Flatchat paid a visit to the offices of the Consumer Trader and Tenancies Tribunal the other week and emerged mostly unscathed, despite our withering criticism of it in recent columns. One thing we did come away with, however, was a plea to explain the adjudication system to those who are about to embark on the [...]

In this column’s tradition of no names, no pack drill, I won’t re-identify the converted wharf in Sydney where there’s been an almighty stoush over renovations and amalgamations. But it’s a classic case of the desires of investors to make the most of their money clashing with the needs of residents who want to create [...]

This column has long been a staunch opponent of the blight of short-term rentals in permanent residential buildings – why would you let anyone use your home as a hotel? But there’s another twist: What happens when you invest in a building approved for short-term rentals only to discover you’re not allowed to live in [...]

The democratic principal of one person, one vote doesn’t always apply in strata – sometimes that’s good, often less so. QUESTION: The chairman of our Executive Committee owns three apartments in our (small) building, and uses this to dominate all our decision making. For instance, the building seriously need some maintenance work but whenever we [...]