One word and strata smokers are stubbed out
The days of the ‘fireflies’ – smokers who puff away on the balconies and terraces of their high-rise homes – are numbered in NSW. The government hasn’t banned smoking in…
Hope you like the new look
Trawling through my files the other day I realised it’s been 11 years since I started writing about strata for the SMH and only slightly less than that since this…
Tenants exposed by property pics on the net
Are landlords allowed to photograph the contents of your rented home without your permission, then advertise them on the internet to attract prospective tenants? The question is posed by Flatchatter…
Strata law reforms’ greatest hits
There were more than 90 proposed changes to strata laws in the Draft Bills announced this week – some are massive changes in the concept of property ownership, others…
Vic ruling opens door to short-term lets
A Victorian ruling that strata block owners corporations can’t create rules (by-laws) prohibiting apartments from being let short-term could have a devastating effect on high-rise residents across the country. The…
Owners left high and dry on building defects
The decision last week by Syd Fisher to put the development company behind the troubled Gazebo apartment block into liquidation has exposed one of the major problems many apartment owners…
Why apartment residents love and loathe Airbnb
If there is one thing that the members and managers of owners corps both love and loathe in almost equal measure, it’s Airbnb Many of us love the online accommodation…
Wreckers smash short-term rentals insurance
Short-term and holiday letting hosts have been warned they could have no insurance cover if their homes are trashed by paying guests. The issue came to the fore last month…
Strata law reforms pushed back another six months
Strata law reforms in NSW are to be delayed, yet again, with changes now not due to come into force until July next year. The plan to reform the state’s 50-year-old…
Block fans warning: DIY renovations restricted by rules and by-laws
With the Block TV show apartments having very successfully gone under the hammer, all over Australia apartment owners are looking at their walls, windows and floors and wondering if a…
Cat poo too yucky – even for parking thieves?
How far can you go when a stranger parks in your parking space? Actually, there’s two questions – what should you do and what can you do, legally? One recent…
What’s not to like about low levies?
There are many similarities between Federal and state politics and strata committees, including that if you promise people lower taxes, they will happily forget about all the services they want.…