Poo and pee from a dangerous dog upstairs
It’s the perfect strata storm – a duplex where the two owners have already fallen out and tenants who introduce a dog which then proceeds to spray poo and pee…
Am I paying my landlord’s bills?
The question of granny flats and who pays the power bills has been turned on its head by a Flat Chat reader who lives in the main house while the…
Strata reforms back on track
The strata reform first promised for July and then delayed until later this year is back on track, according to Fair Trading sources. “We’ve managed to get draft Bills quicker…
New window on an ageing issue
QUESTION: I live in a building built in 1965. What differences are there for buildings if the strata plan had been formed under the 1973 act in terms of the…
When is a lover no longer a visitor?
When is a someone who’s not a resident, seeping over in strata, not a visitor? When a building’s by-laws say so, is the simple answer. “I have started a relationship…
What a waste – but who pays?
A version of this article has also appeared on the Sydney Morning Herald’s online pages and in the print edition of Domain. QUESTION: Tenants broke a waste pipe which is…
EC member junks the by-laws
There aren’t many privileges that come with being a member of an executive committee – unless you actually enjoy being shouted at by angry owners – but there are EC…
Low-rent landlord in 20 percent hike
QUESTION: I wrote to the landlord asking to renew our lease, as the term was up in eight weeks. Instead he handed me a 30-day notice of termination of the…
Abandoned car or parking madness?
When is an car abandoned? When it’s left in a unit block tenant’s space, its number plates removed? OK, but what if it is covered with a tarpaulin? The tenant…
Strata reform hits a speed bump
The revolution has been postponed. The changes to strata law in NSW that were due to hit the statute books in July – meaning they should be before Parliament right…
DIY strata – for the half who don’t have managers
There was a time when the management of strata was all smoke and mirrors. Strata managers, it seemed to many owners, moved in mysterious ways, their wonders to perform. And…
How to find the perfect flat
I was called in to the James Valentine show on 702 today to do a segment about how to find – and get – the right rental property for you.…