FLAT CHAT ON JAMES VALENTINE’S
AFTERNOON SHOW ON ABC702

Click HERE to listen to previous broadcasts

Flat Chat is a column that has been appearing in Domain section of the Sydney Morning Herald for the past six years, answering questions, offering advice and occasionally stirring up controversy about strata living in Australia.

It was inspired – if that’s the right word – by the publication of our book Apartment Living (written with Sue Williams) in 2004. I’ve since written another book, The Ultimate Guide to Buying and Renting Houses and Apartments, a new edition of which has the latest legislation in it (as at April 2008).

The material in these columns are the raw, unedited articles before the SMH sub-editors got into them, correcting my mistakes and saving me from litigation.

Some of the older columns may be a little out of date as circumstances and legislation may have changed since they were written. Some of the issues are specific to New South Wales, some are universal. But most of them relate to the whole business of getting on with each other in modern apartment buildings wherever we may be.

So please read these articles in the spirit in which they were written – light-hearted guides to apartment life.

If you need definitive advice, contact the Office of Fair Trading (in NSW, or its equivalent elsewhere) or talk to lawyers who specialise in strata law.

If you want to ask a question or send a comment for possible publication in the SMH email me at
mail@flat-chat.com.au or use the comment panel under any of the recent or previous posts that grab your attention.

NB: There will almost certainly be differences in strata law between NSW and other states and countries.  If you have a serious problem, contact the agencies (in Australia) listed in our contacts sections.  Or contact a properly qualified and experienced strata lawyer.  These columns should not be regarded as a substitute for professional legal advice.

I don’t have much control over the ads that appear on these pages, although I did try to filter out the irrelevant ones and discovered that by listing the things I didn’t want, it made them more likely to appear. What I’m hoping for are books, DVDs, electronics, home wares, interior design and furnishing – all the things that make apartment living even more excellent than it already is. If you see anything that takes your fancy, clicking on them doesn’t cost you anything (unless you buy something) but it does generate a tiny amount of money for me which all goes to help subsidise this website.

Jimmy Thomson, 2009