OCN Policy Director Karen Stiles said the impacts of homeowners footing the bill of increased costs had “been as bad as suicide, marriage breakups (and) ill health”. Read the article here or https://ocn.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/House-of-pain-Construction-firms-collapse-at-record-rate.pdf
Multiple factors account for a successful move, says Janette Corcoran, the Victorian director of the peak apartment-owners body, the Owners Corporation Network, and chair of her 42-level tower in Docklands, Victoria Point, which has more than 1000 residents, as well as serviced apartments, offices and retail outlets. “Whether downsizing works or not depends on the push and pull factors,” she says. “One family were feeling unsafe in their house in one [...]
7 DECEMBER 2022 The New South Wales Government is being called on to provide assurances to the State’s one million plus apartment owners that confidential information required by the Government via its new Strata Hub cannot be accessed by cyber crooks, with the scheme’s deadline for compliance only weeks away. Read media release:> 221207 Government Called on to Safeguard Financial Information Worth Billions from Cyber Crooks
Investors from retirees to single mothers on low incomes fear losing their properties after their strata levies jumped from under $2000 per quarter to more than $10,000 for building repairs they had no say in approving. Bright and Duggan told the Herald it was appointed to do work that the owners’ corporation had “failed to undertake over many years with the highest priority of ensuring the building can be safely occupied”. Executive director [...]
Neighbours of a Perth hotel security guard who tested positive to the mutant strain of COVID-19, say they weren't told of their potential exposure, only realising when the guard's roommates were taken away for testing. 7 News > Watch here
The small red car was illegally parked. A handwritten note read, “No power when we got home. No parks outside. Call Adrian…” That was from the night before, when it all began. Since early evening I’d had no hot water. Now, at 10am, I was locked out myself, barefoot, unwashed, on the street, in a thunderstorm, staring at the kerbside evidence of collective frustration. Not because I’d forgotten my keys, but [...]
14 DECEMBER 2020 Do you live or work in a in a building with electric sliding gates? These gates can be dangerous –SafeWork NSW has been investigating two fatalities that resulted from large electric gates falling on workers, as well as multiple other serious incidents. Any damage or wear to parts of electric sliding gates creates a risk, so they require regular inspection and maintenance to keep you, your visitors and [...]
29 SEPTEMBER 2020 Karen Stiles, Executive Officer of the Owners Corporation Network, joins Flat Chat Wrap Podcast 93 – Olympics, Emails, Wheel Clamps They discuss the push to keep apartment owners’ email addresses secret, and demands for a return of wheel clamping for rogue parkers. Karen talks to Jimmy Thomson from 12 mins 30 secs into recording. > Listen Here
29 MAY 2020 The owners of Sydney's Mascot Towers are claiming more than $15 million in damages from the developer of a neighbouring building they allege is responsible for major cracks appearing in the apartment complex they were forced to evacuate almost a year ago. Fair Trading is also investigating the certification work on Peak Towers, which was developed by Aland Developments and neighbours the 132-unit Mascot Towers in Sydney's inner-south. [...]
31 March 2020 High-density apartment buildings are at risk of becoming hotspots for coronavirus infection, akin to cruise ships, unless there are firm and uniform government directives on hygiene, experts say. Strata lawyer Amanda Farmer of Lawyers Chambers said despite a raft of new regulations and measures on social distancing, specific guidelines for strata residents and managers had been overlooked. In the City of Sydney Council area alone, 80 per cent [...]
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