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 grind to a rapid halt without renters and some look after their buildings better than fly-by-night investor owners.
Which brings me to one of my merely brilliant ideas for making Strataland a better place. I reckon every residential strata property should have two votes attached to it: the first would be for the owner, the second would be for the resident.
If the resident also happened to be an owner, then you would get full voting rights for both of your votes. Owner occupiers put time and energy as well as their money into a building but have no more say in its running than someone who views it purely as a business.
Now, long-term tenants should also get partial voting rights on any issues that have no financial implications for the building. But they should be able, for instance, to vote on the membership of the EC and even stand themselves.
I can hear the gasps of shock and horror, and the rattle of keyboards as angry emails to yours truly are hammered out.
But isn’t a renter who is prepared to put in time and energy into making their building a better place to live just as entitled to vote as an absentee landlord who hasn’t set foot in the building since they bought the apartment?
Never fear, this has Buckley’s chance of even being considered by our lawmakers: it’s both fair and logical … when has that combination ever worked in strata?