Forum: Should we pay committee members?
It’s that time of year again when we are coming to the end of the school holidays and Australia Day is upon us. On top of all that, we are…
Podcast: Two alarms over fire safety in apartments
This week the pod takes a deep dive into the murky waters of fire safety, how we ignore it at our considerable peril and how this essential part of our…
Is this the last gasp for Qld balcony smokers?
Balcony smokers in Queensland could be forced to take their habit indoors after a ruling by the state’s Body Corporate Commission that an apartment resident must smoke inside her unit…
Used RAT kits in unit block bio-hazard warning
As more and more of us are turning to Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs), if only to reassure ourselves that we don’t have Covid-19, apartment block managers are having to deal…
Cut-price construction is a false economy
When it comes to cutting corners, skimping on construction costs in strata buildings is one of the most flawed false economies in our world. But while some outcomes are more…
Forum: Bronx blaze proves value of safety checks
If ever there was proof required that strata schemes need regular fire safety checks the recent tragic events in New York are a horrific and stark reminder that safety measures…
Podcast: Contract concern as plan nixed in the bud
There’s an air of cynicism – or maybe it’s just weary experience – around this week’s Flat Chat Wrap podcast, but we only have ourselves to blame. Last week we…
Pet hates and petty issues ‘clogging Qld tribunals’
Strata schemes pursuing trivial issues such as trying to ban pets from lifts or doormats from lift lobbies are clogging up the adjudication system in Queensland, says the state’s main…
SM contracts to be fixed but not set in stone
Contracts between strata managers and owners corporations have been accused of being one-sided, rigid and unfair, but they are unlikely to be replaced by standard statutory contracts any time soon…
Forum: Cashed-up and confused by costs levy
Here’s a bit of a brainteaser. An owners corp has won its tribunal case against a couple of lot owners over unapproved renovations. The OC’s strata manager has now asked…
Podcast: Airbnb curbs and the intercom of doom
Like a wayward teenager who stayed out too late, Airbnb is creeping back into our lives, hoping to avoid our parental wrath, but finding a less than loving reception waiting…
Trapped in a 50-floor block with no working intercom
It was once Australia’s tallest and most luxurious apartment building, but residents of the Sydney CBD’s Park Regis today live in less-than-splendid isolation. With the access intercom system having been…