New Vic strata laws target cronies and contracts
Strata laws have been given a major shake-up in Victoria – and it’s all about consumer protection. As well as including new rules for strata owners and committees, the new…
developers
Insurance plan to drive out dodgy developers
The best and most reliable apartment developers will soon be able to get construction insurance, for the first time in Australia for nearly 20 years, writes Sue Williams. And that…
Hi-viz commish kicking butt and naming names
To some, he’s a knight in shining armour, a hero in a hi-viz. To others, he’s the devil incarnate. But wherever anyone might stand on the subject of rampaging NSW…
How Flat Chat grew from a bitter defects battle
Believe it or not, the 200th edition of Flat Chat to appear in the Australian Financial Review was published at the weekend. But that’s not half of it – not…
Star ratings to reduce risk in off-the-plan purchases
NSW off-the-plan apartment buyers will soon be able to access “star ratings” for developers and discover that their money may not be as safe as houses when they take the…
‘DNA’ records to keep tabs on dodgy developers
New apartment buildings in NSW – and possibly the rest of Australia – will soon have a “digital DNA” that will allow prospective purchasers, incoming owners, strata professionals and government…
Insurance failures add $16k to cost of NSW flats
It has not been widely reported, but Building Commissioner David Chandler has a big dream for apartments in the state – that one day commercial insurers will return to the…
Data detectives to hunt down dodgy developments
Dodgy developers and shonky certifiers face even tougher times ahead as NSW Fair Trading uses its massive databases to target serial miscreants and force them to fix their defects before…
Podcast: New pet laws and defining ‘reasonable’
In this week’s podcast we give the NSW Parliament’s deliberations on it’s new strata pet laws a kick along. As reported here, the Lower House has taken a good six…
Commissioner’s lifeline on new-build defects
Owners corporations in relatively new buildings deciding whether to fix building defects themselves or take recalcitrant developers to court – at huge expense and with no guarantee of success –…
Low-income families hit hardest by unit-living’s many challenges
Too many Australians living in apartments have too little choice over where they live, are disproportionately affected by the challenges of apartment living, and are less likely to have the…
Podcast 64: New rent laws but same old story with point-scoring pollies
In this week’s Podcast, Jimmy and Sue examine the plusses and minuses in the new NSW rental laws, which tilt things in tenants’ favour but don’t go all the way.…