Pigeons, private eyes and warranties that run out
When a new apartment owner found black mould in her flat the developer blamed pigeons, the owner was stalked by detectives and the defects warranties expired.
mould
Forum: Is this new proxy farming voter fraud?
The new proxy farming, not refunding unneeded special levies, dealing with an added asbestos shed and revealing defects to potential buyers - all in this week's Forum.
Hundreds of Vic blocks rotting from inside
Two years ago the ABC and Flat Chat reported that cladding remediation was revealing big problems with apartment blocks in Victoria. Now a government report claims half of the blocks…
Podcast: Company title chaos, strata solutions
In this week’s podcast, we look at why a problem in a company title block would have been much easier to resolve had the apartment been in a strata building.…
Forum: From the really unreal world of strata
Buying into strata for the first time is a daunting prospect – and that’s even for people who have some idea what to expect. As for newcomers, including those new…
Podcast: And now the good news… for some
There’s some good news, some bad news and some great news in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap. The good news (for investors) is that apartment prices and rents are going…
Forum: Smoke signals and mixed messages
It’s amazing when you think how much we used to tolerate smoking, as if it were a God-given right. But these days you are increasing likely to find that not…
Forum: Crack in wall exposes gaps in the law
Sometimes I think the policy wonks who devise the rules by which we are supposed to run our strata lives deliberately throw in little quirks and nuances just to make…
Rotting Victorian strata calls for a champion
Here in Sydney we have often wondered why we didn’t hear too much about defects in Victorian apartment blocks. Was it because they built better buildings there? How about, maybe…
Forum: How can you define ‘reasonable’?
One of the most-seen weasel words in strata is “reasonable”. And it’s an often-visited grey area because it isn’t defined and can’t be. Even section 252 of the NSW strata…
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…
NCAT delays force family back into mouldy unit
Unexplained delays by the NSW government’s property tribunal have forced a mother, her five-year-old daughter and her elderly parents to move back into their damp, mouldy apartment. Sarah Wu’s family…