Govt. opens website for strata law reform ideas
The latest news out of NSW Fair Trading depends very much on whether you are an optimist or a pessimist. The former will be delighted to hear that the state…
law
Podcast 96: Pets, rents and new age steam trains
People who don’t care about pets in apartments shouldn’t switch off just yet, regardless of how bored you are with the whole issue. It has implications for everyone in apartments,…
Podcast: Now you can read it as well as listen
This week’s podcast is all about wheel-clamping, email privacy and the amazing legacy of the Sydney Olympics athletes’ village. But one of the biggest pieces of news this week is…
Shared Space strata summit is a world first
You could never accuse strata lawyer Amanda Farmer of standing still for too long. On top of being a very active and successful strata lawyer, she’s a founder of Women…
Why strata lawyers need to dial down the TV drama
I received an email from a long-time Flatchatter the other day who attached a letter they had received from their strata committee’s lawyer, demanding that they withdraw a case at…
Changes bring us a baby-step closer to uniform strata laws
Changes to strata laws are on the way or being considered all over Australia and the first cab off that rank will be modifications to NSW conveyancing laws due to…
From the Forum: How do you deal with a dope who can’t cope?
There’s an interesting statistic that I never tire of quoting: no strata manager in NSW has ever been struck off for being really bad at his or her job. And…
Are these the best strata laws in Australia?
Even given the many and great differences between our states’ strata laws, you might think it should be possible for us to distil the best of them into one cohesive…
Disgust and despair as Vic Labor caves in to Airbnb
Anti short-term holiday letting community members in Victoria, furious at the Labor Government there for handing their homes over to Airbnb-style holiday rentals, have vowed to make the politicians pay…
What exactly is common property … and what isn’t?
‘How come the inside of my front door isn’t but the outside is?’ ‘If the paint on my walls is my responsibility, what about the tiles in my bathroom?’…
Legal costs – how to avoid losing when you win
The trouble with taking legal action is that even when you win, sometimes you can lose – especially in cases when no costs are awarded. And costs are rarely awarded…
‘Business as usual’ for Airbnb by-laws, says strata lawyer
With the announcement two weeks ago that legislation is going to be changed, allowing owners corporations to pass by-laws forbidding owners from listing their entire apartments on holiday letting websites,…
Roundup: Airbnb’s MP mates offer a crumb of discomfort
Finally we get the Government’s short-term letting laws – or at least the proposals – and they turn out to be little more than a “surrender tackle” on Airbnb with a half-hearted and…
Roundup: When the strata manager took his teeth out
A bumper set of Forum links this week signals an uptick in interest in all things strata – and reminds that there are so many people out there who don’t…
Law Lords’ ruling a major blow for holiday lets
A legal ruling in London could bolster legal defences against court challenges to anti-holiday letting by-laws. Strata lawyer Tom Bacon explains … Britain’s Privy Council has unanimously ruled that owners…
Roundup: Another fine mess as NCAT floored by loophole
Once again, the Flat Chat Faithful have done us proud by tipping us off to a big deal; this time it’s a story that reveals a fairly major loophole in…
Your chance to speak out on Airbnb in unit blocks
Want to have your say about short-term holiday letting in apartment blocks but feel your voice isn’t being heard? Not sure what to say in a submission to to state…
Fair Trading claims Airbnb by-laws are invalid
Following the extended discussions on the validity of by-laws that set out to restrict short-stay letting by invoking the residential-only status of some apartment buildings, we contacted fair Trading to…