Don’t just sit there, resolve to get involved
Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? Yes, it’s that time of year when we make promises to ourselves to do better than we did last time around. They tend…
meeting
Forum: The drinking person’s guide to AGMs
Last time we let the Forum sit for a week to see if we could accumulate any more questions – and boy, do we now have a couple of doozies.…
Forum: BBQ madness and deadly plan for stray cats
I think the trendy word for it is “triggering”: a word that will instantly have a normally calm and placid person frothing at the mouth and chewing the carpet. For…
Podcast: Zoom into your chance to be on the pod
This week we get tangled up in the wiring as we examine the effect of Zoom meetings and electronic voting on the democratic processes of strata committees … and the…
How strata apathy can cost you big-time
Owning in strata is not easy. The personalities and power games, the complex laws, the myriad variations of by-laws, and the differing levels of respect for them are deterrent enough…
Make the most of your AGM (and other meetings)
Considering that the AGM is the one time of the year when owners get direct contact with their strata committees, their organisation can sometimes be a little haphazard, to say…
From the Forum: Facts and fictions in meeting minutes
Imagine you’ve had your AGM, there were a couple of contentious issues, a by-law here and there, a few raised voices, maybe, but eventually it was all resolved and everyone…
Appeal of professional pains in the butt
I was talking recently to a strata manager about a new service that’s springing up around their territory – I call them strata advocates – and she said “Oh, you…
Stages of strife when strata shock strikes
Do you have any idea what’s going on in your apartment block? Does every change come as a shock, quickly followed by a range of emotions, just like the five…
Roundup: Flat Chat live is back – better than ever
OK, folks, try to contain your excitement but the all-singing, all dancing Flat Chat Live is back on the agenda To be fair, it’s not called that any more, it’s…
How to silence strata committee bullies
Nobody in their right mind enjoys formal committee meetings. Whether it’s your local club or your company board, they often descend into battles of wills between those who know…
Rogue developer gets a reality check
Regular readers will recall the saga of the rogue developer on the far North coast who basically tried to run his new building to suit himself, with no regard for…