Defect reports rising… but so is confidence
Defect reporting is rising, but this could be a good thing if it means owners' confidence in getting fixes is increasing even more.
strata managers
Podcast: Defective thinking on three fronts
There’s a lot going on in the strata sphere this week, starting with the Sydney Morning Herald’s big expose on building defects. It’s well worth reading but it’s funny how every time…
Old laws and lack of regs stifling Qld strata – Bos
Queensland's out-of-date laws, non-existent strata manager regulations and inadequate property rights are stifling a solution to the housing crisis, says Laura Bos
$8.4m Taskforce to be the state’s new strata cop
NSW's new strata laws will be enforced by an $8.4m Taskforce which will be the state's new "strata cop".
Podcast: Between strata liveability and luxury
Jimmy and Sue pick the bones out of NSW's new strata manager regs, shine a light on a near-billionaire developer and ask if flats really need luxury
Minister explains new strata laws in detail
The proposed new strata laws and the thinking behind them were explained in the NSW Parliament this week by Fair Trading Minister Anoulak Chanthivong.
One-sided SM contracts exposed… yet again
JimmyT recalls his first encounters with one-sided strata management contracts as a new ABC expose reveals that nothing much has changed in 20 years of complaints and unkept promises.
Podcast: Off-plan buyers rage and SMs slap back
In this week's podcast Jimmy and Sue discuss whether there is a viable solution to the Sapphire schemozzle in Gosford. And do strata managers have a point about unfair treatment…
Time to finally end the disruptive low levies lurk
Developers can still emply a low levies lurk, setting fees at unfeasibly low rates to attract buyers, then sit back and watch as they rise to meet real needs and…
New laws passed to crack down on rogue SMs
New laws designed to crack down on strata managers receiving secret kickbacks while introducing higher penalties for agents doing the wrong thing, have passed the NSW parliament, the government announced…
Podcast: Luxury pad threat to low-cost homes
It’s a bit of a catch-up in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap and a look to the immediate future, too. We’ll be getting abreast of the news that NSW is…
Why your strata manager doesn’t respond to calls
If the recent insurance commission scandals have taught us nothing else, it is that some strata management firms are more about profits than service. That is not likely to change…