Dumb animals – dumber owners
If there’s one issue that gets Flatchat readers’ goat it’s pets. Maybe it’s because one person’s devoted companion animal and surrogate child is another’s flea-ridden, noisy, smelly and unhygienic nuisance.…
Efficient neighbours or ruthless dictators?
When is an efficient and tightly run Executive Committee a powerful, corrupt and exclusive clique? When someone wants in but can’t get in, perhaps. When ECs work efficiently, with discussions…
Floored by flawed thinking
Living underneath noisy wooden floors? That clattering of hooves you hear may just be an ill-informed strata manager running for cover. QUESTION: I live in a unit and the people…
Parking Madness
Our strata dispute procedure is great – in theory. But it’s less fantastic in practice, especially when you are dealing with selfish bastards who have no interest in doing anything…
Yes, Minister, there are problems
Welcome, our new Fair Trading Minister Linda Burney, to the wonderful world of strata. I don’t know if your predecessor left you a “things to do list” – I suspect…
Balcony Battle Background
The following is the full text of the letter that prompted the column in the Herald on 21/4/07. It shows that you can get the system to work .. if…
Fatally flawed floors
Why would anyone imagine that they have the right to deny peace and quiet to their neighbours? They don’t – but the spirit of “I’m all right, Jack” is alive…
Balcony battles
It’s tough when someone in your building doesn’t want to fix, maintain or improve anything. But when that person is the only other owner in a two-terrace strata, and they…
Timber floor tantrums
With so many people ripping up old carpet – it’s so-o-o-o 20th century – and replacing its excellent insulation qualities with a layer of varnish, it’s no wonder people downstairs…
The Low Levies Lurk
There is a myth in strataland that Unit Entitlements are set in concrete (no pun intended). UEs are the figure on which your levies are calculated, based on the size…
Gunning for smokers
Worried about the ban on smoking in apartments? According to the ABC TV news, it was “tough new laws giving more power to owners corporations” that forced two dedicated puffers…
Poetry in motion
FLAT CHAT Jimmy Thomson Tomorrow sees the start of a campaign to correct one of the anomalies of the NSW strata legislation, concerning the keeping of poets in apartment buildings.…