Podcast: Why we’ll never get a Royal Commission into building defects
I was intrigued this week by the announcement by the Federal Labor leadership that they plan to pour some of the money from their proposed “honesty tax” on banks into…
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Seminar: Don’t get burnt by flammable cladding
Should you be worried if you have flammable cladding on your building? The simple answer is yes, of course – but perhaps not for the obvious reasons. While the dangers…
The day Airbnb came round to complain
About two years ago, I got a phone call from two of my editors at the Sydney Morning Herald. I should say “former editors” – none of us work there…
On TV pouring cold water on the flammable cladding controversy
The fire earlier this month (February 2019) on the outside of the Neo200 building in Melbourne conveniently coincided with a meeting of state and federal government ministers at which it…
‘Perfect storm’ of flaws caused cracks in Opal Tower, says report
A combination of flaws in design, faulty pre-fabrication and inadequate installation of the pre-fabricated walls, plus damage to critical building elements by work done during construction, led to the cracking…
Roundup: I’m being stalked by a creepy neighbour
Every so often someone sends a post to the Flat Cat Forum and it touches a surprising nerve. This week, a Flatchatter asked what she could do about a stalker…
Podcast: On radio with James Valentine and more from Alex Greenwich
Chatting with James Valentine on air the other day, I was suddenly aware of how immune (or is it inured?) one can become to the idiocies of strata living. James…
New strata service bridges gap to professional advice
This week we welcome our new sponsors Strata Answers, a service that’s set up to bridge the gap between free advice like Flat Chat, and the full-fare professional services offered…
Strata defect laws need an injection of Fair Go
With Sydney Olympic Park’s Opal building crumbling on one side, and buildings in Melbourne going up in flames on the other, NSW Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean had to do…
Posh party animals trash Airbnb rental as holiday lets face global curbs
While local residents in Byron Bay have been offered the prospect of some respite from the incursion of holiday letting agencies into residential homes, it seems no one is immune…
Roundup: How Byron Bay got an Airbnb bypass
You may not have noticed, but the NSW government on Monday seriously modified its “come on down” attitude to holiday lets in the state – at least as far as…
Podcast: Parliamentary panic behind short-term letting U-turn
This week our podcast is given over to an extended chat with NSW Independent MP for Sydney, Alex Greenwich. I’ve come across many politicians in this game. Most have been…
Gentrification sees gyms take over Kings Cross
The gentrification of Kings Cross, the upsurge in the number of high-end apartments and the withering effect of the lock-out laws on licensed premises have combined to unexpected effect, writes Sue Williams. You…
Kean announces tighter laws for apartment builders
On Sunday, February 10, NSW Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean announced a plan for a tightening of building regulations, clearly in a response to the Opal Tower and cladding scandals.…
Cladding: It’s your money that the governments are burning
There was another cladding fire in Melbourne the other day. It was one of those “accidents waiting to happen” we’ve been hearing about since the horror Grenfell Tower blaze in…
Small fire, not many dead: Ignorance and racism in Neo200 debate
On Wednesday morning I woke up to read a somewhat hysterical story in the Sydney Morning Herald about the latest apartment block fire in Melbourne. Not only was I appalled…
Podcast: Chatting flats with “mighty” Rod Quinn
In this week’s podcast we have kind of hijacked the Rod Quinn “Talking Points” segment for his ABC Overnight show on radio last week – featuring Flat Chat’s very own…
Election connection as OCN faces the big issues for 2019
Last year was huge for the Owners Corporation Network (OCN), the only significant body for apartment owners, run by apartment owners. Most notably, they were hugely instrumental in turning what…