Recent News
Residential towers of up to 20 storeys are among plans for the northern beaches. more
It seems like only yesterday that queues of frenzied buyers were forming before dawn outside building sites to buy apartments off the plan in projects hyped as the last word in lifestyle. more
It's great to start off the new year on a positive note, despite coming across a developer on Sydney's North Shore who is demanding not only that buyers sign over their proxy votes but that they use the developer's estate agency for selling or renting their properties. more
Car-park rage is invading apartment blocks all around town. Pets, parking and people - it's the holy trinity for apartment owners.
Pets, parking and people - it's the holy trinity for apartment owners. If all three work well in a building, most residents can be assured of a blessedly serene strata life. But if there are problems with any single one, then life has the potential to become devilishly difficult.
And of the three, parking can often constitute the greatest scourge.
<!--break-->
The Minister for Fair Trading, Linda Burney, today announced the rollout of a communication campaign making it easier for the 130,000 people who use the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT) every year to access this legal process. more
26 September 2007: Buyers should look at the condition of the building. Is it in good condition or does it need a coat of paint? Do the windows need replacing? Are the gutters in good condition and are the carpets in the common area all right? more
29 August 2007: Short-term rentals are a long-term nightmare for city residents, writes Jimmy Thomson.
DRUNKEN guests locking themselves out of their rooms and wandering, lost and naked, through the corridors. These may be everyday - and every night - scenes in hotels around the world, but they are now also common events in a growing number of Sydney CBD residential apartment buildings. more
It's not always smooth sailing when you're the first occupants of a new apartment block.
Buying an apartment in a new building can be such an alluring prospect, with finishes that sparkle in the sunlight, a gym with state-of-the-art equipment and a kitchen with all those virgin appliances.
But what is life really like in the first three years of a new block? Is it the dreamy, easy-peasy lifestyle the marketers would have you believe - all coffee on balconies, chatting to neighbours and cocktail parties around the pool - or is there work involved in getting everything up and running?
Do you just move in and everything turns like clockwork or do you have to take a closer look at the inner workings before you can relax?
24 July 2007: IS DOOF-DOOF making you deaf-deaf? Sub-woofer speakers are causing headaches for apartment-dwellers, say noise activists, and the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, is calling on the State Government to look at tightly controlling their use in flats. more
July 2007: In Strataland, like in space, no one can hear you scream. However much strata owners complain about being let down or ripped off, it seems our state government either believes there are no serious problems or it simply doesn't want to know. more