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Columns » We Live Here

Cash without the cure

Cash without the cure

October 4th, 2023 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

Victoria’s proposed tax on short-stays will generate cash for the state government while ignoring internationally recognised solutions to tackle problems with the industry.

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Short stays “out of control”

September 6th, 2023 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

The woeful inadequacy of the state’s short-stay legislation remains in the spotlight, with heightened tension in municipalities throughout the state.

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Open forum on affordable housing and short-term rentals

July 5th, 2023 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

You are invited to a We Live Here forum, the first after a long, pandemic-induced hiatus.

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Suburban councils take the lead

June 7th, 2023 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

The City of Melbourne is falling behind suburban councils in the race to prevent the city being overrun by short stays.

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Aurora-gate exposes inadequate laws

April 5th, 2023 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

The battle for the owners’ corporation at Aurora Melbourne Central has underlined the woeful inadequacies of Victoria’s strata laws and VCAT tribunal system.

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The monster eating Melbourne

March 8th, 2023 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

Local councils are fighting back against the short-stay behemoth that’s causing chaos across the city.

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Other councils take the lead

February 8th, 2023 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

Hello Melbourne City Council – what action will you be taking to improve the lives of Melbourne apartment residents?

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A legal labyrinth 

December 6th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

Navigating the legislative changes affecting owners’ corporations (OCs) over the past four years is quite a challenge. We offer this thread to help you through the maze:

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State election – the short answers

November 8th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

Last month in this column we asked the question of the major parties competing at the forthcoming state election – what are your party’s policies on short-stays?

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Cash to ditch short stays!

October 5th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

A city in Arizona, USA is implementing an innovative plan to enhance housing availability for locals.

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Tourism sector calls for short-stay day limit

September 7th, 2022 - Sean Car

Tourism industry groups want Victoria to follow other states, including NSW, and impose a limit on the number of days per year that properties can be let as short stays.

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New report: it’s curtains for some owners

August 10th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

Another major fire risk has been uncovered in Melbourne – curtain walls containing flammable aluminium composite cladding (ACP).

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Consumer watchdog sues Airbnb after thousands complain

July 6th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

The federal government’s consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Airbnb for allegedly misleading consumers.

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Congratulations to 300 cladding winners!

June 8th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

The latest figures from Cladding Safety Victoria (CSV) website show that about 35 per cent of cladding-affected apartment buildings have been selected for financial assistance for remediation works. Only “extreme risk” or “high risk” buildings qualify for state government funding.

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Sex parties on short-stay platforms

May 11th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) is about to be exposed to sordid details of drug- and alcohol-fuelled sex parties and strippers enriching a short-stay operator in a Melbourne apartment complex.

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Party policy time

April 7th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

With the fragrance of a federal election in the air, we have a sniff of party policies at a national level on short stays.

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Fighting an unfair committee

March 9th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

Nerida Pohl has provided an update on the committee scandal at her inner-city building …

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Learning from others

February 10th, 2022 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

Around the world, cities are all regulating short stays, sometimes with eye-watering penalties greater than the property value of the apartment involved.

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Owners’ corporation laws tweaked

December 10th, 2021 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

The Victorian Government’s long-awaited amendments to owners’ corporation (OC) laws are now coming into force.

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Will short-stay infections force us into lockdown again?

November 10th, 2021 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson

With retail industry still shuttered, it beggars belief that short-stay operators are allowed to endanger residential buildings with potential COVID carriers.

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Will short-stay infections force us into lockdown again?

Will short-stay infections force us into lockdown again?

November 10th, 2021 - Barbara Francis & Rus Littleson
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