Western Australian Treasurer Rita Saffioti will hand down her first state budget on Thursday, where she is expected to deliver the state’s seventh straight year surplus. The mid-year budget review in December forecast a $3.7bn surplus, but that could be even higher thanks largely to the income from iron oreContinue Reading
Western Australia’s government is cracking down on short-stay accommodation providers and offering property owners cash to put their homes back on the market for local renters. Premier Roger Cook, his Commerce Minister Sue Ellery, and Planning Minister John Carey announced new regulations on Thursday morning, which will apply to short-termContinue Reading
Welcome to Sisters In Law, news.com.au’s weekly column solving all of your legal problems. This week, our resident lawyers and real-life sisters Alison and Jillian Barrett from Maurice Blackburn help a renter wanting to sub-let her home. QUESTION: I live in a rental and I’m going away for three weeksContinue Reading
An Australian renter is locked in a dispute with her real estate agent after receiving a hefty $550 bill for repairing a minor chip in the kitchen benchtop of her former apartment. The woman claims that the repair cost seems exorbitantly high, given the nature of the damage, sparking aContinue Reading
The power imbalance between renters and rental agencies became slightly smaller this week with the launch of a tool allowing Australians to dob in dodgy behaviour. Through the website S**t Rentals, which launched on Tuesday, tenants or prospective tenants were now able to anonymously review rental properties and agencies. ItContinue Reading
Welcome to Sisters In Law, news.com.au’s weekly column solving all of your legal problems. This week, our resident lawyers and real-life sisters Alison and Jillian Barrett from Maurice Blackburn help a man who’s at the end of his tether with noisy neighbours. QUESTION: I live in inner Melbourne, and myContinue Reading
There is a four bedroom home with a sprawling view and modern finishes being advertised for rent in NSW, but hopeful applicants have been instructed not to apply. While the home, in Forresters Beach on the state’s Central Coast, seems to present a perfect opportunity to families struggling in theContinue Reading
A Nevada handyman turned the tables on squatters who invaded his mother’s California home, after local officials said they could offer no assistance getting them out. Flash Shelton, executive director of the Las Vegas-based United Handyman Association, said in a YouTube video that the trouble began after his father diedContinue Reading
Welcome to Sisters In Law, news.com.au’s weekly column solving all of your legal problems. This week, our resident lawyers and real-life sisters Alison and Jillian Barrett from Maurice Blackburn advise about what to do about a disaster Airbnb stay. Question: I stayed in an Airbnb over the Christmas break thatContinue Reading