Forum: When the wrong thing is the right choice
There’s a post in the Forum this week which perfectly encapsulates the quandary that often comes up in strata between doing the right thing and just getting things done. In…
rules
New strata laws ease through NSW parliament
The most radical shake-up of strata law in Australia since the current Act came into force in 2016 could, at a push, be in place by Christmas. Changes to NSW’s…
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…
Different strata strokes for different states’ folks
As we frequently remind readers, strata laws are different across the different states in Australia. Sometimes the differences are minor but occasionally they are glaring and speak to the culture…
Too-hard basket smoked out by duty-of-care ruling
There’s an interesting side issue to the Queensland smoke-drift case resolved at a tribunal in December last year. And it could spell the beginning of the end for the “too-hard…
OCN update for strata on Covid work rules
The Owners Corporation Network (OCN), the peak body for apartment owners and strata committees, has compiled an invaluable advisory on what NSW strata schemes and residents can and can’t do…
Podcast 95: pet ban block, websites and a new book
The big strata news of this week stopped us in our tracks. The NSW Court of Appeals has overturned a decision by the strata tribunal (NCAT) which, earlier this year,…
ROUNDUP: What’s the rule on catch-all by-laws?
There’s an interesting twist on the question of by-laws and rules that came in the other day – can the owners corp create enabling by-laws that allow them to create…
From the Forum: Can we cancel holiday let keys?
This week, a Flatchatter wants to know if their by-law, in support of their council zoning, is adequate for keeping Airbnb out of their building, and if they can use…
PODCAST: Defect loans, Airbnb rules and sneaky sex in the spa
It’s a real mixed bag in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap podcast – finance, Airbnb and sneaky sex. Sue Williams and I start our dissection of the week’s strata news…
Beware the ratchet effect of bad by-laws
A ratchet is a brilliantly simple piece of engineering: easy to turn in one direction – almost impossible to go the other way. The “ratchet effect” when applied to by-laws,…
Pets and apartments – an interview
A couple of weeks ago our friends at Pet Insurance Australia sent us some questions about pet ownership in strata schemes, to form the basis for a feature they’ll be…