Podcast: The Wrap … all the way from Cambodia
Wrestling with laptops and hotel wi-fi, we finally bring you the second-last Flat Chat wrap podcast of the year. Was it worth the effort? Only you can be the judge…
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Property prices – are you predator or prey?
With house and apartment prices falling – to the extent that some people who bought off-the-plan at the height of the boom are potentially looking at negative equity –opportunists are…
Roundup – even from a distance, cladding plan looks thin
Greetings from Cambodia! OK, the picture above is from the centre of Saigon but we stopped off for a few days on our way to Angkor Wat. Anywayhow would you…
The perfect gift for your pet – a treat-feeding spy camera
If you are one of those families that gets Christmas cards from their pets – how do those flat-dwelling moggies get out to the Post Office? – you’ll probably want…
Top Vic cop warns of Airbnb-enabled crime wave
In what has to have been one of the worst weeks for Airbnb since short-term online holiday letting landed on these shores, we’ve had two prime examples of exactly why…
Parking winner loses big time for side-stepping NCAT
The next time you think you have a rock-solid strata case – so good that you want to take it to the Supreme Court, where you think wiser heads may…
Airbnb launches campaign against pro-resident MPs
Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Having had an easy ride from Australia’s mostly pliant politicians, Airbnb has warned that they will now use their considerable online clout to campaign…
Roundup: Something fishy when they say we live like sardines
I’m not one to jump on Nimbys (Not In My Back Yard) – most of us think there should be shelters for the homeless, and halfway houses for former jail…
The Wrap podcast – on air with James Valentine
About once a month I trundle down to the ABC studios in Ultimo, Sydney, for an on-air chat with James Valentine. Last week we discussed the latest political moves on…
How to rid your committee of control freaks and clowns
Having lived in apartments in Australia for 30 years, I have encountered every kind of dubious committee office-holder, from the corrupt bully to the incompetent narcissist, and the hands-off passive…
‘Disabled’ lawyer demands extra strata parking spot
QUESTION of the WEEK Every so often we get a story sent to the Forum that deserves wider recognition. This one features one of those odious creatures who thinks a…
Failed parking ban costs owners a truckload of cash
With car parking, pets and noise continuing as the three top irritants to apartment-dwellers, it’s amazing to what lengths some people will go to try to settle disputes about parking.…
Labor to introduce Airbnb register, halving listings
The NSW Labor party is likely to introduce compulsory registrations of Airbnb-style short-term holiday lets (STHL), if it wins power at next year’s state election. And that could see STHL numbers…
Roundup: Cladding and parking top your responses
Our invitation in our last newsletter for you to suggest new topics for us to write about brought a few suggestions. That’s not to say that there’s a shortage of…
Party on! It’s time to forget your differences
If you aren’t over Christmas already, maybe you should think about having a Christmas party for your block. Although the combination of alcohol and people with long-held grievances may be…
The Wrap podcast: Parking, popular pet names, and Airbnb
We’re back in Australia this week, with a story about a conflict that couldn’t be more Aussie. Sue Williams takes us through her yarn about people who bought parking spots…
Roundup: Your strata questions take the cake again
There’s so much going on in the website this week that having a Roundup at all seems like icing on a very big cake … or is it over-egging the…
Proper Charlies: guess the top names for cats and dogs
It’s been a good year for pets in Australian apartments. NCAT has started bouncing unfair anti-pet by-laws in NSW and tenants with pets can’t be unreasonably refused in Victoria, if…