Digital TV dilemma for small blocks
Get switched on to digital The big switchover to digital TV from analog in our two biggest cities is just a few weeks away – December 3 in Sydney and…
Best units in the worst blocks
At a time when developers and apartment buyers agree on at least one thing – they both want low levies – the leading pressure group for strata dwellers is hoping to…
Renters: What’s the problem?
Strata tenants and landlords get a lot of stick. Tenants are blamed every time there is a problem (because owners never park in the wrong place, play loud music or…
Balcony spa parties won’t wash
The owner of a spa installed on a balcony is about to get himself in hot water – despite the fact that the chairman of his building is a regular…
Bird Brain: ban on feeding feathered friends
Can a strata owners corporation order a resident to stop feeding wild birds. And should the owner be feeding them in the first place? The question was asked by Flat…
Parking clickers a tricky issue
QUESTION: “I live in a big building of 300-plus apartments, and the owner of each car space is issued with a clicker for the car park to let them in…
Short term lets threat from B’n’B website
A global social network-based room rental service is testing strata bans on short-term lets to breaking point. The Airbnb website has already caught the attention of councils in Sydney concerned…
Victoria – we’re here for you too
Although this website occasionally gets questions from Victorian strata dwellers, it’s probably fair to say that we reflect the fact that Flat Chat started in the Sydney Morning Herald with…
How much noise is too much?
Should we suck it up or shut it down – that’s the puzzle facing many apartment residents who are unsure if they have the right to ask their neighbours to…
Wall of sound when room removed
Question My tenant says her next door neighbour – an owner – plays his TV and stereo at full volume, keeping her awake at night. The chap next door denies…
Noisy kids or nasty neighbours?
A landlord whose tenants’ children have been accused of being noisy and playing ball games in the common area wants to know if the other residents are over-reacting or if…
Thumbs down for upgrade demands
Older buildings need no longer fear the demands of tech-savvy owners insisting on upgrades to the latest you-beaut infrastructure, thanks to a landmark NSW Appeals Court ruling. It is now…