Opal chair reveals his year of dealing with disaster
It’s the kind of bad dream that has strata chairs waking up in a cold sweat; being thrust into the heart of a very public building disaster, with residents thrown…
Green is good – it doesn’t need to be perfect
There’s a common misconception that apartment blocks must be more environmentally efficient than stand-alone housing. Having all those people living in a building with the same physical footprint as a…
Strata defamation appeal – $400K lost as court flips decision
The ongoing saga of the open letterbox outside a strata scheme, the email war it prompted, the defamation case that followed and the award of $120,000 in damages reached a…
Apartment buyers holding out for a hero, says MP
The job of fixing the construction industry is too big for just one person and NSW needs a standalone building commission, not just a single commissioner, to fix the state’s…
From the Forum: fire regs, air cons and limits on tenant numbers
Particularly at this time when half the country seems to be going uip in flames, fire safety seems to be more relevant than ever. So imagine you are in a…
PODCAST – Flats get bigger, Government ducks, Airbnb in strife
We cover a lot of ground in this week’s Flat Chat Wrap, starting with the surprising news that new apartments are getting bigger while houses are getting smaller. Is it…
Houses shrink, apartments grow, Hobart booms
Almost half the new homes being built in Australia are apartments, according to an Australian Bureau of Statistics survey, and flats are getting bigger while houses are getting smaller. The…
FOMO beats ‘buyer beware’ for purchasers
NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler’s recent comment that apartment buyers should “beware” of the potential for their new block falling around their ears – apart from sounding suspiciously like victim-blaming…
Airbnb – the spoiled brat of holiday lets – grows up
It seems that Airbnb, the spoiled brat of the holiday letting industry, is finally having to grow up and accept some responsibility. Their attitude has previously been ‘we’re so popular…
From the Forum: How much should strata managers charge?
There are no fixed rates and they offer different services, but how much should a strata manager be charging? And how much commission should they be getting on strata insurance?…
Flat Chat Wrap #47 – Terror threats, buying big and a baffling raffle
This week, JimmyT and Sue Williams tackle subjects that range from the sinister to the sublimely ridiculous … with some practical advice for investors in between. Why won’t the government…
Why NSW won’t release list of cladding blocks
The NSW government’s decision not to release the identities of the 444 buildings in the state that have potentially deadly flammable cladding may have a more political side than questionable…
Property investments – experts say ‘go big’
With mortgage interest levels at an all-time low and apartment prices yet to reach the heights of a few years ago, there may never be a better time to take…
Appeal of professional pains in the butt
I was talking recently to a strata manager about a new service that’s springing up around their territory – I call them strata advocates – and she said “Oh, you…
Win a whole apartment block for only $10!
Fancy becoming an instant property magnate? For an “investment” of only $10 you could win a fully-furnished apartment block on Queensland’s Gold Coast. With a penthouse apartment, two lower flats…
FORUM: It’s not my party and I’ll cry if I want to …
It’s funny how people react differently to exactly the same information. For instance, suppose you get a note from a neighbour saying, “we’re having a shindig on Saturday – apologies…
PODCAST: Getting tough on breachers and builders
JimmyT was thinking of changing the name of this week’s episode to Hard Chat as he’s going in hard on two very different targets (but won’t because he’s scared of…
Building expert: defects plan is deeply flawed
The NSW government’s plans to construct our apartment buildings better in the future, released last week, were met with a universal outpouring of … well … whatever the opposite of…