The arrival of the bath is water music to my ears
Bathroom Chronicles, Part 11 The bath has arrived, as promised by the lovely people at Parisi. Although I admit I did have a few last-minute doubts. When the Chinese government…
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Forum: Why are our facilities still closed?
As we emerge blearily from our Covid-induced hibernation, obviously some strata schemes are quicker to get back to normal than others. One Flatchatter wants to know why the spa and…
Podcast: Crazy questions, architects with answers
We turn back the clock – but just a little – for this week’s podcast when we look at the weirdest and wackiest questions asked and problems presented on the…
Rents drop as Airbnb flats return to residential lets
The pandemic hasn’t quite killed off short-term holiday letting but it’s certainly applied a hefty brake – at least as far as our cities are concerned. The return to the…
Rental as anything – new app by-passes agents
New research has revealed that both tenants and landlords believe unhelpful real estate agents are among the biggest obstacles to their happy co-existence. Research commissioned by the founders of a…
When is a bathroom not really a bathroom?
Bathroom Chronicles, Part 9 It is the most human of responses, it seems: when disaster strikes, you go looking for someone to blame. The disaster in this case is bathroom…
Forum: Owner in dispute blocked from election
I often wonder where some strata managers get their ideas – it certainly doesn’t appear to be from professional training. Take the case of our Flatchatter who is in dispute…
Podcast 101: Pets and some post-Covid plusses
With most of the worst of the pandemic behind us here in Australia – or, at least, the first and hopefully the last wave of infections – we thought we’d…
Luna and Archie rule as old faves join pet name lists
This year has been huge for pet owners in strata, especially in NSW, with companion animals moved from the small print of our by-laws to the news pages of our…
How to lift the value of flats in a walk-up block
There aren’t many investment options that offer you four or five times your stake within six months … well, few that don’t have you looking over your shoulder for ICAC…
‘Bonfire of the Vanity’ or ‘Return to Render’
Bathroom Chronicles, Part 8. “Are these tiles coming off, then?” There can be few more chilling words from a tradie’s mouth to a home renovator’s ears. “For God’s sake, man,”…
Score $20 for taking part in a social media survey
Are you a member of a tight and lively social group in your apartment block or are you a lone wolf, happy to keep interactions with your neighbours to a…
Forum: High anxiety and double-dip voting
There’s an intriguing conundrum in the Forum this week. An owner in a small walk-up block wants to install a stairlift – one of those chairs that takes older or…
Free webinar on electric vehicle charging in strata
Is Australian the only country in the eorld that doesn’t “get” electric vehicles? In the same week that GMC announce their new electric Hummer in the USA, (0-100kph in 3…
Podcast 100: Upside of a stairlift stand-off
There are two major strands to this week’s podcast. The first stems from a question raised in the Flat Chat Forum, about an apartment owner who wants to install a…
State to pay interest on flammable cladding loans
Flat Chat sponsor Lannock Strata Finance has welcomed the decision by the NSW Government to cover the interest on commercial strata loans taken out to pay for the removal of…
Fun and occasional fury as our podcast hits 100 eps
We’ve scored a century! This week sees us post the 100th episode of the Flat Chat Wrap – and that’s only counting properly produced and distributed episodes. We would have…
How your state’s strata laws are being upgraded
Just as different states have different strata laws, they have very different approaches to revising and updating them. NSW, Victoria and Queensland are all at various stages of reviews while…