QUESTION: We have been on a series of one-year fixed-term leases with our current landlord which has been fine but now we are seriously thinking of buying our own apartment. If we sign another lease and break it when we find somewhere suitable, will we be liable for the full amount of the lease? Or [...]

The executive committees and chairmen of strata blocks get a hard time – usually unfairly since they can’t please everyone and are giving up their time for free.  But every so often there’s one who’s on a little personal power trip. QUESTION: The chairwoman at our block of 40 is a megalomaniac who gathers an [...]

It’s a bit of a tenants’ special this week, given that we’re launching our dedicated tenants column.  And it’s not before time. Tenants generally get a bad press (not on this page) as the  lowest of the  low, when the vast  majority of them are nothing of the kind. The whole negative gearing whirligig would [...]

The first Renters Rant and we have the most fundamental question of all: how do you become one? To be specific, how do you stand out from the crowd – in a good way – in the very competitive market for the best apartments? The question was asked by a very smart and presentable young [...]

One of the most common complaints in strata living is about levies and specifically, why people should have to pay for things they don’t use. But there’s no such as a free lunch in strata … even if you don’t cook with gas. QUESTION: A gas leak has been discovered in the pipe servicing my [...]

Ever wonder why flat roofs, especially on older buildings, often have pebbles on them?  Decoration? Drainage? Or something very “now” that the original builders probably didn’t even think about? QUESTION: I own a unit in a seventies style solid brick complex with concrete slab roofs. My unit is on the ground level and is more [...]