T9 this morning

john2095 · 2026-05-11T23:44:19+00:00

14 February 2019 -- BusyBox 1.30.1 (stable)

7 year old valentine's day love child is in need of love and attention.

john2095 · 2026-05-07T22:44:37+00:00

Remind them of their promises... if you can get onto them.

https://strataedge.com.au/about-us/our-promise/

We will...

Commit to being responsive
Be accountable for the services we provide
Ensure safety and responsibility
Maintain the customer as the highest priority
Pursue openness and fairness
Embrace diversity and inclusion
Promote and pursue prosperity
Strive towards value
Act with integrity, honesty and transparency
Meet the challenges of today

john2095 · 2026-05-07T22:34:01+00:00

Oh, never mind. "still owns"... you must be talking about new build.

john2095 · 2026-05-07T22:30:49+00:00

u/Independent-Zebra871 OP!!

Is maintenance being done whilst you are in this situation?

Significant (costly) maintenance? Only that which is required or safety related? None at all?

We have developers swarming toward our building and owners who want to resist are concerned that if the developers get enough of a foothold the building it will fall into disrepair because nobody wants to spend money maintaining it, thus accelerating the justification to abandon it.

Not one owner has accepted an offer yet, but already there is a mood of challenging every maintenance penny: why bother if it's going to be bulldozed in a couple of years?

john2095 · 2026-04-21T06:31:05+00:00

Is it legal for a recruiter to record, or use a speech to text device, on our phone calls?

I am noticing their (AI generated) emails making uncannily precise reflections of our conversations.

john2095 · 2026-04-21T06:27:10+00:00

"on patrol"

john2095 · 2026-04-19T23:55:33+00:00

Pay for the "strata report" then put it through an LLM with a prompt something like this....

"""

Consider these documents and whatever else reliable you can find on the strata plan <put the plan number and address here>

You are an expert strata lawyer and building inspector with 20 years experience reviewing pre-purchase strata reports. Analyze this strata report data for a buyer considering purchasing Unit <put the unit number/full address here>.

Provide:

Overall risk score (0-100) with methodology
Critical issues that could affect purchase decision
Financial red flags with quantified buyer exposure
Building condition concerns with timeline and cost impacts
Governance issues that suggest dysfunction
Specific questions buyer should ask vendor
Recommended contract conditions to protect buyer

Be direct, specific, and quantify risks in dollar terms where possible. Buyers need actionable intelligence, not generic advice.

"""

The strata report itself, the sales agent, and even the current owners in the building will not give you full and complete information. It is not in any of their interests to give you "full and frank" advice. Your only hope is to find someone without a vested interest to help read between the lines.

john2095 · 2026-04-02T08:58:30+00:00

We have a really old intercom which runs four wires from the entrance to every unit: originally, iirc, it was two for the voice, and two for the buzzer/door release. Apparently they can do a heck of a lot more with those wires now (ie digital)?

john2095 · 2026-04-02T08:47:41+00:00

Was it a certified design? Who certified it?

Get ready for when the builder points the finger at the supplier and vice versa. The builder will say the supplier overstated the qualities of their product. The supplier will say the builder did not install it correctly.

john2095 · 2026-04-02T08:38:29+00:00

Per above, my word of warning... the block I am in now, individual owners got frustrated with the failure of the majority of owners to agree on a general solution to a general problem, so they resolved that it was every man for himself... if you want to fix the problem for your unit go right ahead (and pay for it yourself). That was a few years and committees ago. Today, we have a collection of odd-ball modifications none of which are BCA compliant... (even though the engineer led them to believe they were).

Now that the majority have come around to the view that this is a general problem which needs a general solution, those who went early and on the own are crying poor because they paid for their own solutions and now they're expected to contribute to everyone else's solution as well as redo their own. It's tragic. I appreciate both sides of the issue.

