It’s very common for some strata owners to believe their lot entitlements or liabilities are incorrect and want them changed. But, the processes are complex, lengthy, expensive and legally intricate as this overview of the VIC rules and cases demonstrate.

More and more commentators are increasingly concerned about the failures in the Chinese strata apartment development sector and the impacts it might have around the world. Do Australian strata stakeholders need to worry?

For strata aficionados, it’s not the standardisation and systemisation that strata laws and operational rules impose on most buildings that drive them. But, rather it’s the esoteric, unusual, arcane, and mysterious quirks in strata that keep them interested. Plus, it’s in those dusty strata corners that the best lessons are learned.

We’re starting to see tougher regulation of strata apartment building construction and development in some parts of Australia. But, it’s rather genteel compared to the approach they’re taking in China. Maybe, we could speed and toughen things up a bit …

Strata rules, by-laws, and covenants have had a bad rap recently. But, they still offer the strata experts and DIY strata owners the best tools to customise [or even hot-rod] their strata buildings to make them perform better than standard models. Vroom vroom …

If major news organisations are liable for defamation via their Facebook pages, where does that leave strata buildings [and their managers] with websites, chat groups, and other member communication platforms? Is it just a strata free for all, is careful moderation required, or, do strata buildings just shut things down?

The last few years have been a bit of a pets-fest in New South Wales strata buildings with disputes, decisions, surveys, and law reforms. But, it’s not over yet as a government report, some survey results, and, the latest changes to strata laws are released and take effect.

Many strata rules and processes are misunderstood by stakeholders. But, how taxes work for strata buildings and strata owners are probably the most poorly known, understood, and applied parts of strata operations. So, here’s an overview for strata tax dummies …

Sadly, after a relatively quiet period and apparent calm over combustible cladding we’ve seen another major apartment building facade fire in Milan, Italy. Luckily there were no fatalities, but there’s plenty of building damage and new uncertainty over materials and fire safety management techniques for affected high-rise buildings.

The laws and other controls on pets in strata buildings are getting a lot of attention lately. But, in reality, it’s the pet owners and animal basics that matter more. So, let’s focus on more fundamental issues from their perspective based on expert advice …

Have we moved from anti-social graffitists defacing buildings to street art that beautifies our localities, raises social awareness and showcases artists? Perhaps not yet, but hopefully this starter guide to the evolution of street art in our cities might help. I hope you enjoy my side interest in inner urban art …

Trends towards more decentralised urban planning have [like many things] been accelerated due to Covid 19. So, as ideal urban living zones get smaller, are we heading towards building complex zones where medium and high-density #stratatitle buildings rule?

Covid 19 has turbo-charged longer-term trends over remote working and work from home. Whether or not those changes are permanent or temporary, they will impact strata buildings in obvious and less expected ways that need to be identified, considered, and addressed as strata buildings become future workplaces.

Since strata buildings mostly do the same things over and over, it should be easy to identify and handle these recurrences. Plus, large scale repetition over time allows for easier analysis and process development. But, it seems that many strata buildings, owners, committees, and, strata managers are stuck in a repeating pattern without any prospect of change or improvement.

When we own a strata apartment we want to renovate and improve it without limits. But, when we’re living elsewhere in the building or managing it, we often want to say no to those renovations. It’s a common strata dilemma that needs addressing with rational, objective and reasonable guiding principles …

Things have been looking pretty good for pets in strata and other buildings in Victoria. But, the laws and court decisions are not completely comforting, the fights are not over yet, and, the future for strata pets will likely depend on their [and their pet owner’s] behaviours …

The NSW Building Commissioner has been very active in targeting developers and builders of defective new strata buildings with prohibition and other orders. But he’s then letting them wiggle off the hook: leaving the future strata owners to play the strata defects shell game.

Apart from the topical and ongoing personal, societal and legal debates about controls on pets in strata buildings, there’s a group of animals that are exempt from any strata by-laws or rules. So, who are they, how do the exemptions work and how should they be handled?

The sad reality is that you get better consumer protections buying a car than a strata apartment in Australia today. Whilst the two are not directly comparable, there are some stunning differences between them that I highlight in this article and the reasons why that could provide lessons for developers.

It’s very common for some strata owners to believe their unit or lot entitlements are incorrect and want them changed. But, the processes are complex, lengthy, expensive, and legally intricate as this overview of the NSW rules and cases demonstrate.