OFT floored again
When, oh, when is the Office of Fair Trading going to wake up and smell the varnish on wooden floors? While unit owners are losing sleep and/or money because of…
Pet politics
QUESTION: I am the chairman of a small unit block and we wish to amend our pets by-law so that occupants who are owners can have one cat or a…
Power of one
Of all the many variations on strata, the two-unit duplex or villa is potentially the most fractious. With only two owners, everything can trundle along happily until there’s a falling…
Things that make you go woof!
Recently a bloke in a flat across the street was having trouble lighting his barbie and the application of ‘accelerant’ was required. Whoomph! Suddenly there were flames from his Hibachi…
Positives of negative gearing
My Dad says I’m wasting my money on rent when it could be going into a mortgage and he’s offered to lend me $35,000 for the deposit on a flat. …
Big family – huge problem
QUESTION: I’m searching for a home to rent for us and our seven children. We’ve put our names down for several large properties but we are knocked back again and…
Off the plan – on the money
Proposals for 30 projects totalling over 3000 units – including fake beaches and rooftop cinemas – have been lodged with City of Sydney Council, according to recent reports, while off-the-plan…
Tenants stub out smokes
A couple of weeks ago we asked readers of Domain’s online pages whether they would be more or less likely to rent a home if there was a no-smoking clause…
Fall-out from feud
Feuding neighbours can do a lot of damage to buildings – in more ways than one – and ironically, innocent parties can be left holding the bill. QUESTION: We bought…
Screwed over bookshelf
QUESTION: My landlord won’t let us drill holes in the wall for bookshelves so I went out and bought a free-standing book case. Getting it home, I realised it has…
Firies hold the key
The great thing about modern high-rise apartments, for older people especially, is that they can be very secure. But what about when you WANT someone who doesn’t have a key…
Muscle man driving us mad
They say a healthy body means a healthy mind … but not if the person getting fit is driving you nuts. QUESTION: A neighbour has installed gym and weights equipment…