Agent silent on rent arrears

QUESTION: Our new tenant paid in full in December, two weeks in January and nothing last month. After no response to two emails the managing agent finally advised us she…

Rents go down as lift gives up

QUESTION: Who is responsible for lost rent if tenants move out while the lift is being upgraded for approximately 10 weeks?  – TC ANSWER: This is very tricky, because on…

Apartment smokers can breathe easy

Hurrah! People who live in apartment buildings will soon be forbidden from smoking outside their buildings’ entrances.  A sight we see … um … errr … never because, unlike office…

Fines and jail for ignoring faults

A tradesman I know had been called to a 15-to-20-year-old block on the North Shore  after complaints that balustrade fittings were loose and corroding. Every balcony he tested had dangerous…

Beware the rental rats

Here’s a weird one for you.  A friend (let’s call her Gina) recently went on to a ‘reputable’ website to find a flat share and got a gushing email from…

When neighbours hang you out to dry

Make no mistake, the single most important change the government could include in its strata law review would be to make the enforcement of by-laws compulsory (as it is in…

Is direct let a safe bet?

QUESTION: I am about to lease a townhouse directly from the owner. What things should I ask for to prove proof of ownership? Will the bond form be enough proof?…

Writing on wall for big TV

QUESTION:  We recently bought a big new flat screen TV for our fairly small flat and, for a variety of reasons it would look great on the wall. The by-laws…

How to cope with EC crazies

Every executive committee has had one at some time – a member who can only see one point of view (theirs) and for whom being outvoted is evidence of either…

Less is best but lease is more

We got a posting recently from a tenant who has gone from a six month lease to a “periodic” – ie, open-ended –  tenancy.  The landlord asked to put the…

Are U2 in the strata with no names?

Are you too in the strata with no names? Should executive committee members be a secret society or available for comment and complaint by phone, email and the occasional front-up?…

Water on brain … money down drain

Do you have any idea how much you are paying for your water? One of the great embarrassments of strata living in this state is that most of us aren’t…