Heartbreak over Angus, the pet-ban busting dog
Angus, the pet-ban busting dog, has died. Singer Jo Cooper, who challenged her owners’ corporation’s “no pets” by-laws all the way to the NSW Court of Appeal – and won…
Strata schemes sweat over no-vax bans on facilities
Apartment blocks are considering banning unvaccinated residents from their shared facilities, but is it fair, legal or practicable? Sue Williams, masks up for this feature in Domain. Strata committees across…
Flawed strata thinking in hard flooring
There are many good reasons for installing timber or tiled floors in apartments – and just as many reasons why your neighbours won’t want you to do it. A timber…
Climate change inaction threatens interest rates
As if the threat of global warming wasn’t bad enough, inaction by our politicians could hit our hip pockets, with mortgage interest rates rising faster than sea levels, as Sue…
Forum: Family owns half the lots, rules the roost
I feel like we have wandered into the realm of strata nightmares this week. First up is a family that owns half the apartments in a small block and, surprise,…
Podcast: Defects detective Chandler’s candid chat
We have something of a star guest on this week’s podcast. Sue Williams, our regular co-host, has allowed us to dip into her recordings of her interview with Building Commissioner…
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…
Why we’ll never see a ban on balcony barbies
With summer on the way, not to mention the proposed end to bans on having friends round for dinner, apartment residents all over Australia will be dragging their barbecues out…
More Covid chaos on way as Freedom Day nears
We are still 10 weeks away from Freedom Day (“Don’t call it that!” – GB). All over NSW strata committees are trying to work out what to do with their…
Drive to entice insurers back to high-rise buildings
Buyers of off-the-plan high-rise apartments in NSW might soon be able to claim on insurance for any defects arising within the first 10 years in a massive game-changer for the…
Owners call for guidelines on strata facilities
Apartment owners in NSW have called on the state government to issue clear and unambiguous guidelines for the re-opening of communal strata facilities as the state moves towards loosening covid-related…
Forum: Do food deliveries offer milk boxes new life?
Here’s a blast from the past – or is it just case of waiting long enough and a fashion will come round again? Anyone who has lived in or visited…