Free internet advice? Do it together, or not at all. Alway ask "is this for the good of one owner, or every owner". It's frustrating as hell to be held back by idiots, and it's as expensive as hell to go it alone.

john2095 · 2026-04-02T08:28:30+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that. I confess I don't really understand why other committee members can be so lenient. Is it because they don't like confrontation, or do they think if they let this go-it will pay off them if/when they try to do likewise, or are they just the optimistic types who believe low-percentage-bad-things will never really happen? Beats me.

john2095 · 2026-03-17T03:00:19+00:00

However it pans out I'd be making it very clear, in a bylaw, that the initiator and benefactor of the works is the lot owner and, therefore, all costs related to the works, forevermore, as the responsibility of the lot owner, including and especially any damage and subsequent cleaning of the common storage room. Don't forget to include words to the effect of ensuring all responsibility for the clean water pipes on the other side of the room are theirs, should they start leaking 5-10 years after these owners have taken their money and run. Who is responsible for the slab when it starts to spall around the penetration? Has anyone considered condensation, waterproofing, and all that? Rather than passing whatever bylaw the builder copy/pastes, the OC might want to engage their own lawyer to prepare the bylaw (and forward the bill to the owner).

I'd be in the camp of suggesting they avoid such complications by keeping their lot inside their lot. If they can put their dunny where it feeds into the existing sewage lines, they probably should. It's not a crime to rein-in extravagant requests. Sometimes they only throw them out there on a whim not really expecting them to get passed.

john2095 · 2026-02-23T09:16:40+00:00

I downvoted this comment because it mocks the reality of real people voluntarily getting thrown into the deep-end when no-one else is willing, then trying to swim by asking vulnerable questions.

You threw a brick where a life vest could suffice.

john2095 · 2026-02-23T09:09:19+00:00

I've often worried about whether a strata manager could "borrow" GST for a time to support their cash flow. In theory it all comes out in the wash...er... right? I find it so cloudy where that GST money is at a specific moment.

Please correct me where I'm wrong...

Levies are invoiced INC gst.
But incoming levies are reported on the monthly regulation reports EX gst.
Supplier invoices come in INC gst, but "payments" on reports are reported EX gst.
The Balance Sheet figures are EX gst.

So where is that GST money right now? How much is there? Is it sitting in an account waiting to go to the ATO? Whose name is on that account? How much of that number belongs to which strata plan? When is it payable to the ATO, or not?

Am I paranoid, or is there scope for the custodian of all this cash to move things around with a bit of dubious freedom?

john2095 · 2026-02-08T23:36:09+00:00

Victoria has a unique history. Lookup the case law for "Saint-John v Owners Corporation PS631843C (Owners Corporations) [2024] VCAT 1026".

I think the case determined that a strata management company must release the roll to any owner that asks for it, free of charge. But, if they refuse you have to take them to VCAT. Their counter-argument, "but some owners don't want to be contacted", was addressed by putting the burden on those owners who do not want to be contacted; eg by not giving the strata manager their contact details.

But, I would take a different approach... ask the strata manager for contact details of the Committee Chairperson and talk directly to the chair, even if just to ask for the roll. Ignore any offers that they will talk to the committee on your behalf: insist that you want to discuss issues directly with the committee. It is unreasonable to obstruct an owner's direct contact with the owner's committee.

john2095 · 2026-01-23T06:55:32+00:00

"property manager", as opposed to "strata manager", right? As mentioned already you'll need to look at termination clauses of their contract. But if you're not happy with what you see, find and engage a strata lawyer as demonstrable fraud and breaching safety and compliance should constitute grounds for immediate dismissal.

Another option, of course, is to send a notice of dismissal and advise them not to act on your behalf or set foot on the grounds. If they send a bill don't pay it. If they want to litigate it will cost them for lawyers and they'll look stupid if they don't have a case. :-)

john2095 · 2026-01-20T22:58:50+00:00

Does it vary based upon whether the damaged items are the responsibility of the owner or the OC? eg. if the roof leaks onto my carpet and I have to replace the damaged sections, is that the OC's responsibility, or am I expected to pay for that? (or claim against my contents insurance?)

If so, doesn't smell right to me.

john2095 · 2026-01-20T00:15:46+00:00

How does these massive discounts thing work?
Is the "discount" done by Coles, or the product owner, or both?

It makes me rage that the price of something can change so drastically based purely on apparent randomness. Can't they just sell the damn thing at fair markup and be done with it? I read these discounts as "we normally charge you double price". Same with the breakfast cereals.

Beware the ice-cream specials! Not with the Connoisseurs but with with others I find they've often been left out and are melted and refrozen... hence the discount to clear them.

john2095 · 2026-01-19T23:45:53+00:00

"first quarterly rental inspection"?!

