold management contract
For the first time in NSW state history, a tribunal has rescinded a strata building management contract, pre-sold by the developer, finding it to be harsh, oppressive and unconscionable, writes…
Podcast: Causing strata strife is not okay, Boomers
Entitled, arrogant, ignorant and occasionally abusive – those are some of the accusations that have been levelled at the latest band of baddies to emerge in strata: downsizing Baby Boomers.…
How to turn your scheme into a community
Strata schemes bring together all sorts of different people, whether they’re from a range of ages, social and economic backgrounds or ethnic roots. This could be a recipe for conflict…
Pitfalls and perils at a new block’s initial AGM
The initial AGM of a new building is an exciting, confusing and challenging event, especially for first-time owners. But the more things you get right there, the easier life will…
Forum: Are two-lot strata schemes too much hassle?
We tend not to hear too much about the mysteries two-lot strata schemes like duplexes and villas. Is “mysteries” over-stating it? For a long time Randwick Council in Sydney’s East…
Forum: Something fishy going on down by the pool
One of the reasons I love this job is that, even though we are often asking and answering variations on the same questions, almost every week I get a query…
Podcast: Another blow to ‘no-pets’ buildings
There’s another very mixed bag this week but it’s mostly good news in these trying times. Up in Queensland, the tribunal there is chipping away at restrictive pet by-laws in…
High cost of choosing pros who tell porkies
We are conditioned to trust professionals, especially when they tell us what we want to hear. But what happens when they betray that trust and it costs us money, time,…