Forum: Hoarder leaves us with another fine mess
This week’s weird and not-so wonderful story comes straight out of one of those TV reality shows about hoarders getting their home cleaned up for free. Our Flatchatter has a…
fire safety
Podcast: Petinos, pets and petty squabbles
There we were, all set with a podcast on David Chandler’s resignation in the can, when we heard that NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet had invited Fair Trading Minister Eleni Petinos…
Castle owners under siege over fire safety
People love to cite the classic Australian movie The Castle whenever bureaucracy starts interfering with our rights to do what we want in our homes. But when your strata block…
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…
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…
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…
Forum: Owner falls foul of strict window by-law
There’s a mixture of Forum posts this week – new questions and answers and some ongoing discussions. One fresh conundrum concerns an owner who’s fallen foul of by-laws related to…
Podcast: Defects detected and pets rejected
In this week’s podcast we chat about a report which reveals that one-third of 500 unit blocks inspected in a survey had serious defects, from leaking bathrooms, to fire safety…
Party animals plan masks limp Airbnb code
It’s easy to spot when a state government policy on controlling short-term letting might have serious holes in it – Airbnb and other holiday letting (STHL) operators say they’re happy…
Six-way stand-off as block stuck in cladding Hell
Owners in an apartment block in the centre of Sydney are caught in a potentially fatal six-way stand-off as owners, developers, builders and the government battle over who is responsible…
High price of safety – services rip-off alleged
Legendary movie director Alfred Hitchcock is reputed to have said: “I never said actors were cattle, I said they should be treated like cattle.’ Sometimes you get the feeling that…
PODCAST: Loopholes and pitfalls in new holiday letting rules
Just when you thought it was safe to dip your toe into the Airbnb discussion, it turns out the new laws are not what they seem. The 180-day cap on…