Get your strata block all set for cyclone impact
Strata buildings, especially townhouses, are not immune from the devastating effects of cyclones, and you need to get your strata block ready for Cyclone Alfred ... or the one after…
damage
Forum: When a disruptive owner Zooms back in
It’s hard to think of a downside for Covid being behind us (if, indeed, it is) but one unanticipated consequence is the end of the need to hold strata meetings…
Schoolies are coming home … to your place!
Apartment owners, residents, committees and managers should be ready to crack down on unruly schoolies in apartment blocks, say strata advocates, as senior students celebrate their end of terms. Apartments,…
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…
Forum: Lines drawn in parking space battle
It’s a bumper crop of Forum posts this week but I’m drawn to one that reminds me of a friend of mine – a real estate agent – who was…
After the deluge: when mould takes hold
With impeccable timing, given the OCN webinar on waterproofing today (Wednesday, April 6), here’s a Sydney Morning Herald Lifestyle section report by Sue Williams about how mould can come into…
Airbnb ‘won’t name renter of trashed unit to police’
Just a few weeks since the much-vaunted short-term letting register and code of conduct became law, Riot Squad police have twice been called in to break up violent and destructive…
Forum: A warning about issuing warnings
I have to admit I’m feeling unusually smug this week – but that’s what happens when you get things so precisely right it feels like there was a betting fix…
Pet-friendly housing helps everyone, says report
A new report backed by six Australian universities has concluded that having pets is good for both tenants and landlords. However, even though more than 60 per cent of Australian…
Forum: Unfinancialized by a sneaky strata manager
One of the suggestions that I made in my overly lengthy submission to the strata law consultations was that seriously incompetent strata managers should face serious penalties, including potentially being…
Forum: Car cable-eating rats in the too-hard basket
We’re taking a deep dive into the too-hard basket of strata committees this week, starting with one that says there’s nothing they can do about an infestation of rats, partly…
Insurance and tax checks squeeze Airbnb hosts
A combination of tax crackdowns and insurance obligations is making the prospect of letting homes on holiday letting websites like Airbnb a much less attractive option, according to a story…