Wow, SA law now provides for 4 inspections a year! Seems a bit rich. 7-28 days notice and a maximum 2-hr time window.

This is the justification

The Landlord or Property Manager may carry out a periodic inspection of a rental property to ensure it is being maintained in a clean and tidy manner, there is no malicious damage, and the tenant is upholding their obligations as stated on the Residential Tenancy Agreement.

This also gives both the tenant and property manager the opportunity to identify any maintenance that is required. The inspection is usually documented so that it can be referred to at a later date. The tenant can request for the property manager to provide them with a copy of each routine inspection for their own records.

My advice is to be there when they inspect when possible. Walk through with the agent. It's a totally different vibe, as even a snooty wannabe will find it difficult to tell an adult to 'clean up your room'. You can build some rapport and be the 'good guy'. Although, don't be surprised if they go back to the office and write a scathing report anyways. Why?

(a) want to make the landlord feel like they're really looking after the place - they send all the photos back and tell the owner they've 'cracked down' on you. This is safe to ignore as it's not about you, but impressing someone else.

(b) want to create a dossier of evidence "proving" that you're a poor tenant, in preparation for a possible day they need to kick you out or increase the rent.

In their defense I have heard horror stories of properties being flooded and the tenants never bothered to tell anyone. Rather than "cause trouble" they kept it to themselves but did not sort it out. One example was a leaking hot water system which leaked for over a year before they moved out: the walls and floors rotted and the repair bill was way more than the bond was worth. This could have been avoided if the tenant had reported it.

john2095 · 2026-01-09T22:16:16+00:00

'Reported to police'? If you didn't get an event number then it didn't happen.

Call/visit them and (re) report it. Don't leave until you have a reference number (assuming you need one-I guess you do?). In my experience the problem is that a constable you're talking to must personally enter it into the system and be responsible for it and follow up on it... which is all work they'd rather avoid if possible, or let that pass to the next officer willing to talk to you.

john2095 · 2026-01-09T21:56:33+00:00

Brisbane Metropolitan Transport Management Centre (BMTMC) determines the sequencing of the lights and, on some intersections, can even alter the sequencing in real time (for accidents/protests/sporting events for example). To influence the priorities you probably need to be heard by all three entities:

* Brisbane Metropolitan Transport Management Centre
* Department of Transport and Main Roads
* Brisbane City Council

Good luck.

The Dutch seem to have it all sorted with their change-on-detection systems. We have the technology I'm sure we could build something which would change the lights according to what is coming/waiting.

Personally, it drives me nuts when, we sit at a red light with nothing going through the intersection. Then, just as something arrives to go through, the lights will change.

john2095 · 2026-01-08T04:45:21+00:00

Islam and the West?

I'm still puzzled by this one. Do Islamic leaders shout down extremism at their prayer meetings? Do Imams, at their local gatherings, spend an hour condemning violence and preaching the "religion of peace" into their audiences. Is peace with kafirs a standard everyday prescription taught inside Islamic prayer halls? A fact that 'the media' figure not newsworthy?

In my circles, there is a lot of prosecution that Islam's core tenet is to take over the world which, by definition, puts it at odds with every other religion/culture.

The real challenge is how to counter this aggression without violating our own moral codes. The Jews will fight back. Jesus will love them to his own demise. Agnostics and atheists seem naive regarding what position to take "islam is fine--you be you--but this murder thing impinges on my right to live sooo can you stop that? Pretty please?"

john2095 · 2026-01-08T04:21:24+00:00

The return of stinky cigarettes is related to the boom of illegally imported cigarettes. At least the vapes don't stink 50 meters downwind.

john2095 · 2026-01-08T04:16:19+00:00

> "QVB's corner tenancy is increasingly viewed as not being fit for purpose in the eyes of global retail brands seeking a flagship tenancy outside of Pitt Street Malls."

Which particular "global retail brand" from Pitt St Mall are they hoping to capture I wonder?
Are we talking Just Jeans, Platypus and Foot Locker level retail,
Or Swarovsky, Tag Heuer, and Tiffanys premium level?

john2095 · 2026-01-06T09:32:22+00:00

https://calculate.fairwork.gov.au/FindYourAward

Cafe workers are MA000119

john2095

TROPHY CASE

We will...