Are commissions such a sin?
The strata management industry is split over an issue that some claim could be the death of the small local operators across Australia. The question keenly debated at the Strata Community Australia...
View ArticleParty flats ban overturned
The war against party flats took a turn for the worse last week when the Supreme Court in Melbourne overturned a decision by the Victorian Buildings Appeals Board that short-term rentals were illegal...
View ArticleWhen tenants can’t take it any more
A few weeks ago I wrote about the options available to owners to take action when things go wrong in their strata scheme. When it comes to tenants, there is a long-standing myth in strata that they...
View ArticleYes, you can curb proxy harvesting
“Are there any limits on how many proxies can one person hold to vote in a meeting?” writes Chak in the Flat Chat Forum. “If one person holds 10 proxies, does it mean a show of hands by him represents...
View ArticleChorus of approval – but is it legal?
QUESTION: We have ten apartments in our block and an Executive Committee of five. I am Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary as none of the other committee members has taken much of an interest. An owner...
View ArticleTenants driven out by building work
If work on common property means reduction or loss of rent in a tenanted property, should the Owners Corporation – that’s all the other owners – compensate the landlord? The question was asked by RitaC...
View ArticleGive and take on direct debits
QUESTION: I received a letter from my letting agent telling me I must give them permission to Direct Debit my account to pay the rent. I do not use Direct Debit with any bill because I disagree with...
View ArticleTenant dogged by the power of one
A couple of weeks ago we brought you the tale of the tenant who had it written into her lease that she could have her dog in her home, only to have the permission withdrawn when a lawyer neighbour...
View ArticleHeavy levies Vs the loan arrangers
Stories of unit blocks having no money in the bank when they need repairs are legion. There has long been a culture in strata of leaving repairs to “the next guy.” So it’s unusual to come across a...
View ArticleConfusion reigns in scramble parking
Should parking be less of a scramble for owners than tenants? A Flat Chat reader has written to us about his unit block where he parks his car in an area designated for residents but where the spaces...
View ArticleGrouse over spouses on EC
‘Can a husband and wife both be on the executive committee,’ writes Kenuppa on the Forum. The simple answer is yes in NSW, but no in Victoria and Queensland. However, as with all things in StrataLand,...
View ArticleShort term pain, long term gain
Our recent story about how the Building Appeals Board in Victoria had decreed that short-term rentals in residential apartment blocks are in contravention of the building codes and are therefore...
View ArticleBy-laws not optional for tenants
Do tenants in NSW really have to obey by-laws, wonders Flat Chat website regular KiwiPaul. “In NSW the tenancy agreement only states that tenants have to be given a copy of the bylaws,” he says. “There...
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Split bills too hard to swallow
“Let’s just divvy it up,” is the civilised way for friends to pay for a meal. But it doesn’t work so well when it comes to covering the running costs of an apartment block. A Sydney owner has been told...
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Two routes for disputes
If you want to read an editorial piece explaining the ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ ways to pursue complaints and by-law breaches and resolve disputes in strata in NSW. That piece now resides HERE. Having...
View ArticlePet by-laws around Australia
First of all, let’s be clear on this – while there are ‘model’ by-laws that govern all sorts of things, including pets, they differ from state to state and even within one jurisdiction, they can vary...
View ArticleForgetful residents fined for over use of lifts
Is this energy conservation gone mad? A high-rise building in Sydney has just announced what amounts to fines for residents who forget things in their flats and then have to go back for them. “This is...
View ArticleSold out by short notice
QUESTION: I want to end my fixed term tenancy agreement because the landlord wants to sell the premises. They did not tell me this before entering into the tenancy agreement. They just told me on the...
View ArticleWindow of opportunity for child safety
There are some very good reasons for the plan to force limiters to be fitted on to strata windows to stop young kids falling out of them. The fact that strata buildings tend to be higher is obvious...
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