Holiday Hell – Short tempers over short-termers
It’s summer time when families and fun-seekers from Picket Fence Land descend on our seaside and inner city apartment blocks and expect us to tolerate antisocial behavior in often illegal…
Strata Stress in Victoria
This article appeared in the MELBOURNE AGE in October 2008. By Jimmy Thomson Apartment buildings in Melbourne and across Victoria may be heading for financial meltdown as unit owners face…
Another ‘training wheels’ minister steps in
The revolving door of the Fair Trading office has had another spin with the installation of Virginia Judge as our new minister in charge of dodgy mechanics, dangerous toys, internet…
Balcony barneys
One of the best aspects of modern apartment blocks are the balconies: your own slice of fresh air, peace and quiet … until your neighbours behave like you didn’t exist.…
Trouble with parking rubble
There are still a lot of people in strata land who still don’t get it – and by “it” I mean the idea that you have to moderate your behaviour…
A few facts for first-timers
With apartments still being the first choice for most first-time home buyers, here are a few tips that will help you avoid some of the potholes in the road to…
Forget the animals – screen the humans
Nothing raises the hackles of apartment residents like the vexed question of whether pets should be allowed in apartments … especially when the pet owner is a tenant. It’s clear…
Nutters and know-alls
One of the good things about serving on the executive committee of a strata building – apart from the tea and Tim Tams (or Pinot and Brie) – is the…
Paper tigers
Flatchat paid a visit to the offices of the Consumer Trader and Tenancies Tribunal the other week and emerged mostly unscathed, despite our withering criticism of it in recent columns.…
Pier Pressure
In this column’s tradition of no names, no pack drill, I won’t re-identify the converted wharf in Sydney where there’s been an almighty stoush over renovations and amalgamations. But it’s…
Short and not so sweet
This column has long been a staunch opponent of the blight of short-term rentals in permanent residential buildings – why would you let anyone use your home as a hotel?…
Voting rights and wrongs
The democratic principal of one person, one vote doesn’t always apply in strata – sometimes that’s good, often less so. QUESTION: The chairman of our Executive Committee owns three apartments…