The National Broadband Network (NBN) is currently being rolled out throughout Australia. It is an upgrade to our existing telecommunications network, designed to provide the infrastructure for affordable high speed internet and phone access for all Australians. NBN Co has been established to co-ordinate the installation to properties, including all strata properties throughout Australia. What [...]
Mention planning and development to anyone who’s undertaken a building project and they will tell you their horror stories of dealing with the planning system. No matter where you are – Cairns, Chatswood or Camberwell – meeting the often confusing criteria of the planning system can be a minefield. Navigating this minefield and trying to [...]
The NSW Department of Health is undertaking a massive campaign to prevent more children from being hurt or killed as a result of falling from a high rise apartment window or balcony. In early 2011, a two-year-old boy fell through the flyscreen of a fourth storey kitchen window onto a concrete driveway below while his [...]
Over winter we saw a number of renovating shows hitting our TV screens. This has no doubt prompted a bit of a renovating boom, with some people looking around their homes and deciding it’s time to get the sledgehammer out. However beware, renovating or amalgamating apartments without the correct approvals to undertake the work can [...]
Experts have predicted that the population of Australia will grow to 35 million people by 2050. Around half of the population will live in our three major cities; Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and the majority of those in high density dwelling. Apartment living is part of everyday life in Australia today and will continue to [...]
What’s more important – being environmentally friendly or our apartment blocks looking less messy? While we are witnessing the devastating effects of extreme weather condition across Australia presently, one debate continues to produce a lot of hot air, and that is whether apartment dwellers can dry their washing on their own balcony. Using a clothes [...]
High density housing and community living offer a great lifestyle but can also pose dangers especially for children. Falls from balconies and windows saw 210 children admitted to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in New South Wales between January 1998 and November 2011. No doubt the statistics are similar in Victoria and Queensland. Of these, [...]
Having witnessed some of the devastation caused by the extreme weather conditions this year, many of us have turned our thoughts to climate change and how we can make a difference in our own lives to reduce our energy consumption. Strata managers and residents can unite to make a real impact on their carbon footprint [...]
If you believe the absence of a big backyard should prevent people from owning a pet, you may be living in the past according to an Australian pet care organisation, who believes there is no reason for residents of strata developments to be denied the love and affection a four-legged friend can bring. The Petcare [...]
House owners have it fairly easy when it comes to the ownership of their homes and surrounding land. They know it’s all theirs and when in doubt a local council or government department will hold a plan that shows the boundaries. Apartment owners know that this is not necessarily the case and many have been [...]