From The Forum: Kids’ pool ban battle still raging
Remember the story we ran a few weeks ago on the Forum about the Sydney Park Village apartment complex (pictured) that had decided to ban children from their swimming pool…
Strata pets
There was a time in strata blocks when “no pets” was the default rule for apartment residents.
When the model by-laws in various states changed to allow residents to apply for permission to keep pets, which could not be unreasonably refused, “we have never allowed pets” was considered to be a reasonabe reason for refusal.
But times have changed and that is no longer the case, as you will read in these posts.
NB: Some of the stories in these pages go a long way back – check the dates as the laws may have changed. Also references to pets may be part of a larger story.
Race is on for states’ rental law reforms
Rental laws are a big issue in strata, with more than half of apartments being occupied by tenants, meaning half of apartments are owned by investors. That’s a lot of…
Airbnb insurance alert lists five main dangers
The arrival of online short-term rental sites such as Airbnb and others, created a whole new landlord-tenant relationship: one where owners, or ‘hosts’, are encouraged to provide all sorts of…
PODCAST: Mascot Tower crisis brings defects closer to home
For obvious reasons, our podcast this week is about the Mascot Tower crisis. We recorded the podcast before we were aware of the story in today’s Financial Review revealing that…
Faulty towers – hope for the best but prepare for catastrophe
It’s hard to know exactly how to respond to the chaos at Mascot Towers. If you haven’t heard, last weekend hundreds of residents were forced to leave a South Sydney…
Why ‘no-cause’ evictions are bad for everyone
When the NSW government brought in its raft of changes to tenancy laws at the end of last year, the headline grabbing issues were new provisions to protect the victims…
Dog parks, virtual golf and club rooms – the future of apartment living
There is a growing division in the world of apartment living and it’s not, for a change, between owners and renters. It’s between the haves and the have-nots. There are…
Podcast: The link between holiday lets and high rise cladding fires
It used to be that when anyone talked about problems in strata, the perennial topics were the four Ps – pets, parking, parties (the noisy kind) and puffing (the smoke…
Jimmy and James discuss the new bans on no-pets by-laws
We’re back in the ABC studios to discuss ‘no-pet’ by-laws, among other things, and to take your calls. You can listen to the episode HERE.
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…
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…
NCAT Member rules ‘no pets’ by-laws invalid
Did you know that earlier this year a NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) Member ruled it was harsh, unconscionable and oppressive to have a by-law banning animals? Now, admittedly, this…