About us …

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. Mostly we are making strata owners a bit more aware of their rights and responsibilities and suggesting the minor compromises and concessions we all have to make if we want to live happily in strata.

The Flat Chat phenomenon began with the publication of the book Apartment Living (written with Sue Williams) in 2004 and at time of writing I have gone well past my 300th column.  You can read all the previous columns, other reader’s comments and listen to my monthly spots on James Valentine’s Afternoon Radio shows on ABC 702 by clicking on the links on the left.

And now you can post your questions directly to my new Flat Chat Forum for a more timely reply than waiting for your problem to appear in print (as it still might).  This is to allow other strata owners and strata professionals to see the replies I have sent to other people as well as give them the opportunity to offer their own advice.

Some of the older columns may be a little out of date as circumstances and legislation may have changed since they were written.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.

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, log on to the Forum - that’s the quickest way to get a response.