Strata manglers … and how to get rid of them
When we started Flat Chat 15 years ago, strata managers were pretty much our Public Enemy No 1 (and we theirs, for that matter). It’s all my fault. I once…
NCAT
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…
Roundup: Fair Trading giving faulty advice … again
One of the issues that came out loud and clear from the OCN’s Strata Matters owners’ day last weekend was that neither Fair Trading nor NCAT are functioning as efficiently…
Roundup: Why the Law Lords’ ruling on Airbnb really matters
Just when I thought I was going to get to 2018 without mentioning Airbnb again, the Privy Council in London goes and stuffs things up – but in a good…
ROUNDUP: Tying myself in knots over NCAT loophole
Bear with me folks, because the so-called strataguru is stumped. A couple of weeks ago my colleague and partner Sue Williams wrote this story that basically said the whole strata by-law…
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…
Woman who made $13,000 on Airbnb gets by-law overturned
Hold on to your sun-hats! The NSW strata tribunal has overturned a by-law that attempted to ban Airbnb-style holiday lets in a Sydney Eastern Suburbs apartment block. In what’s thought…
A good whinge and the power of negative thinking
Nobody likes a whinger, but in strata, sometimes it pays to stow your personal aversion to complaining. A well-timed complaint could save you a heap of grief, not to mention…
Fast-tracked strata disputes first go in-house
Dispute resolution in NSW strata schemes is about to get a lot easier. Whether it will be better remains to be seen. Under the new strata laws, due to…
Will Victoria’s pro-Airbnb ruling affect NSW
Last Friday, the Victorian Supreme court ruled that owners corporations in that state did not have the right to ban short-stay lets, which is a major blow to any unit…
NCAT: New name, same problems?
Way back in the early days of Flat Chat – about 11 years ago – I wrote a piece for the Sydney Morning Herald called “Send In The Clowns” which…