We got a doozy of a post this week from a reader worried that an unauthorised rogue renovator in her block is removing walls and ceilings, which has disconnected the fire alarms.
“Would that affect their insurance?” she asked.
Hang on a sec. Did you say unauthorised removal of walls and ceilings?
I think there might be a bigger problem there than what might happen to your insurance – like, how can someone just start remodelling their flat without permission? That’s HERE.
Before we hunker down for the rest of the latest entrants in the Flat Chat Forum’s Hall of Shame, we had quite a few entries for the Stratabox contest and we already have winners in the small and medium-sized schemes category … or at least we thought we had until the winner of our medium sized scheme section counted the number of units in her block and it turned out she was in a “large” scheme.
So we are looking for entries from medium-sized schemes (and we have a couple runners up prizes for large schemes also).
But first things first, the correct answer to the question, who was the last person to hold the title of Minister of Fair Trading is … drum roll … Matthew Mason-Cox.
It was a trick question. His successor, Victor Dominello, had responsibility for Fair Trading but his actual title was Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, as is the incumbent Matthew Kean’s.
We still don’t have a winner from a medium sized scheme. So here’s an easier question for anyone who lives in a medium scheme who wants to win a two-year trial of a strata management software that will make your scheme easier to manage, even WITH a strata manager there to keep an eye on all the official/legal stuff.
And there are runners-up prizes of a year’s free subscription for people in large schemes too.
So here is your new question:
What is the official definition of a “large” strata scheme in NSW?
Email your answer with the words “Stratabox contest” and the number of lots in your scheme in the subject line of an email to mail@flatchat.com.au.
You can read the original description of Stratabox, and all the terms and conditions of the contest, here.
And anyone can get a free three-month trial of the premium software and/or a free subscription to the basic plan by going to the Stratabox website and registering.
Now, back to the baddies and goodies of the Forum:
- Why won’t our strata manager let us change one clause in the contract – is it really a copyright issue? That’s HERE.
- Can someone please explain how the percentages work for proxy votes? That’s HERE.
- The strata manager won’t talk to the committee and the former chairperson insists she’s still in charge even though she was voted out. Oh, and they’re in Melbourne. That’s HERE.
- The property is a 99-year lease, the lease-holder dies, the company owning the property is in receivership. So who is responsible for the mounting unpaid levies? That’s HERE.
- Two different schemes but both have similar issues with replacing fences, deciding who is responsible and what to replace them with. That’s HERE.
Flat Chat readership is growing every week but we are always interested in spreading the word.
If you have a friend who’s struggling a bit in their strata scheme, why not flick them a copy of this – or point them at www.flatchat.com.au – and tell them we might already have the answers to all their questions.
Roundup: Rogue renovators and your Stratabox answer
