The kids are not alright
QUESTION: One of our neighbours has young children who play noisily in the common areas on a regular basis. I don’t mind kids playing in the common areas, but these…
Renters: Rights and wrongs
Noise, nuisance and in-your-face “couldn’t give a stuff” attitude. Sure, there are some tenants like that but what happens when an owner is the problem and tenants are the victims?…
Renters: Sitting tenants
QUESTION: We have been on a series of one-year fixed-term leases with our current landlord which has been fine but now we are seriously thinking of buying our own apartment.…
How to stage a revolution
The executive committees and chairmen of strata blocks get a hard time – usually unfairly since they can’t please everyone and are giving up their time for free. But every…
Votes for all
It’s a bit of a tenants’ special this week, given that we’re launching our dedicated tenants column. And it’s not before time. Tenants generally get a bad press (not on…
Renters: Dress for success
The first Renters Rant and we have the most fundamental question of all: how do you become one? To be specific, how do you stand out from the crowd –…
Money for nothing
One of the most common complaints in strata living is about levies and specifically, why people should have to pay for things they don’t use. But there’s no such as…
Towering Inferno
Ever wonder why flat roofs, especially on older buildings, often have pebbles on them? Decoration? Drainage? Or something very “now” that the original builders probably didn’t even think about? QUESTION:…
Hot topic, cold facts
Even if you believe there is no such thing as Global Warming (and the earth must be flat or the Nile would flow uphill, right?) saving energy and other resources…
Suite and sour
“You treat this place like a hotel,” is a common cry from parents as their teenage kids come and go at will. But what if someone actually did run your…
How you’ll manage
I get into so much trouble when I take a pop at strata managers in this column that I try really hard to remind myself that most strata managers are…
Choice cuts
I got an email the other week from a reader whose building has been effectively taken over by a nuisance couple who are abrasive and abusive. Things have got so…