Hot air and cold facts as Sydney chills out with Airbnb
A Tribunal decision on Airbnb lets in Melbourne has sent a chill through permanent residents of apartment blocks here in Sydney but it also created a wave of optimism, if not opportunism,…
strata
Developer trying to block defects checks
When you are a new owner in a new building, it’s hard not to be suspicious of decisions that could cost you a lot of money. “The building is just…
RANT: Tenants Union backs Airbnb couple in ‘sub-letting’ row
I have just read an article in the Age which in which the Tenants Union of Victoria supported the “right” of tenants to rent out their entire apartment on airbnb.…
Strata defence: Get your Airbnb by-laws in now
With the state government about to “do an Uber” on short-term and holiday letting, apartment owners need to get their act together if they don’t want to be swamped…
RANT: How to train your strata committee
We had a small panic attack the other day when we couldn’t find the link to Strata Community Australia’s online executive committee training program. This is a fantastic facility that…
Parking spaces – the walls come down
Can an owner put a cage around their car park to create a secure storage space? This old chestnut has popped up again on the Flat Chat Forum, years after…
Dogged denial leads to barking madness
When it comes to excuses and denial, pet owners can be even worse than doting parents. It’s never the dog or cat’s fault – there’s always some factor other than…
Strata law reforms delayed … again
Apartment owners fearing they will be forced by neighbours to sell their homes to developers, or dreading the tread of parking wardens in their car parks, have been given a…
New strata laws explained
We seem to have been talking about strata law changes for the last 100 years and certainly we are on the brink of the biggest shake-up of strata law in…
Strata troublemakers nailed
Are you a criminal, a rebel or a know-all? Or is it your neighbour who’s one of apartment living’s permanent pests and constant troublemakers. Strata lawyer Amanda Farmer, founder member…
How can you put a strata pro in charge?
How bad does your strata committee have to be before a tribunal will sack them and appoint a strata manager to take over? If you can’t vote the committee out,…
Recycle bikes – even if you’re breaking the law
A friend got a bike over Christmas. Nothing fancy – just a second-hand 12-speed rattler with sit-up handlebars and a basket on the front. When she approached her building manager…