Out-of-date by-laws mean pet bans will stay
Dog and cat owners in apartments and townhouses need to sit and stay. It could take decades for the proposed changes to the standard by-laws to make any difference to…
Strata voting in different states
I have said many time in these pages that when you look at the different strata legislation in different parts of Australia, you could easily reach the conclusion that in…
Barry’s magic garden goes under concrete
They’re paving paradise and putting up – well, it’s not a parking lot but it’s a 60-unit apartment block with underground parking for 30 cars. An intriguing inner-city idiosyncratic garden…
Window smash leads to excess grab
A young man walks through a glass door on to his balcony. It shatters and he gets away with a few cuts. The question is, who’s responsible? “It was a…
Fines, damages and arrest threat as tenant flees noise
A battle between two landlords could see them both in court and one tenant under arrest after her constant noise has driven her downstairs neighbour out of her home. “I…
Tenant locked out of parking garage
A Sydney tenant is not allowed to let her friends park in visitors parking because, it seems, she’s only a renter. Inner City Walker wrote to Flat Chat complaining that…
Disability rort fears over hearing dog decision
A court decision allowing a “hearing assistance” dog to stay in a pet-free apartment building could lead to the strata equivalent of the disabled parking permit rort, says a leading…
Baby on board – but not on lease
QUESTION: When a baby is a new addition to a rented property, is there a legal requirement to notify the owner or property manager? Also is there a legal “duty…
Pro pets by-law a life-saver
I was buttonholed recently by Richard Holloway, one of the doyens of strata management, who hustled me into a quiet corner and said he wanted to talk to me about…
Are commissions such a sin?
The strata management industry is split over an issue that some claim could be the death of the small local operators across Australia. The question keenly debated at the Strata…
Party flats ban overturned
The war against party flats took a turn for the worse last week when the Supreme Court in Melbourne overturned a decision by the Victorian Buildings Appeals Board that short-term…
When tenants can’t take it any more
A few weeks ago I wrote about the options available to owners to take action when things go wrong in their strata scheme. When it comes to tenants, there is…