Karen Parish

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So far Karen Parish has created 116 blog entries.

‘In limbo land’: Apartment owners in bind over flammable cladding fix

2020-09-21T21:23:38+10:00

17 SEPTEMBER 2020 A drawn out saga over replacing flammable cladding has soured relations between owners of a southern Sydney apartment building and imposed a large financial burden on them. Yet almost 18 months after their local council ordered cladding to be removed, some owners of the Quattro Apartments at Gymea fear the material they plan to use to replace it won't comply in future because the state government is still [...]

‘In limbo land’: Apartment owners in bind over flammable cladding fix2020-09-21T21:23:38+10:00

‘Nail in the coffin of democracy’: It’s D-day for Sydney’s prize dog fight

2020-10-07T04:18:35+11:00

13 SEPTEMBER 2020 It's the dog fight that has captivated Sydney - or at least a small part of it - and this month it will command the attention of the state's peak lawmaking bodies: the Parliament and the Supreme Court. For five years, musician Jo Cooper has battled the strata committee of her apartment block, the Horizon, which stands tall among the terraces of inner-city Darlinghurst. Her quest: to keep [...]

‘Nail in the coffin of democracy’: It’s D-day for Sydney’s prize dog fight2020-10-07T04:18:35+11:00

NSW puts first four developers on notice

2020-10-07T04:20:00+11:00

2 SEPTEMBER 2020 NSW building commissioner David Chandler has put a first group of four developers on notice under sweeping new powers, telling them his office will audit their apartment projects to make sure they conform with the approved plans and will not allow them to settle if they do not comply. The first audits, to be followed by another six next month, follow passing of new laws in June that [...]

NSW puts first four developers on notice2020-10-07T04:20:00+11:00

Sydney pet owners get shock win in the battle against apartment pet bans

2020-10-07T04:21:26+11:00

26 AUGUST 2020 It could soon be near-impossible for any apartment building to vote to keep pets out after a last-minute amendment to an unrelated bill scored a shock win in the NSW Legislative Council just before 10pm on Tuesday night. The move by the Animal Justice Party (AJP) means that, if the bill is passed by the Lower House in September, no strata scheme will be allowed to have a [...]

Sydney pet owners get shock win in the battle against apartment pet bans2020-10-07T04:21:26+11:00

‘Signatures for sale’ days are over, warns Sydney’s new building commissioner

2020-10-07T04:22:52+11:00

24 AUGUST 2020 A week before his new powers come into force, NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler has issued a blunt warning to certifiers of buildings that the days of a small group of them choosing to act as "signatures for sale" are over. Mr Chandler will have the power from September 1 to enter and inspect building sites, prevent the issuing of occupation certificates, call for documents and order work [...]

‘Signatures for sale’ days are over, warns Sydney’s new building commissioner2020-10-07T04:22:52+11:00

Puddle sets off epic dog fight

2020-10-07T04:24:39+11:00

22 AUGUST 2020 The day her miniature schnauzer urinated in the lobby of her luxury Sydney apartment block is one of the most traumatic of Jo Cooper’s 30-plus years. There is never a good time for a dog to wee in a lavish foyer, although Cooper insists it’s not much different to the coffee and salad spillages she has witnessed over five years of living in the award-winning, officially pet-free building. [...]

Puddle sets off epic dog fight2020-10-07T04:24:39+11:00

Why some strata services are essentially a rip-off

2020-10-07T04:27:26+11:00

13 AUGUST 2020 With all the horror stories of what goes wrong when an apartment catches fire, you would never want to skimp on safety. But what if you were paying over the odds for safety inspections that were followed by upgrades that you didn’t really need but were recommended by the same people who did the inspection? Oh, and the inspection was compulsory. A year ago this column exposed the [...]

Why some strata services are essentially a rip-off2020-10-07T04:27:26+11:00

60 Minutes – Buyer Beware Part 1

2020-10-07T04:29:24+11:00

9 AUGUST 2020 Here's an incredible, not to mention shameful, statistic about Australia's building industry. 85% of new high-rise apartment towers are defective. The rate of shoddy workmanship has increased dramatically as governments around the country have encouraged more developers to build more high-density housing as a way of containing urban sprawl. As a result, many unsuspecting buyers, trying to put a roof over their heads, are learning a painful lesson: [...]

60 Minutes – Buyer Beware Part 12020-10-07T04:29:24+11:00

Apartment owners win legal victory over combustible cladding

2020-10-07T04:30:30+11:00

6 AUGUST 2020 A group of apartment owners battling to have combustible cladding replaced on their buildings have won a landmark legal victory – giving hope to the thousands more facing similar dangers. In an Australian first, a major building company which installed timber-PVC Biowood cladding on four multi-storey apartment blocks in Ryde has lost its appeal against being forced to rectify the work. Further, if it doesn’t reach an agreement [...]

Apartment owners win legal victory over combustible cladding2020-10-07T04:30:30+11:00

Back to the future: unit owners hail return of public certifiers

2020-10-07T04:31:44+11:00

22 JULY 2020 Unit owners have welcomed moves for the return of public certifiers to improve building quality in the ACT, but say architects and engineers also need to be involved in project delivery from start to finish. Owners Corporation Network ACT president Gary Petherbridge said Mr Ramsay was on the right track with public certifiers for multi-unit developments and developers having to be fit and proper persons to be in [...]

Back to the future: unit owners hail return of public certifiers2020-10-07T04:31:44+11:00
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