OCN in the Media

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Experts warn of more major building defects to follow Mascot Towers drama

2020-10-08T12:25:45+11:00

23 JUNE 2019 Just six months after Sydney’s Opal Tower was dramatically evacuated, another Sydney high-rise has been hit by potentially devastating cracks. And experts say the nightmare facing residents of Mascot Towers won’t be the last. According to Owners Corporation Network spokesman Stephen Goddard, these incidents could be just the tip of the iceberg. He said the problem was probably far greater than most people realised because many owners within faulty [...]

Experts warn of more major building defects to follow Mascot Towers drama2020-10-08T12:25:45+11:00

Minister defends city’s high-rise housing

2020-10-08T12:26:57+11:00

23 JUNE 2019 The Minister for Better Regulation has denied there are widespread problems in the city's high-rise residential housing sector, saying “I don’t believe there is any great cause for alarm for other apartment buildings across Sydney". Announcing an emergency financial assistance package for residents of the beleaguered Mascot Towers block on Sunday, Minister Kevin Anderson said the NSW government would restore "confidence" with “the biggest shake-up of the construction [...]

Minister defends city’s high-rise housing2020-10-08T12:26:57+11:00

Buying a new high-rise apartment is a risk best avoided

2020-10-08T12:28:02+11:00

19 JUNE 2019 I write this piece as one of the lucky apartment owners. Lucky not because I managed to break into the apartment market, but because I survived it financially intact.The predicament facing Opal Tower and Mascot Towers apartment owners is only the visible tip of a very big iceberg. So my advice to my kids today, and anyone who'll listen, is this: do not buy a new apartment, especially [...]

Buying a new high-rise apartment is a risk best avoided2020-10-08T12:28:02+11:00

Cracked up: how can apartment buyers guard against a defective purchase?

2020-10-08T12:28:40+11:00

18 JUNE 2019 With faults and cracks discovered over the weekend in Sydney’s Mascot Towers apartment complex – and similar cracks in Opal Tower six months ago – the spotlight is back on the quality of New South Wales apartment buildings. Research from the University of NSW in 2015 found that 85% of new apartment buildings had defects at completion – mostly with waterproofing and fire detection systems – and the [...]

Cracked up: how can apartment buyers guard against a defective purchase?2020-10-08T12:28:40+11:00

‘Daunting’ reality for strata lot owners after Mascot Towers evacuation

2020-10-08T12:29:49+11:00

17 JUNE 2019 Strata lot owners could have to pay for building repairs after the Mascot Towers residents were evacuated. Owners Corporation Network President Gary Petherbridge tells Ross Greenwood the problem is systemic.  “People shouldn’t be buying off the plan anymore, you’re better off to wait 10 years until the property is sorted out.” > Listen to the full interview at 2gb.com Brooke Corte

‘Daunting’ reality for strata lot owners after Mascot Towers evacuation2020-10-08T12:29:49+11:00

Falling through the cracks: Governments slammed over building standards after Mascot evacuation

2020-10-08T12:30:46+11:00

16 JUNE 2019   Lawyer and strata specialist Stephen Goddard claimed developments could be rushed through by governments eager to profit from stamp duty and other taxes. “Everybody is on a money hit,” Mr Goddard said.  “The government wants to keep the builders building because it gets stamp duty … what happens in the end? People who buy in these apartments get it in the neck.” > Read the full article at [...]

Falling through the cracks: Governments slammed over building standards after Mascot evacuation2020-10-08T12:30:46+11:00

Mascot Towers unit owners to foot bill for repairs prompting calls for better consumer protections

2020-10-08T12:34:17+11:00

16 JUNE 2019 Stephen Goddard, spokesman for the Owners Corporation Network — an advocacy group for owners in strata schemes — said owners of apartments in the decade-old Mascot Towers development were no longer covered by the statutory warranty period and would now be left with a hefty bill. "Consumers have nowhere to go in these sorts of situations, there's nobody for them to sue, there's nowhere for them to turn," [...]

Mascot Towers unit owners to foot bill for repairs prompting calls for better consumer protections2020-10-08T12:34:17+11:00

NSW off-the-plan buyers to get better protection under new laws this year

2020-10-08T12:35:23+11:00

11 JUNE 2019 Off-the-plan property buyers will soon be better protected when long-awaited legal changes come into effect this September – and inject much-needed confidence into the Sydney new apartment market, project marketers predict. As a result of changes to conveyancing laws approved by the NSW Parliament late last year and to be introduced in the next quarter, developers will be made more accountable to buyers, and there’ll be more certainty. [...]

NSW off-the-plan buyers to get better protection under new laws this year2020-10-08T12:35:23+11:00

Unit rates changes fail to fix fundamental flaw

2020-10-08T12:36:15+11:00

10 JUNE 2019 Disgruntled ratepayers are amassing a war chest in order to fight future rises, saying changes to the way the charge was calculated in this year's budget do not fix the underlying flaw in the system. Separate rating factors will be introduced for houses and units for the first time, to help smooth out some of the huge rates increases seen by unit owners in the past two years. [...]

Unit rates changes fail to fix fundamental flaw2020-10-08T12:36:15+11:00

NSW still without Airbnb rules, one year after plan was announced

2020-10-28T19:35:18+11:00

04 JUNE 2019 It’s been one year since the NSW government announced it would regulate Airbnb but the state is still without firm rules on short-term letting. In the meantime, it has left Anne Sullivan dealing with apartments in her Strathfield complex that are regularly let through Airbnb and used as party houses. “We’ve had people urinating off balconies, throwing beer bottles off the balcony,” Ms Sullivan said. “We’ve called the [...]

NSW still without Airbnb rules, one year after plan was announced2020-10-28T19:35:18+11:00
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