The Singapore Forum

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/ren ... 17698.html

There you go, k, no need to relocate to the bush!

I could have told them that! Being as addicted to domain as I am, I have noticed that both sale and rental properties are hanging around much longer than they used to, especially on the LNS.

The house down the street from us, that was put up for rent some weeks ago for $1500 pw is still there although now at $1400 pw. (Note to LL: reduce rent, take out very personal style of furniture and have a good hard think about whether or not having a jacuzzi in the bedroom is really any good outside of a movie.)

The house for sale, very similar to the above (1860s sandstone), for Offers Over $1.3m has been for sale for weeks too, despite being one of the cheapest houses in McMahons Point.

If I hang on long enough do you think they'd give it to me?

about f'king time. I was expecting another rise in January from my lot, as they'd targetted a 20% increase over 12 months, and I'd just taken the 10% hit to cover the increased land tax for improvements to the area by council (yeah right). With significantly decreased interest rates, and stories like this I'd really like to see how they think they'll argue this one.

Having told our LL a month ago that the pergola is coming away from the wall, and the wood is rotting, we had a note yesterday from a neighbour who can see it from the side. She said it looks extremely dangerous (she has builders in and they pointed it out). We had a look and the bolt is almost completely out of the wall at one side - it has only two vertical posts and won't take much to come crashing down.

If the LL doesn't get his act together soon he will struggle to get 100% of our rent out of us in future, never mind an increase.

Quote from the (admittedly British but long-time friend of LL) maintenance man currently attempting to screw a rotten pergola back to a rotten fascia board and secure it to the house: "Generally Australian landlords don't like spending money or maintaining their properties".

No shit, Sherlock.

I was trying to think of something else to say, but no shit sherlock covered it.

that said, my 2 colleagues at work don't understand my dilemnas with rental repair. one had a property at Coogee which he said he was painting every 2 years and did maintenance in that period - never had an issue. The other one did major maintenance renovation on bathroom, kitchen and painted only 2yrs ago without batting an eyelid. So I'm wandering if it is a luck of the draw thing.

I think our LL is essentially a good/fair guy but totally deluded as to the condition of the property. It was renovated/extended ten years ago; I suspect he hasn't lived in it since (if indeed he did before, although I know he's owned it 30 years so may have) and he thinks it's still sparkly and new. The written instructions he mailed us for cleaning the cooker, floors, etc., (right down to make of mop) were priceless.

The maintenance man is going to have a word with him about the pergola, says it needs to come down and start again. It's not like it's much use anyway - isn't even covered. It's a possum climbing frame, if anything.

I just searched on the word "pergola" to remind myself how long ago it started falling down. Beginning of December - that's 7 months.

Last night we got home to find it hanging onto the house - oh my god as I type it has just fallen down. Fuck me. More later.

Jesus. I'm still shaking. How weird is that? As I was saying we got in last night to find the pergola hanging on my basically one long screw at one end, and about 18" down from where it should be at the other. Moved only slightly overnight but we moved our patio furniture out of the way, just got in from shopping and down it came. It's leaning on the patio doors - we can't even get out but at least it hasn't come through them. Oh it's smashed a patio flag.

Get the news as it happens, on Singapore-Forum.com...

Big top floor condo, big balconies, seaview (harbour view??) - low maintenance, not so much to go wrong in condos, Kooks.

Nice view. It's flipped right over - the bit at the top was originally pointing out over. Very lucky it caught on the wall.

Funnily, PK, we just had a drive round on the way home from the shops and looked at a place I'd seen on the property site - it's a big complex with a swimming pool, ponds, greenery, and harbour views. Unfortunately built on the site of an old gas works but stunning scenery, like it's built into a cliff.

looks like you won't get any break ins from that side...

Kooky wrote:like it's built into a cliff.

I've been chatting with an ex construction management guy just recently and he's all for condos built on rock - no flooding, landslide issues. Interesting theory - well, unless you're in an earthquake zone I suppose.

K - I know of somewhere coming up for rent very soon....

What's a pergola?

OMG - I just saw this. That is insane. Maybe it was the termites! Kooky, really glad nobody was hurt. How are the cats - flipped out?

Daff - the thought had crossed my mind, believe me. If only it had 2 bathrooms...

Ah, I'd forgotten how posh you are....

Opps, sorry K, edited rather than quoted.

I dunno, you new wave mods...

If you had a husband who spent as much time in the bathroom as mine, you would want 2 bathrooms too.

Um, and you totally deleted my reply to Lili.

That's why I apologised.

least it's not just me , here's your post back K,, I agree, 2 bathrooms = marriage saver

Kooky wrote:Lili, they really really don't like it being there - you know how cats are, everything has its place and they don't like "new" things appearing. Maintenance man might be coming tomorrow to demolish it, which will spook them more as we won't be in and he's going to go over the roof; well it's not as if he can get out of the patio doors anyway.

LOL! Mods, you give 'em a little power and it goes straight to their heads.

Well, Kooky, when you get home from work you'll probably find them hunkered in some corner you never even know you had!

Looks like my power trip has been outed....