Forum: Window repair costs don’t add up
This week a Flatchatter doesn’t understand how her share of the cost of having all the windows in her building repaired is more that the quote she received for having…
costs
From the Forum: Landlady too nice for her own good
There are times when I think some of our Flatchatters are just too nice for their own good. Take this week’s first correspondent whose tenant has been illegally parking his…
Why NSW won’t release list of cladding blocks
The NSW government’s decision not to release the identities of the 444 buildings in the state that have potentially deadly flammable cladding may have a more political side than questionable…
Roundup: Revenge as bullying by-law is bounced
One of our long-suffering Flatchatters took her problems with her strata committee to NCAT the other week. The dispute was all about work that the owners corp should have done…
Parking winner loses big time for side-stepping NCAT
The next time you think you have a rock-solid strata case – so good that you want to take it to the Supreme Court, where you think wiser heads may…
Triple win for buyers in sunset clawbacks case
The couple who successfully held the line against the “Sunset Clawbacks” of an apartment block in Sydney’s Surry Hills won two final victories last week. In court, they were awarded…
When bad by-laws are bullies’ blunt weapons
There are a million ways to get things wrong in strata, especially when it comes to devising the by-laws with which we try to moderate or even control the behaviour…
Legal costs – how to avoid losing when you win
The trouble with taking legal action is that even when you win, sometimes you can lose – especially in cases when no costs are awarded. And costs are rarely awarded…
False economies: Beware the lure of low levies
It sounds too good to be true: buy an off-the-plan apartment with a heated pool, professional gym, 24-hour concierge and a residents’ sauna – and it comes with the promise of the lowest levies in the area. Who…
Dangers of buying in the worst block on the best street
When you imagine a badly run building where poor management is depressing property values, I bet you don’t think of some of our city’s more salubrious suburbs. But, reviewing a…
Double downsize eases squeeze
The future is here. Our better run strata blocks are already looking forward, asking what kind of building they want to be in five or ten years and, crucially, how…