Rough with the smooth
QUESTION: I asked my letting agent for a new carpet because the current one is old and worn – I think it was the original one they put down when…
Send in more clowns
One of the longer-running sagas in this column a couple of years ago was about a selfish owner in a strata block who wanted to enclose their car space, meaning…
Pet by-law bites
QUESTION: My building has just passed a new by-law that says all tenants must have the written permission of their landlords before they can have a pet. However it also…
Putting the @ in strata
Isn’t it odd how people will queue all night for the latest i-thingy, can’t wait to reveal their personal details on antisocial networking sites and can’ t bear to spend…
No first dibs for renters
QUESTION: We have heard a rumour that our landlord is thinking of selling and we love this apartment so much that we are thinking of buying it. Is there any…
Over inspections
Over-tenanting flats is a huge and growing problem and Owners Corporations, hamstrung by hopeless laws, are having to resort to fairly dubious tactics to curb it. Sometimes, it seems, they…
Renters: Right to silence
QUESTION: My neighbour comes home late at night and plays loud music until the early hours of the morning, keeping me awake. When I complained to the building committee they…
Floors in the too-hard basket
While everybody is getting their tumble-dried knickers in a twist over the proposed changes to by-laws “allowing” laundry to be dried on balconies (provided it can’t be seen from the…
Doing the right thing
QUESTION: I’m buying my first investment property and I would like to be a good landlord. Can you suggest books or websites that advise landlords of their rights and responsibilities.…
Walls come down
Everybody wants to renovate eventually, but when someone on the ground floor of an apartment block starts knocking out walls, they shouldn’t be surprised if more than the ceiling comes…
Painted into a corner
QUESTION: A while ago my landlord wanted to paint my flat and we agreed that I would do the job if he bought the paint and let me off with…
Physical jerks
It may seem like common sense and even an act of kindness, but when you start putting things where they’re not wanted in your building, you could be asking for…