Pouring chilled water on the govt ‘gift’ to strata
It’s starting to feel like strata in NSW is one big marginal electoral constituency – except the government can’t give apartment dwellers sports stadia and railway stations. What they can…
contract
SMs turn against Qld’s pre-sold contracts
Imagine if you bought a new car and you were told you were now contractually obliged to have it serviced by a certain mechanic, on their terms, for the next…
Forum: Who has the power to get things done?
Here’s a scenario for you to get your teeth into. Your owners corporation has passed a number of items on the AGM agenda, requesting specific action, but the committee and/or…
Don’t let the sun go down on your off-the-plan unit
Back in the bad old days, in an overheated market, developers could deliberately delay completion of a unit block, return your deposit then re-sell your unit at a higher price.…
Queensland-style contract con tricks on their way
First it was “embedded networks” now it’s the pre-sale of management rights – it seems there are some NSW developers who don’t miss a trick when it comes to squeezing…
Management contracts that are 25-year shackles
Imagine you’ve interviewed for a job and the call comes: “you got the gig … we’re sending over a 25-year contract.” Twenty-five years? That’s half the length of a working…
Queensland caretaker rip-off and repeat
Queensland was one of the first states in Australia to fully embrace strata living and it has, in the past, led the way on many innovations, like secret voting, limits…
Roundup: Strata rogue and an offer you CAN refuse
Remember the rogue developer who is basically making up the rules as he goes? Apparently this chump has now sold enough units to trigger the first AGM but thinks he…
Roundup: When the developer just doesn’t get it
Buying an apartment is possibly the only commercial transaction in our lives where someone sells you something – usually for a lot of money – but thinks they still own it.…
How to choose a new strata manager
That old saying of “better the devil you know” rarely applies more than in your choice of strata managers. But if, like one Flat Chat reader, your strata manager’s contract…